Section 319
NPNPDINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STDRY
Homeowners and Agricultural Community Reduce Bacteria Levels
in Oconee County Watersheds
atPrhnHv ImnrnvpH Livestock operations and failing septic systems caused excessive
fecal coliform levels in two rural South Carolina creeks. In 1998 the
state placed three sites (i.e., waterbody segments) along Coneross and Beaverdam Creeks on its
303(d) list for violating bacterial indicator water quality standards. The three watersheds represented
by these sites did not support recreational uses because of the bacterial impairment. The South
Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) developed total maximum daily
loads (TMDLs) for fecal coliform for Beaverdam Creek and two sites within Coneross Creek. Public
and private partners met these TMDLs by implementing several best management practices (BMPs)
designed, in part, to help the creeks meet state water quality standards for fecal coliform. At the
close of the project in December 2005, all three sites were meeting South Carolina's water quality
standards for fecal coliform.
Problem
Coneross and Beaverdam Creeks flow though
Oconee County in the northwest corner of
South Carolina. Water quality monitoring data
within the two rural watersheds showed that
three sites consistently exceeded state water
quality standards for fecal coliform. As a result,
South Carolina placed two sites on Coneross
Creek and one site on Beaverdam Creek on its
303(d) list for fecal coliform bacteria violations.
These watersheds encompass 47,016 acres in
Coneross Creek and 9,099 acres in Beaverdam
Creek. Staff at SCDHEC attributed the violations
to failing septic systems and runoff from animal
management sites. South Carolina removed
the Beaverdam Creek site from the 303(d) list
in 2000 and the Coneross Creek site in 2002
because a TMDL had been developed and
approved for each station. However, water qual-
ity standards were not met at any of the three
sites until 2005.
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This alternative watering source on the Hendrix
Farm keeps cattle out of nearby creeks and ponds.
Project Highlights
In 2002 South Carolina initiated a 3-year
project to develop and implement three fecal
coliform TMDLs for the creeks. To effectively
meet the TMDLs, project partners developed
a watershed-based plan that targeted the
agricultural community and homeowners with
septic systems needing repair or replacement.
The plan included an extensive commu-
nity education component. Through various
outreach efforts, project partners improved
homeowner awareness of the importance of
proper septic system maintenance. Outreach
to the agricultural community included infor-
mation about various BMPs to improve water
quality.
By 2005, homeowners and farmers had
taken many steps to improve Coneross and
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This septic tank was completely filled with solids. Cooperators removed the solids and replaced the tank.
Beaverdam Creeks. Using the technical and
financial support of project partners, hom-
eowners repaired or replaced 38 failing septic
systems. Likewise, project partners helped
the agricultural community to adopt 80 BMPs,
which included planting buffers and field bor-
ders, fencing cattle from creeks and providing
alternative water sources, building waste-stor-
age sheds, and installing compost facilities.
Results
Monitoring data from SCDHEC show that
the efforts of the project team members,
homeowners, and the agricultural community
resulted in a measurable reduction in fecal
coliform in Coneross and Beaverdam Creeks.
By the end of the project in December 2005,
data from each of the three stations showed
that the water was meeting water quality
standards for fecal coliform (South Carolina's
water quality standard for fecal coliform
bacteria allows for no more than 10 percent
exceedances of the 400 cfu/100 ml instanta-
neous criterion). Monitoring will continue at
all three stations to ensure that standards are
maintained.
In addition to the obvious water quality
benefits, the Coneross Creek and Beaverdam
Creek project has resulted in many physi-
cal, economic, and social benefits to project
participants. Agricultural producers, for
example, discovered that implementing the
Waste stacking sheds, like this one, reduce the
amount of fecal coliform that washes away after a
rain event.
BMPs improved forage management and utiliza-
tion, distributed livestock grazing patterns more
evenly, and increased revenue from the addition
of product lines such as compost.
Partners and Funding
The project was a partnership between
SCDHEC, Clemson University, USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service, Oconee
County Soil and Water Conservation District, and
the Oconee County Cattlemen's Association.
The project used just over $583,000 in federal
319 funds and $100,000 in EQIP, which included
an additional match of $417,000. The total cost
for this project was over $1,100,000.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001K
June 2007
For additional information contact:
Meredith Barkley, South Carolina Department of
Health and Environmental Control
803-898-4222
barklemb@dhec.sc.gov
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