Section 319
NQNPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCPE8S STDRY
Partners Reduce Polluted Runoff from Agricultural Areas
Waterbodv Improved Runoff Carn/in9 sediment from agricultural areas impaired
'"""• ' r '"'""" aquatic habitat in North Carolina's Little Ivy Creek. North
Carolina added the creek to its 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired
waters. Using CWA section 319 and state funding, Madison County Soil and Water
Conservation District installed best management practices (BMPs) including livestock exclu-
sion fencing, alternative watering facilities, pastureland management and riparian buffer
plantings. Water quality improved, and North Carolina removed a 2.6-mile segment of Little
Ivy Creek from its CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2008.
Problem
Little Ivy Creek, in Madison County, North Carolina,
is a subwatershed of the larger Ivy River watershed
in the Upper French Broad River Basin. Nonpoint
source pollution has plagued the 60,000-acre Ivy
River watershed for years. Contaminants include
fecal coliform, nutrients and sediment. Biological
monitoring on Little Ivy Creek in 2002 showed a
score of fair, which failed to support the creek's
aquatic life designated use. As a result, North
Carolina added Little Ivy Creek to its CWA section
303(d) list for impaired waters in 2002.
Project Highlights
Community partners came together to combat the
fecal coliform bacteria and sedimentation prob-
lems identified by North Carolina Division of Water
Quality in the watershed. This multi-project effort
focused primarily on installing agricultural BMPs.
To date, partners have installed four projects using
CWA section 319 funds in the Little Ivy Creek and
Ivy River watersheds.
Partners installed more than 48,000 linear feet of
livestock exclusion fencing to keep livestock out of
the stream and reduce erosion (Figure 1). Project
participants also installed 170 alternative watering
facilities (Figure 2). One farmer adopted pasture and
hay management plans, protecting an additional
530 acres of natural area. Additional BMPs funded
by CWA section 319 grants helped develop a farm
access road, 30 acres of riparian buffer and 25 feed/
waste management structures (Table 1).
Figure 1. This fence prevents livestock from accessing
Little Ivy Creek.
Figure 2. This alternative water source allows livestock
to drink without entering Little Ivy Creek.
-------
Table 1. BMPs installed in Little Ivy
Creek watershed
BMP installed
Riparian Buffer Planting
Livestock Exclusion Fencing
Critical Area Planting
Feed/Waste Structures
Rotational Grazing
Pastureland Management
Tree Planting
Stream Restoration
Farm Road Stabilization
Nutrient Waste Management
Size/unit
31 ac
48,500ft
17 ac
25 unit
830 ac
530 ac
15 ac
1,500ft
1,000ft
530 ac
Results
Biological monitoring data indicate that water qual-
ity in Little Ivy Creek has improved. North Carolina
developed the North Carolina Index of Biological
Integrity (NCIBI) to assess a stream's biological
integrity by examining the structure and health of
the fish community. NCIBI incorporates information
about species richness and composition, trophic
conditions, and fish abundance and condition. The
NCIBI effectively summarizes all classes of factors
that influence aquatic faunal communities such as
water quality, energy source, habitat quality, flow
regime and biotic interactions.
The North Carolina Division of Water Quality breaks
the Little Ivy Creek watershed into two main
segments hosting one macroinvertebrate and one
fish sampling station. At the most recent sampling
interval in June 2007, segment 6-96-10a received a
good rating for fish, and segment 6-96-10b received
a good-fair rating for both macroinvertebrate and
fish (Table 2). These data indicate marked biological
improvement and evidence of macroinvertebrate
habitat recovery in Little Ivy Creek. On the basis
of these data, the North Carolina Division of Water
Quality removed the 2.6-mile segment from the
state's CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters
in 2008.
Table 2. Environmental monitoring data NCIBI
score
Waterbody
Little Ivy Creek
Little Ivy Creek
Location
SR 1547
SR 1547
Index #
6-96-10
6-96-10
Date
08/03/02
06/18/07
Score
44
52
Rating
Fair
Good
Partners and Funding
Support for this project came from $359,606 in U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency CWA section 319
funds and $291,750 in state funds. CWA section 319
grant funds awarded in the larger Ivy River water-
shed to date totals $1,384,356. Partners include
North Carolina Division of Water Quality, North
Carolina Division of Soil and Water Conservation,
Madison County, University of North Carolina at
Asheville, Clean Water Management Trust Fund,
North Carolina Department of Transportation, North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and the
Tennessee Valley Authority, which cumulatively
have provided an additional $1,069,855 in matching
funds.
I
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-09-001Y
September 2009
For additional information contact:
Heather Boyette
North Carolina Division of Water Quality
919-807-6437 • Heather.boyette@ncmail.net
Sara Nichols
Madison County Soil and Water Conservation
828-649-9099 • Sara.nichols@nc.nacdnet.net
------- |