*»* PRO^°
Section 319
NONPOINT SOIPRG* PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Education and Demonstration Efforts Result in Turbidity Improvements
WatPrhndv Imnrnvpd Sandy and Yellowstone Creeks, both in the Salt Fork of the
Arkansas River watershed in north central Oklahoma (in Alfalfa
and Woods Counties, respectively), were impaired for turbidity due in part to practices associ-
ated with crop and cattle production. Agricultural producer education and implementation of
best management practices (BMPs) to promote conservation tillage, proper fertilizer application,
integrated pest management, and riparian buffer establishment helped to decrease sediment
and nutrients going into both creeks. As a result, Oklahoma removed Sandy Creek from its
2004 303(d) list for turbidity impairment, and nominated Yellowstone Creek for removal from the
state's 2006 303(d) list for turbidity.
Problem
The Salt Fork is an agriculture-intensive
watershed where wheat and alfalfa are the
primary crops. Producers often plowed fields
to the edge of streams, and cattle often grazed
at stream edges, both of which contributed
to bank erosion. Consequently, streams in
this watershed had high turbidity problems.
Oklahoma placed both Sandy Creek, 18 miles
long, and Yellowstone Creek, 22 miles long, on
the 1998 303(d) list for not attaining their des-
ignated use of Fish and Wildlife Propagation
(FWP) because of turbidity impairment.
Project Highlights
Educating agricultural producers was a top
priority for the Salt Fork watershed program.
Better management techniques for sediment,
nutrient, and pest control, such as no-till and
reduced-till planting; proper fertilizer and
chemical (pesticide, herbicide, fungicide) appli-
cation; the use of crop varieties that require
fewer chemicals; and riparian buffer zone
establishment were taught through multiple
channels. Ten BMP demonstration projects
showed producers that BMP implementation
need not affect their bottom line or production
volumes. Numerous educational meetings,
tours, and field days, in combination with a
Potential sources of sediment and
nutrients in the Salt Fork watershed before
implementing the BMPs: fields were often
cultivated or grazed to the edge of the
stream; riparian buffers were nonexistent
or rare.
Web site and newsletters also promoted the
BMPs.
Results
During the project period, from 1999 to 2002,
conservation tillage use within the Salt Fork
watershed increased by 21 percent (to 88 per-
cent of producers), soil test-based fertilizer
application increased by 29 percent (to 67 per-
cent of producers), and 78 percent of produc-
ers recognized the benefits of using vegetative
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SANDY CREEK
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2002 2004 2006
Assessment Year
YELLOWSTONE CREEK
2002
2004
Assessment Year
2006
A stream is considered impaired due to turbidity if
10 percent or more of the seasonal base flow water
samples exceed 50 NTUs (based on 5 years of data
preceding the assessment year). Both creeks now fully
attain their FWP use designation.
buffers along streams. As a result, turbidity
has decreased in the Salt Fork watershed. In
the 2002 assessment, 13 percent of seasonal
base flow water samples from Sandy Creek
exceeded the turbidity criteria; in the 2004
assessment it was reduced to 8 percent. In
2006, it was further reduced to 4 percent.
Similarly, in 2002, Yellowstone Creek had a 10
percent exceedance of turbidity criteria, which,
by 2006, was down to only 6 percent exceed-
ance. Both creeks now meet the requirements
of their FWP use designation. Oklahoma
removed Sandy Creek from its 303(d) list in
2004, and it expects to remove Yellowstone
Creek from its 2006 303(d) list.
Partners and Funding
EPA section 319 funds provided $90,000
for the implementation of this project. The
Oklahoma Conservation Commission supplied
$60,000, which was used to subcontract with
the Oklahoma State University Cooperative
Extension to conduct education and demon-
stration tasks.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Off ice of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001C
April 2007
For additional information, contact:
Dan Butler
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
405-522-4500
dan.butler@conservation.ok.gov
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