Section 319
               NONPOINT SOURCF PROE1AM SUCCESS STORY
 Conservation Tillage Reduces Surface Erosion from Agriculture Activities

\A/citprhnH\/ Imnrnx/prl   Excess sediment from unpaved road surfaces and agriculture
          '"""•   '  r   '"'"""   and construction activities impaired Days Creek. As a

 result, an 11-mile reach of Days Creek was added to the state's 2006 Clean Water Act

 (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters for siltation. The Arkansas Natural Resources
 Commission (ANRC) took action to address siltation caused by erosion of agricultural

 fields during storm events. Landowners and the Conservation District responded by

 implementing several agricultural best management practices (BMPs) that reduced siltation

 and  restored water quality. Days Creek now supports  its aquatic life designated  use, and

 the 11-mile reach of the creek was removed from the  state's CWA section 303(d) list of

 impaired waters in 2008.


 Problem
 Days Creek, a tributary to the Sulphur River, flows
 through Miller County in southwestern Arkansas.
 Monitoring data collected from 2001 to 2005 show
 elevated turbidity levels. An Arkansas Department
 of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) assessment found
 that an 11-mile segment of Days Creek did not
 support its aquatic life designated use because of
 siltation/turbidity from surface erosion. Therefore,
 in 2006 Days Creek was added to the state's CWA
 section 303(d) list of impaired waters for siltation/
 turbidity.

 The state standard requires that "suspended solids
 added to surface waters by artificial sources shall
 not interfere with the behavior, reproduction, physi-
 cal habitat or other factor related to the survival and
 propagation of aquatic or semi-aquatic or terrestrial
 wildlife." ADEQ found that a number of sources
 contribute to siltation problems in the Days Creek
 watershed, including in-stream erosion and erosion
 from unpaved road surfaces and agriculture and
 construction activities (Figure 1).


 Project Highlights
 In 2004 the Miller County Conservation District,
 with funding assistance from ANRC, purchased
 a no-till drill, which allows farmers to plant seeds
 directly into the previous year's crop residue
 without tilling the soil (Figure 2). The crop residue
 protects the soil and lessens the opportunity for
 erosion.  Many farmers took advantage of the oppor-
 tunity to use the no-till drill-by June 2008 it had        Figure ZA ™-tlN drlllcan be used to reduce SO1' eroslon
                                            from agriculture activities.
Figure 1. As seen in this photo, conventional tillage leaves
soil unprotected, often leading to erosion during storm
events.

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been rented 64 times. In addition to incorporating
no-till into their farming practices, multiple land-
owners implemented other BMPs on 1,464 acres,
including conservation cover and cover crops.
Results
ANRC successfully addressed erosion from agri-
cultural sources through cost effective targeting
of CWA section 319 funds. Thanks to landowners'
efforts to conserve topsoil and prevent erosion
by using BMPs, Days Creek meets its aquatic life
designated use. Specifically, the landowners' use
of the no-till drill contributed greatly to restoring the
water quality.

Monitoring data show a 42 percent decrease in
turbidity between 2004 and 2007 (Figure 3). On the
basis of these data, the 11-mile segment of Days
Creek was removed from the state's CWA section
303(d) list of impaired waters in 2008.
Partners and Funding
The following groups helped to restore Days Creek:
landowners living in the Miller County Conservation
District, Miller County Conservation District staff,
Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Miller County Conservation District used
$12,120 in CWA section 319 funds (made available
through the ANRC) to purchase the no-till drill for
BMP implementation. Local landowners provided
approximately $25,250 of in-kind match for using
the drill.
5-year Trend for Turbidity in Days Creek (RED0004a)
?nn
180
160
i An
i9n
I — 100
an
fin
40
20


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