Section 319
NPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCPtfS STDRY
Watershed Partnership Pays Off for Brasstown Creek
\A/catorhnH\/ I mnrnwoH Eroding streambanks, runoff from agricultural lands, and livestock
VvdltMUUUy II11 fj I UvtJU access causec| widespread nonpoint source pollution problems in the
Brasstown Creek watershed in the mid-1990s. By 1994 the creek had failed to meet aquatic life criteria
and North Carolina had placed it on the state's 303(d) list due to sediment impairments. Public and private
partners implemented several best management practices (BMPs)—restricting livestock access to the
creek, providing livestock with alternative water sources, reconstructing stream channels, enhancing
riparian buffers, and others—to reduce water quality impacts. Water quality improved enough to once
again support a healthy macroinvertebrate community, and the state delisted Brasstown Creek in 2000.
Problem
Brasstown Creek originates in Georgia and
flows generally northwest into North Carolina.
From the Georgia-North Carolina border, the
creek meanders 8.5 miles before reaching
the Hiwassee River. The watershed has an
83-square-mile drainage area and contains
low-density residential development, pasture
and hay lands, and a relatively large amount of
forest cover.
The North Carolina Division of Water Quality
(NC DWQ) monitored macroinvertebrates in
that state's portion of Brasstown Creek using
two biological indices. The EPT index is a
measure of pollution-sensitive aquatic insects
inhabiting a waterbody A stream showing
high EPT richness is less likely to be polluted
than one with low richness in the same geo-
graphic region. In addition, NC DWQ evaluated
Brasstown Creek's biotic integrity (Bl), which
measures the presence of pollution-tolerant
species. High Bl values characterize streams
that have poor water quality and are dominated
by pollution-tolerant species.
The accompanying table shows biomonitor-
ing results from Brasstown Creek. In 1994 the
creek had an EPT index of 18. This low value
caused the state to place an 8.5-mile segment
of Brasstown Creek on its 303(d) list for only
partially supporting state aquatic life use cri-
teria. NC DWQ cited sediment from nonpoint
sources, including streambank erosion and
Before: Channel instability and bank erosion along this Brasstown
Creek tributary were caused by historic channelization, lack of
riparian vegetation, and cattle access.
agricultural and highway runoff, as the causes
of impairment. This assessment was sup-
ported by a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
analysis of land use in the Brasstown Creek
watershed.
Project Highlights
In response to these problems, in 1995 the
Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition (HRWC)
formed a locally driven partnership to restore
the watershed and implement numerous BMPs.
The partners revegetated 160 acres of criti-
cally eroding bare areas (lands within 1,000
feet of streams); installed nearly 6.2 miles of
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After: The rebuilt channel was designed with
a more stable pattern, modeled after a similar,
relatively undisturbed stream.
livestock exclusion fencing; reconstructed
stream channels; and created, enhanced,
or protected 48 acres of forested riparian
buffer from 1999 through 2004. In addition,
project partners installed stock trails, stream
crossings, wells, and spring developments in
heavy-use areas, thereby improving more than
2,000 acres of pastureland. These practices
kept an estimated 650 tons of soil, 162 pounds
of nitrogen, and 45 pounds of phosphorus out
of Brasstown Creek annually.
Results
NC DWQ sampled Brasstown Creek again in
1999 and found that although instream habitat
and sedimentation problems remained, the
benthic macroinvertebrate community showed
a marked improvement. Evaluating EPT and Bl
indices, NC DWQ assigned Brasstown Creek
a "Good" bioclassification, indicating that the
creek met its aquatic life support designation
Year
1994
1999
2004
EPT
18
44
53
BI
4.6
4.8
State bioclassification
Fair
Good
Excellent
Brasstown Creek biomonitoring results. NC DWQ
assessed EPT and Bl to assign a bioclassification
for the creek. A "Good" or "Excellent" bioclassifica-
tion indicates that the creek meets its aquatic life
support designation.
and allowing North Carolina to delist it in 2000.
Subsequent monitoring in 2004 reaffirmed that
the benthic community had recovered.
Other signs of water quality improvement in
Brasstown Creek have been noted. A pollutant
loading model developed by TVA, for example,
showed a nearly 25 percent reduction in total
suspended solids (TSS) for the North Carolina
portion of the Brasstown Creek watershed
between 1997 and 2004. Even greater TSS
reductions—up to 83 percent—occurred in
some subwatersheds where several BMPs
were in close proximity.
Success is not yet complete for the entire
watershed, however. Upstream portions
remain listed as impaired or partially support-
ing their designated uses. The HRWC and its
partners plan to implement similar restoration
work in the Georgia portion of the watershed.
Partners and Funding
The HRWC spearheaded the Brasstown Creek
Watershed Restoration Project and was joined
by government and non-government part-
ners. These included NC DWQ; Clay County
(North Carolina), Cherokee County (North
Carolina), and Blue Ridge Mountain (Georgia)
Soil and Water Conservation Districts; TVA;
North Carolina Division of Soil and Water
Conservation (Agriculture Cost Share Program);
USDA Natural Resources Conservation
Service; and 47 private landowners.
Nearly $4 million has gone toward the Brass-
town Creek watershed recovery effort. Agri-
cultural BMPs were implemented with approxi-
mately $450,000 in section 319 funds, $400,000
from the North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share
Program and the federal Environmental Quality
Incentives Program, and $127,500 in landowner
cost share payments. The North Carolina Clean
Water Management Trust Fund provided an
additional $2.5 million for stream and riparian
buffer restoration. Finally, TVA contributed an
approximately $500,000 in-kind donation for
technical support and watershed modeling.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Off ice of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-06-003L
December 2006
For additional information contact:
Heather Boyette
North Carolina Division of Water Quality
919-733-5083 ext 357 • heather.boyette@ncmail.net
Callie Dobson Moore
Hiwassee River Watershed Coalition
828-837-5414 • hrwcoalition@brmemc.net
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