"\
Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Lake Hazle Recovers from Development Impairments
' '
Waterbody Improved
Stormwater runoff from commercial and residential develop-
ment caused significant water quality impacts in Lake Hazle.
The problem persisted through the 1990s, degrading the lake to the point that it only par-
tially supported its aquatic life use support designation. Mississippi placed Lake Hazle on
its 303(d) list in 1996. To address the growing problem, project partners installed various
best management practices (BMPs), which allowed Lake Hazle to be delisted in 2004.
Problem
Lake Hazle is in Copiah County, south of
Jackson, Mississippi. The 22-acre lake, owned
and maintained by the city of Hazlehurst, is
primarily designed and used for public recre-
ation. In the 1980s, commercial and residential
development around Lake Hazle led to signifi-
cant impacts on its water quality.
While restoration efforts began in the early
1990s and monitoring data indicated overall
water quality improvements, Lake Hazle
nonetheless showed water quality impairments
from nutrients, pH, siltation, organic enrich-
ment/low dissolved oxygen (DO), thermal
modification, oil and grease, and suspended
solids. This information led the state to con-
clude that Lake Hazle only partially supported
its aquatic life use support designation. As a
result, Mississippi placed Lake Hazle on its
303(d) list of impaired waters in 1996. In 1998
the lake remained on the 303(d) list's monitored
section for organic enrichment/low DO, pH, and
nutrients. It was also included on the 1998 list's
evaluated section (listed without actual moni-
toring data) for siltation and oil and grease.
Lake Hazle before
the restoration
project, almost
completely filled
in with silt.
Project Highlights
In June 1990, project partners received section
319 support to upgrade the water quality and
the recreational resources of Lake Hazle. Over
a 5-year period, the partners implemented
several BMPs affecting a 23-acre area. They
planted vegetation at six heavily eroded
sites, created a grade-stabilization structure
Lake Hazle as it appears today,
supporting aquatic life.
to impede polluted runoff, and installed two
water/sediment control basins to slow runoff
and allow sediment to settle out before reach-
ing the lake.
Outreach and education also played an impor-
tant role. Project partners arranged to publish
informative articles in the local newspaper.
They also led field tours for landowners to
observe firsthand the BMPs' pollutant-removal
effectiveness.
-------
Results
Table 1. Lake Hazle water quality data from August
2001 and 2003
Date
Aug. 2001
Aug. 2001
Aug. 2001
Aug. 2001
Aug. 2003
Aug. 2003
Aug. 2003
Aug. 2003
Aug. 2003
Aug. 2003
State
screening
level
Nitrate-
nitrite
(mg/L)
< 0.02
< 0.02
< 0.02
< 0.02
-
-
-
-
-
-
< 1.0
Total
Kjeldahl
nitrogen
(mg/L)
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.5
-
-
-
-
-
-
< 1.5
Total
phosphorus
(mg/L)
0.04
0.05
0.11
0.04
-
-
-
-
-
-
<0.2
Turbidity
(NTU)
11
12
10
7
4
-
6
4
11
7
< 100
Oil&
grease
(mg/L)
-
-
-
-
< 5
< 5
< 5
< 5
< 5
< 5
--
Mississippi does not have numeric water quality standards for
nutrients, sediment, siltation, or turbidity. Therefore, state water
quality experts compare available data for these parameters with
screening levels that are based on literature or scientific rules
of thumb. All data for these parameters were below the state
screening levels and justified Lake Hazle's delisting. Mississippi
has neither a numeric water quality standard nor a screening level
for oil and grease. Best professional judgment determined that oil
and grease concentrations less than 5 mg/L meet the applicable
state narrative water quality standard.
Table 2. Average Lake Hazle dissolved oxygen
concentrations in 2003 and 2004
24-Hour sampling period
08/07/03-08/08/03
08/14/03-08/15/03
06/10/04-06/11/04
Type of data
automatic data
sonde logging
at 30 minute
intervals
Number of
samples
58
56
96
Average DO
(mg/L)
6.6
5.0
7.3
Lake Hazle began to show the beneficial
effects of the BMPs after several years of
vegetative growth and sediment retention.
Their implementation resulted in an estimated
soil savings of about 2,240 tons per year. Water
quality studies gave additional quantitative
evidence of the restoration's success. Studies
in 2001 and 2003, for example, showed that
nutrient, turbidity, and oil and grease concen-
trations in Lake Hazle were within acceptable
water quality screening levels. In addition, DO
data collected during three separate 24-hour
monitoring events in 2003 and 2004 met water
quality standards. Tables 1 and 2 summarize
these findings.
On the basis of the monitoring results, nutri-
ents, turbidity, organic enrichment, low DO,
and oil and grease were eliminated as causes
of impairment. Lake Hazle once again fully
attained its aquatic life use support designa-
tion and was delisted in 2004.
Partners and Funding
This project was supported by $45,641 in sec-
tion 319 funds. The Mississippi Soil and Water
Conservation Commission (MSWCC) and par-
ticipating landowners contributed an additional
$47,168 in matching funds, in-kind services,
and materials. MSWCC led in the selection and
installation of BMPs. The local Soil and Water
Conservation District, the city of Hazlehurst,
and the Southwest Mississippi Resource
Conservation and Development District over-
saw public outreach efforts. Other partners
included the Copiah County Soil and Water
Conservation District, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Mississippi Department
of Environmental Quality, and USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
The aquatic life criterion for dissolved oxygen is > 4 mg/L (under
specific sampling conditions and frequency).
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Off ice of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001A
February 2007
For additional information contact:
Zoffee Dahmash
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality,
Nonpoint Source Section
601-961-5137
Zoffee_Dahmash@deq. state, ms. us
------- |