Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Pasture and Hay Planting Improve Wades Branch Water Quality
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from pasture grazing cattle resulted in excess sedi-
ment entering and degrading a 7.2-mile segment of Wades
Branch. This led to the listing of the segment as impaired in 1998 and subsequent years
for siltation and habitat alteration. In 2002 and 2003, best management practices (BMPs),
including pasture and hay planting, reduced sediment loads and resulted in the removal of
Wades Branch from the 2004 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Problem
Wades Branch is located in the Stones River
Watershed in Rutherford County, Ecoregion
71i. The 7.2-mile impaired segment, which
runs from Stones River to the Dunaway Chapel
Road Fork, was added to Tennessee's 2002
303(d) list of impaired waters for not meeting
state water quality standards for siltation and
habitat alteration to fully support its desig-
nated use classification offish and aquatic
life. The standard states that there shall be no
distinctly visible solids, scum, foam, oily slick,
or the formation of slimes, bottom deposits
or sludge banks of such size or character that
may be detrimental to fish and aquatic life, and
the instream habitat within each subecore-
gion shall be generally similar to that found at
reference streams. Excess siltation alters the
in-stream conditions by covering substrate
with a layer of sediment that reduces habitat
for benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms that
provide food for fish.
A siltation and habitat alteration total maxi-
mum daily load (TMDL) was completed for
Wades Branch, by Tennessee's Department of
Environment and Conservation, and approved
by EPA in 2002.
watershed (Figure 1). In 2003, 21 acres of
pasture lands along Wades Branch were
renovated. The re-introduction of native plant
species and more adaptable species not only
helps to eliminate soil erosion and improve
water quality, it also improves grazing livestock
nutrition.
Results
Project Highlights
In 2000, 24 acres were renovated by replan-
ting hay and pasture grasses within the
Using EPA's rapid bioassessment protocol III
(RBPIII), state biologists calculated a biologi-
cal reconnaissance score (biorecon) for the
Branch, which is used as a measure of com-
pliance with water quality standards for the
beneficial use offish and aquatic life support.
Biorecon is one tool used to recognize stream
impairment as judged by species richness
measures, emphasizing the presence or
absence of indicator organisms without regard
to relative abundance. The biorecon index is
scored on a scale from 1 to 15. A score of less
than 5 is regarded as very poor. A score of
more than 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 Wades Branch indicated
11 EPT families (pollution sensitive species), 8
pollutant intolerant species, and 26 total
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families. Using this scoring system for biore-
cons, this stream segment scored a 15. The
stream segment got a habitat score of 125,
which is better than the established habitat
goal for this region. The stream segment has
improved greatly since last assessed and
consequently resulted in the removal of this
7.2-mile segment of Wades Branch from the
2004 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Partners and Funding
The Rutherford County Soil Conservation
District implemented the BMPs using
$1,807.41 provided through cost-share from
section 319 grant pool projects. In addi-
tion, the Tennessee Agricultural Resources
Conservation Fund (ARCF) provided $2,000 in
funding.
Wades Branch, Rutherford County in the
East Fork Stones River Watershed, 05130203
East Fork Stones River
2004 fish & aquatic life
stream attainment
Fully Supports
Not Supporting
Not Assessed
Dry
Impairment was from
mouth to headwaters
TN05130203023-0100 |
&015&TTDECritr
Number) /
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
August 2006
1.25 2.5 5 Miles
East Fork Stones River Watershed, 051302030107
BMPs Installed 2000-2003
Figure 1. BMPs implemented in the East Fork Stones River Watershed (051302030107) 2000-2003
I
55
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Off ice of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001R
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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