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Section 319
NDNPDINT SDURCF PROGRAM SUCCESS STDRY
Heavy Use Area BMPs Reduce Erosion and Improve Water Quality
WatPrbndv Irnnrnvpd P°"u1:ec' runoff from pasture grazing livestock and the removal
of riparian vegetation caused siltation and habitat alterations
in Rock Springs Branch. This led to the listing of an 8.1-mile segment of Rock Springs
Branch as impaired in 2002. Using section 319 funding, Putnam, Smith, and DeKalb County
Soil Conservation Districts installed heavy use area (HUA) best management practices
(BMPs) on Bates Branch, a tributary to Rock Springs Branch. Fifteen acres of HUA were
implemented to help stabilize an area that cattle trod through, helping to improve water
quality and prevent soil erosion. This resulted in the removal of the Rock Springs Branch
segment from the 2004 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Problem
Rock Springs Branch is located in Putnam
County within the Caney Fork River Watershed,
and consists primarily of rural/urban land uses
with approximately 75% forest and 21% agricul-
ture. The Branch was listed as impaired on the
state's 2002 303(d) list due to siltation and other
habitat alterations. Polluted runoff carrying sedi-
ment from grazing fields was the source of this
pollution, which impaired the Branch's ability
to meet Tennessee's water quality standards to
fully support its designated use classifications
for fish 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 subecoregion shall be generally similar to
that found at reference streams.
A siltation total maximum daily load (TMDL)
was established for the Rock Springs Branch
in 2005 by the Tennessee Department of
Environment and Conservation.
Project Highlights
allocated funding assistance to farmers of
pasture grazing lands through a grant from
the Tennessee State Agricultural Resources
Conservation Fund (ARCF). Using a combination
of matched 319 funding as well as state funds,
they worked with local landowners to promote
and install management practices and struc-
tures that would both reduce runoff into Rock
Springs Branch and improve their operations.
Heavy use area BMPs were installed on two
different farms along both Rock Springs and
Bates Branch to reduce soil erosion (Figure 1).
Results
Local Soil and Water Conservation District
offices in Putman, Smith, and De Kalb counties
Rock Springs Branch was found to have greatly
improved water quality due to the installed
BMPs. Using EPA's rapid bioassessment pro-
tocol III (RBPIII), state biologists calculated a
biological reconnaissance score (biorecon)
for the Branch, which is used as a measure of
compliance with water quality standards for the
beneficial use offish and aquatic life. Biorecon is
one tool used to recognize stream impairment as
judged by species richness measures, emphasiz-
ing the presence or absence of indicator organ-
isms without regard to relative abundance. The
biorecon index is scored on a scale from 1 to 15.
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Rock Springs Branch, Putnam County in the
Caney Fork River Watershed, 05130108
Smith County
2004 fish & aquatic life
attainment
Fully Supports
Not Supporting
Not Assessed
BMPs Installed 1999-2003
Center Hill Reservoir
Caney Fork Watershed, 05130108
Figure 1. Location of Implemented BMPs
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 mac-
roinvertebrate families (or genera), the number
of families (or genera) of mayflies, stoneflies,
and caddisflies (EPT), and the number of pol-
lution intolerant families (or genera) found in a
stream. The biorecon score for Rock Springs
Branch indicated 12 EPT families, six pollutant
intolerant species, and a total of 29 macroin-
vertebrate families. Using the Division scoring
system for biorecons, this stream scored a 15.
The stream got a habitat score of 137, which is
better than the established habitat goal for this
region. These results indicated the improved
water quality and ability to fully support fish and
aquatic life. Therefore, the 8.1-mile segment of
Rock Spring Branch was delisted from the 2004
303(d) list of impaired waters.
Partners and Funding
Since 2002, Rock Springs Branch has benefited
from $57,378.00 provided through cost-share
from section 319 grant pool projects. In addi-
tion, the State ARCF provided $36,986.72. Key
partners in this effort include the Putnam, Smith,
and De Kalb County Soil Conservation Districts.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Off ice of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001W
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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