jig
't.'^^^^^^^J
\
Section 319
NONPOINT
PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
lennexe
Best Management Practices Reduce Pathogens in Cane Creek
WatPrbndv Imnrnvpd Cane Creek, in McMinn County, Tennessee, was contaminated
by pathogens due to urban runoff/storm sewers and pasture
grazing. Pathogen inputs to the creek were reduced by stabilizing erosion-prone areas
near animal feeding operations and relocating the discharge point for the city of Etowah's
stormwater discharge. As a result. Cane Creek was removed from Tennessee's 303(d) list.
Problem
Effluent from the city of Etowah's sewage
treatment plant and runoff from cattle and
poultry production areas contributed to the
high levels of pathogens in Cane Creek. Of
12 fecal coliform samples collected between
1993 and 1996, 4 samples exceeded the fecal
coliform criterion of 1,000 colonies per 100 ml.
In 2002 Cane Creek was added to the state's
303(d) list as impaired by pathogens due to
urban runoff/storm sewers and pasture grazing
in the watershed.
Project Highlights
Poultry and cattle farmers in the Cane Creek
watershed installed conservation treatments
known as heavy-use areas (HUAs). HUAs
usually use geotextile material and gravel to
stabilize soil in areas containing large concen-
trations of animals, thereby preventing soil ero-
sion and improving water quality. Nine HUAs
were installed on a large (400-acre) farm in the
Cane Creek watershed and three more were
installed on a smaller farm according to Natural
Resources Conservation Service design
standards. In addition to the HUAs, fencing
was installed to exclude cattle from streams
and stream crossing to minimize erosion where
crossings are necessary. Trees were planted
in critical areas to decrease soil erosion and
provide additional habitat.
The city of Etowah's sewage treatment plant
moved its stormwater discharge to another
stream. The city had historically discharged to
Cane Creek, which was previously assessed as
impaired by pathogens on the basis of sampling
results from the 1990s.
Results
By 2004 pathogen levels had reached accept-
able levels as a result of the best management
practices (BMPs) implemented throughout the
watershed. Of the nine fecal coliform samples
collected between 1999 and 2004, only one
sample exceeded the E. coli criterion of 941
colonies per 100 ml. Although the fecal coli-
form criterion had been replaced byf. coli,
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
^
Fecal Coliform
Number of fecal coliform colonies per 100 ml at Cane Creek
River Mile 1.5 in McMinn County 1993-2004. Data collected by
Water Pollution Control, Tennessee Department of Environmental
Conservation.
-------
levels were reduced to 640 colonies or fewer,
which is below the criterion of 1,000 colonies
per 100 ml that was used to list the stream.
As a result, Cane Creek was removed from
Tennessee's 303(d) list in 2004.
Partners and Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural
Resources Conservation Service and the
McMinn County Soil Conservation District
helped design and implement many of the
BMPs. The project cost a total of $36,550,
funded through the Agricultural Resources
Conservation Fund (ARCF) and $7,576 of Clean
Water Act section 319 funding that was used
for critical area plantings, HUAs, and a stream
crossing.
I
5
Q
'. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
\ Office of Water
a Washington, DC
EPA841-F-05-004Q
August 2005
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall, PhD
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306
sam.marshall@state.tn.us
------- |