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Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Stabilizing Stamp Sand Deposits and Streambanks Improve Water
Quality and In-stream Habitat
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Historic copper mining activities deposited mounds of fine-grained
rock waste_a|so known as stamp sands— into the stream channels
and floodplains of Kearsarge Creek and Scales Creek. Runoff from these stamp sands resulted in impaired
aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and elevated water column copper concentrations, which led
Michigan to list a combined segment of these waterbodies on its 2002 and 2004 303(d) list. Capping
and stabilizing two large stamp sand deposits has decreased copper concentrations and improved the
macroinvertebrate community enough that these impaired miles will be nominated for removal from the
2008 303(d) list.
Problem
Figure 1. Kearsarge Creek before and after restoration.
Kearsarge Creek and Scales Creek are headwater
tributaries to Houghton County's Trap Rock River in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula. All three waterbodies are
on Michigan's 303(d) list for excessive copper concen-
trations and poor biota. The 3.5-mile impaired segment
of Kearsarge Creek/Scales Creek includes a portion
of Kearsarge Creek upstream of where it flows into
Scales Creek, as well as the lower portion of Scales
Creek to its confluence with the Trap Rock River.
Copper mining operations dating from the 1860s
deposited tons of fine-grained mine tailings in the
floodplains of these streams, and decades of water
and wind erosion have transported large quantities
of these stamp sands into the stream channel and
floodplain. These mineral-rich, fine-grained particles
degrade aquatic life in the streams by (1) burying
in-stream habitat features and (2) leaching copper into
the water column. Bioassays performed in the early
1990s demonstrated that water from these headwater
streams exceeded state water quality standards for
copper. Biological surveys conducted at the same
time found that excessive sedimentation caused
degraded in-stream habitat and impoverished fish and
benthic macroinvertebrate communities.
Before: Stamp sand deposits After: Removal of upstream
cover Streambanks and riparian stamp sand source allows
area. revegetation of Streambanks
and riparian area.
Figure 2. Scales Creek before and after restoration.
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Project Highlights
Project partners isolated two areas of stamp sand
deposits from the streams by stabilizing the stream
banks and capping and revegetating the upland areas.
The Houghton/Keweenaw Conservation District
Before: Stamp sand deposits After: Habitat improves once
cover Streambanks and riparian stamp sand source is removed
area. and Streambanks and riparian
area are stabilized.
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stabilized one 2.5-acre deposit in the Kearsarge Creek
watershed in 1998 (Figure 1). U.S. EPA stabilized
another 19-acre deposit along Scales Creek in 2005
using Superfund Program funds (Figure 2).
Results
The Kearsarge Creek project stabilized a 2.5-acre
stamp sand deposit and triggered natural revegeta-
tion downstream. This improved the in-stream habitat
conditions and benthic macroinvertebrate communi-
ties. In-stream copper concentrations fell by a factor
of 10, total macroinvertebrate taxa tripled, sensitive
macroinvertebrate taxa (mayflies, caddisflies, and
stoneflies, also known as EPT) returned, and the
in-stream habitat assessment noted steadily less
sediment deposition between 1991, 2001, and 2006
(Table 1). Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (MIDEQ) uses a macroinvertebrate community
scoring procedure to identify impaired waterbodies.
Possible scores range from -9 to +9; a score of less
than-4 is considered unacceptable. Macroinvertebrate
scores improved from a score of -7 in 1991 to +2 and
+1 in 2001 and 2006, respectively.
The Scales Creek project stabilized 19 acres of
stamp sand deposits and restored 1,205 linear
feet of Scales Creek streambank. MIDEQ noted
measurable improvements within one year of this
project's completion; between 1991 and 2006
in-stream copper concentrations deceased slightly,
total macroinvertebrate taxa increased by 40 percent,
sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa doubled, and
in-stream habitat features such as substrate
embeddedness and sediment deposition improved
substantially (Table 2). Macroinvertebrate scores, as
determined by MIDEQ's scoring procedure, improved
from 0 in 1991 to +4 in 2006. MIDEQ expects
scores to continue to improve as biota colonizes the
improved habitat. Given the positive results from
both projects, MIDEQ expects to remove Kearsarge
Creek/Scales Creek from the state's 303(d) list by
2008. MIDEQ will survey the creeks again in 2011.
Partners and Funding
In 1998 MIDEQ provided $44,359 in section 319
funds to the Houghton/Keweenaw Conservation
District for the Kearsarge Creek restoration. EPA's
Superfund Program restored the Scales Creek site
in 2005 at a cost of $373,000 (including a 10 percent
match from Michigan). Section 319 also funded
Table 1. Monitoring data from Kearsarge Creek, before and after stamp sand stabilization
Year
1991
1998
2001
2005
Copper
(w/U
125
Macroinvertebrate
taxa
3
EPT
taxa*
0
Score
(-9to+9)
-7
Habitat
category
Fair
Embed-
dedness
6
Depth
regime
6
Sediment
deposition
8
Stamp sands stabilized
34
12
12
12
6
3
+2
+1
Good
Good
10
11
13
14
8
17
EPT= mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies—three orders of pollution-sensitive aquatic insects that are common
in the benthic macroinvertebrate community.
Table 2. Monitoring data from Scales Creek, before and after stamp sand stabilization
Year
1991
1998
2001
2005
Copper
(w/U
31
Macroinvertebrate
taxa
15
EPT
taxa
5
Score
0
Habitat
category
Poor
Embed-
dedness
5
Depth
regime
6
Sediment
deposition
2
Stamp sands stabilized
27
23
16
21
7
10
0
+ 4
Good
Good
8
15
12
12
8
13
f
A
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O
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Off ice of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001AA
November 2007
For additional information contact:
Bill Taft, MIDEQ Water Bureau
517-335-4205
taftw@michigan.gov
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