Section 319
              NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM  SUCCESS STORY
 Streambank Restoration and Cattle Exclusion Reduce Siltation and

 Improve Water Quality

WatPrbndv Irnnrnvpd   Agricultural practices and land development in the Arrington
                              Creek watershed were contributing to silt runoff that was
 degrading the water quality of the creek. The waterbody was listed as impaired on
 Tennessee's 2002 303(d) list due to siltation from agriculture and land development. Best
 management practices (BMPs) implemented in the watershed successfully improved the
 water quality of Arrington Creek and allowed for  its removal from the impaired  list in 2004.
 Problem
 Arrington Creek is located in Williamson
 County in central Tennessee. It is in the
 Harpeth River watershed, Ecoregion 71i. A
 24.6-mile segment of Arrington Creek was
 listed as impaired on the state's 2002 303(d)
 list for siltation. Arrington Creek was only
 partially supporting criteria for its designated
 use classification (fish and aquatic life). The
 state identified agricultural practices and land
 development as the primary sources of silt
 entering the waterbody. A siltation and habitat
 alteration total maximum daily load (TMDL)
 was previously developed for this watershed
 and approved by EPA in 2002.
helped reduce the amount of silt and runoff
entering the waterway.
Results
 Project Highlights
 Eight BMPs were implemented along Paige
 Branch, a tributary to Arrington Creek,
 between 1999 and 2003. The installment of
 exclusion fencing and an alternative water-
 ing facility prevented livestock from entering
 the stream, thereby reducing the trampling
 of streambanks. Other BMPs implemented
 include pasture and hay planting along criti-
 cal areas, reinforcement of heavy use areas,
 Streambank protection, and planting riparian
 buffers (Figure 1). These management practices
The BMPs implemented along Paige Branch,
a tributary to Arrington Creek, have helped
reduce the level of siltation entering the
waterbody and allowed it to meet its desig-
nated water quality standards such that there
were no distinctly visible solids, scum, foam,
oily slick, or the formation of slimes, bottom
deposits or sludge banks. In addition the
Branch was found to be no longer detrimental
to fish and aquatic life. This stream was reas-
sessed in 2002 by the Tennessee Department
of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).
Using EPA's rapid bioassessment protocol III
(RBPIII), state biologists calculated a biological
reconnaissance (biorecon) score for Arrington
Creek, which is used to measure a compliance
with the state water quality standard for silt-
ation. Biorecon is one tool used to recognize
stream impairment as judged by species rich-
ness measures, emphasizing the presence or
absence of indicator organisms without regard
to relative abundance. The biorecon index is
scored on a scale from 1-15. A score less than

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5 is regarded as very poor. A score over 10 is
considered good. The principal metrics used
are the total macroinvertebrate families (or
genera), the number of families (or genera) of
mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies (EPT), and
the number of pollution intolerant families (or
genera) found in a stream. The biorecon results
for Arrington Creek indicated 10 EPT families,
7 intolerant, and 25 total families.  The stream
received a score of 15 out of 15, indicating that
it is now fully supporting fish and  aquatic  life.
The stream got a habitat score of  115, which is
similar to the established  habitat goal for  this
region. The stream has improved  since last
assessed and therefore Arrington Creek was
removed from Tennessee's list of impaired
waters in 2004.

Partners and Funding
The Williamson County Soil Conservation
District and the Harpeth River Watershed
Association helped implement the BMPs with
$12,500 of section 319 direct and matched
funding. An additional $55,627.81 was contrib-
uted by the Tennessee Agricultural Resources
Conservation Fund and matching funds.
    Arrington Creek, Williamson County in the Harpeth River
    Watershed, 05130204
                                                    Williamson County
     2004 fish & aquatichfe
     Stream attainment
            Fully Supports
            Not Supporting
            Not Assessed
            Dry
        BMPs Installed 1999-2003
        Harpeth River Watershed, 051302040104
                                                        Arrington Creek
                                                    Arrington Ck was
                                                    impaired for all 24.6
                                                    miles. Paige Branch is
                                                    not included  in the
                                                    listing.
                                                                     Rutherford County
     Tennessee Department of Agriculture, August 2006
Figure 1. BMPs implemented in the Harpeth River watershed.
I
55
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     Off ice of Water
     Washington, DC


     EPA841-F-07-001Q
     September 2007
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306
Sa m. Marsha II @state.tn. us

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