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Section 319
NDNPDINT SDURCF PROGRAM SUCCESS STDRY
Bedford County Improves Water Quality Through Waste Management Systems
WatPrhndv Imnrnvpd P°"u1:ec' runoff from pasture grazing caused nutrients
and sediment to enter into Fall Creek, which led to the
listing of a 11.4-mile segment of Fall Creek as impaired in 2002 and 2004. Using section
319 funding, the Bedford County Soil Conservation District installed two major Waste
Management Systems on tributaries to Fall Creek in 1999. This resulted in water quality
improvements of the 11.4-mile segment of Fall Creek and its removal from the 2006
303(d) list of impaired waters.
Problem
Fall Creek is located in the Duck River
watershed in Bedford County. This specific
segment is impaired from Duck River to the
headwaters in EcoRegion 711. Fall Creek was
listed as impaired on the 2002 and 2004
303(d) lists due to nutrients, loss of biological
integrity, and habitat alterations from pasture
grazing. Fall Creek has many designated use
classifications including fish and aquatic life,
recreation, livestock watering and wildlife,
and irrigation. It was listed as impaired for
not fully supporting the fish and aquatic life
and recreation beneficial uses due to siltation
altering the habitat and excess nutrients
resulting in low dissolved oxygen.
Two total maximum daily loads (TMDLs)
were established for Fall Creek in 2006 by
the Tennessee Department of Environmental
Conservation for low dissolved oxygen
caused by excess nutrients and habitat altera-
tion caused by siltation.
Project Highlights
Water Act section 319 funding to allocate
funding assistance. Using a combination of
319 funding as well as state funds through
the Agricultural Resources Conservation Fund
(ARCF) they installed Waste Management
Systems on tributaries to Fall Creek in 1999.
These systems included two litter storage
units for chickens with the capacity to store
and compost 199 acres on Parch Corn Creek,
which runs into Fall Creek (Figure 1).
The installation of these poultry composters
and animal waste systems minimized the
potential for contamination of streams. The
waste facilities also reduce the pollution
potential of organic agricultural wastes to
surface and ground water.
Results
The local Soil Conservation District offices
in Bedford County administered the Clean
The Tennessee Macroinvertebrate Community
Assessment is used to calculate the
Tennessee Stream Condition Index (TSCI),
which is a measure of biological health of an
aquatic system. This index is used by the state
in determining a waterbody's compliance to
state water quality standards for the beneficial
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Fall Creek Watershed, Bedford County in the
Duck River Watershed, 06040002
} J
2004 fish & aquatic life
stream attainment
Rutherford
County
Fully Supports
Not Supporting
Not Assessed
Dry
Minkslide Creek
Fall Creek, TDEC Waterbody
TN06040002038-1000
Ps Installed 1999-20
Watershed. 060400020308
Note: The waterbodv was also impaired for Recreation uses
Tennessee Department of Agriculture, August 2006
Figure 1. Locations of BMPs installed from 1999-2005
use of fish and aquatic life. The TSCI was
used to compare subregions and determine a
score, for a total possible score of 42.
Chemical and biological stations were
established on this stream in 2004. While
the stream was found to still be impacted
by pathogens and will remain listed on
that basis, Rapid Bioassessment Protocol
(RBPIII) sampling at two different locations
documented TSCI scores of 36 and 32, which
met Tennessee's biological integrity goals.
Therefore Fall Creek has been removed from
the 303(d) list in 2006 for nutrients, biological
loss due to siltation, and habitat alteration.
Partners and Funding
Fall Creek has benefited from a total of
$13,861.47 provided through cost-share from
section 319 grant pool projects. In addition,
$94,747.00 was provided by a Tennessee
State ARCF grant and local match.
. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
\ Office of Water
a Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-001X
September 2007
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306
Sam.Marshall@state.tn.us
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