Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCF PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Improves
Water Quality
WatPrbndv Imnrnvpd
Livestock activity eroded pasture areas and stream banks
along Tennessee's Brush Creek, causing siltation problems in
the creek. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) added an
11.6-mile segment of Brush Creek to the state's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of
impaired waters in 2002. Landowners implemented agricultural best management practices
(BMPs) to exclude livestock from creek areas and control erosion. Water quality improved,
prompting TDEC to remove the creek from the state's list of impaired waters in 2008.
Problem
Tennessee's Brush Creek watershed is south of
Clarksville in Montgomery County. The 11.6-mile
long creek flows into the Cumberland River at
Barkley Reservoir. Land use along the stream is
primarily agricultural. Poorly managed livestock
grazing operations led to erosion of pasture areas
and stream banks along Brush Creek. The eroded
sediment washed into the creek, preventing it from
supporting its designated use of fish and aquatic
life because of high levels of siltation. In 2002 TDEC
placed Brush Creek on Tennessee's CWA section
303(d) list of impaired waters. TDEC identified
poorly managed livestock grazing/pasture areas as
the primary source of the creek's siltation.
Project Highlights
Local landowners installed agricultural BMPs along
Brush Creek using money from CWA section 319
grants and Tennessee's Agricultural Resources
Conservation Fund (ARCF). In 2006 landowners
used section 319 funds to help pay for installing
6,080 feet of fence for rotational grazing. From 2003
to 2008, landowners used ARCF grants to support
other BMPs, including installing 396 feet of fenc-
ing, protecting seven heavy use areas (HUAs) from
erosion, and converting 10 acres from cropland to
grassland orforestland (Figure 1).
Protecting HUAs involves stabilizing areas frequent-
ly used by people, animals or vehicles. For instance,
this practice is applied in streams where cattle or
farm equipment frequently cross, around cattle
» ii E|MPs along Brush Creek TN05130205015T-1300
\"N ~^—M^rjjgomery County, Tennessee
Legend
# BMPs
^
Brush Creek
Streams
| Lakes/Reservoirs
I I Tennessee Counties
Cumberland River Watershed
^^
ID Practice
1 Heavy Use Area
2 Fence
3 Fence
4 Pipeline
5 Heavy Use Area
6 Alternative Watering System, Public Water Source
7 Cropland Conversion
Size of Project
5 HUAs
6080 feet
396 feet
830 feet
2 HUA Pads
2 waterers
10 acres
Figure 1. Map showing location of BMPs installed in the
Brush Creek watershed.
-------
Figures 2 and 3. Examples of alternative watering systems installed in the Brush Creek watershed.
watering or feeding facilities, or in cattle feedlots
or walkways. Converting cropland to forestry and
grassland is an important method to reduce soil
erosion and improve the biophysical environment.
In addition, landowners installed two alternative
watering systems using public water as a source
(Figures 2 and 3).
Results
In 2006 TDEC performed a Semi-Quantitative
Single Habitat Assessment (SQSH) survey at mile
1.9 near Beardon Ridge Road. The principal metrics
used were the total macroinvertebrate families
(or genera); the number of families of mayflies,
stoneflies and caddisflies (collectively referred to
as EPT—short for the order names Ephemeroptera,
Plecoptera and Trichoptera); and the number of
pollution-intolerant families found in a stream. The
SQSH scored an almost perfect 40 out of 42 on the
Tennessee Macroinvertebrate Index. The assess-
ment documented 6 EPT families, 3 intolerant and
20 total families. The overall habitat score for this
site was 120, suggesting that the stream's water
quality has improved. On the basis of these data,
TDEC removed Brush Creek from the CWA section
303(d) list of impaired waters in 2008.
Partners and Funding
Brush Creek has benefited from $6,355 of CWA
section 319 funding (including additional matching
funds of $2,118). In addition, Tennessee's ARCF
provided $6,146 (plus an additional $2,049 in
matching funds). Key partners in this effort include
the Montgomery County Soil Conservation District
for implementing BMPs and the landowners who
contributed the majority of the in-kind match.
I
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-09-001M
July 2009
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306 • Sam.Marshall@state.tn.us
------- |