United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Carrier Oc&e^ io Improve
and 1&store Aquatic
Total Maximum Daily Loads
TMDLs
TMDL at a Glance
Carrier Creek TMDL
(approved July 2002)
www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/
deq-swq-gleas-tmdlcarrier.pdf
Factors causing impairment
Aquatic life use impaired by habitat loss due to
excessive sediment and changes in natural hydrology
Sources contributing to impairment
Soil erosion and stream bank erosion due to
construction activities, road projects, drainage
projects and urban runoff
Restoration options
Stream channel restoration and stabilization,
stormwater management and retention projects,
improve in-stream habitat, wetland construction,
detention basin construction and re-vegetation
A history of changing landscapes in the Grand River watershed, first to support agricultural
activity and then urban land uses, created a series of local water quality problems due to
sediment from stormwater runoff and eroding streambanks. Excessive sediment eventually
took a toll on Carrier Creek, a tributary to the Grand River in Eaton County, Michigan.
Data collected by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the Eaton
County Drain Commissioner, and other key partners demonstrated that Carrier Creek did
not have the habitat necessary to sustain healthy fish and macroinvertebrate communities
and, therefore, was not supporting its aquatic life designated use. Changes in the amount
of impervious surfaces within the communities surrounding Carrier Creek have led to
increases in urban runoff, which affects both the quality and the quantity of storm water
conveyed by Carrier Creek. Figure 1 illustrates the appearance of Carrier Creek
due to erosion and straightening that affect instream habitat.
Starting in 2000, local stakeholders worked together to implement nonpoint source
best management practices (BMPs) using Clean Michigan Initiative grant funding
from MDEQ. The TMDL for biota in Carrier Creek, completed in 2002, provided
a framework for understanding the problems and making the connection between
the sources, water quality standards, and implementation activities. Implementation
activities, such as stream channel restoration and wetland creation, have reduced
stream bank erosion, improved aquatic habitat, and improved the health of aquatic
communities at some monitoring locations in Carrier Creek. Continued monitoring
efforts will help stakeholders identify progress toward achieving the numeric biota
and habitat endpoints to support the aquatic life designated use.
How are TMDLs at work in the Carrier Creek watershed?
The sediment TMDL to address aquatic life impairments in Carrier Creek provided
a vehicle to compile the existing data and information about trends in the health
of Carrier Creek's aquatic life, particularly the macroinvertebrate community, and
provide the framework necessary to support implementation efforts. Stakeholders
Stakeholder involvement
Eaton County Drain Commissioner, Friends of Carrier
Creek, City of Lansing, Delta Charter Township,
Michigan Department of Transportation, Trout
Unlimited, and local consultants
Status of waterbody
All phases of restoration project completed as of fall
2008. Some trends in monitoring data indicating
improvement in fish taxa and habitat conditions.
Benefits to stakeholders
Water quality improvements, added recreational
and aesthetic value, healthier aquatic communities,
reduced flooding, funding opportunities, effective
partnerships
Note erosion of historic dredge spoils and poor instream Note shallow, linear stream channel and lack of instream
habitat features
Figure 1. Pre-BMP Pictures of Carrier Creek.
What is a total maximum daily load (TMDL)?
It is a study or analysis that calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet
water quality standards. The TMDL establishes a pollutant budget and then allocates portions of the overall budget to
the pollutant's sources. For more information on TMDLs, visit EPA's website at www.epa.gov/owow/tmdl.
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recognized that implementation activities to restore Carrier
Creek could start before the completion of the TMDL, based
on existing information on the factors causing impairment
and the likely sources. Through the TMDL analysis, MDEQ
provided stakeholders with documented numeric targets
for restoring biological communities and habitat conditions
related to changes in sediment load. The TMDL report sup-
ported the approach of implementing best management
practices that will reduce sediment with the goal of improv-
ing biological integrity. In addition, the TMDL emphasized
the need for reassessments of the biological communities of
Carrier Creek to determine progress toward supporting the
aquatic life designated use.
What is the current status of Carrier Creek as
a result of the TMDL process?
The initial phase of the implementation project began in 2001
and consisted of stream stabilization in an upstream reach
by narrowing and deepening an over wide channel using a
series of stone meander structures. In addition, the project
team used numerous in-stream structures (e.g. crossvanes,
j-hooks, and lunkers) to stabilize eroding banks and removed
berms to provide greater access of stream flow to the flood-
plain. Figure 2 shows the improvements to Carrier Creek
resulting from the restored stream meanders, and the use of
crossvanes and j-hooks. The remaining work under Phase I
involved the reconstruction of 1,200 feet of stream channel
to stop massive erosion. Phase II involved the construction of
a storm water wetland at the upstream end of the impaired
reach to assist in flow mitigation and habitat restoration.
Monitoring data collected in Carrier Creek before and after
implementing the restoration project show a few signs of
in-stream improvements. According to the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency's CWA section 319 Nonpoint
Source Success Story for Carrier Creek, the number of
fish taxa increased from 2000 (pre-restoration) to 2007
Crossvcine
Restored stream
meanders
J-Hook
Figure 2. Post-BMP Pictures of Carrier Creek.
"The Carrier Creek project successfully balanced the needs
of so many competing interests. It protected the health
of the Grand River, provided drainage for industrial,
commercial, and residential development, and preserved
the aesthetics of Carrier Creek. Ultimately, the project
saved and greatly improved the water quality of the creek
and improved the health of the wildlife. It will meet the
needs of local communities in the long-term—for the next
75 years, not just the next 10 years."
—Lyle Frost, President, Friends of Carrier Creek
(post-restoration). Habitat assessment data from 2006 also
show an improvement from the 2000 pre-restoration con-
ditions at one monitoring site. The project team recently
completed implementation of Phase II of the project; subse-
quent monitoring data from stations in Carrier Creek will
indicate if the newly completed implementation activities
produced additional progress toward TMDL target values.
How did local stakeholders benefit from the
TMDL process?
The efforts implemented under the Carrier Creek Storm
Water Management and Restoration Project has generated
initial improvements in biota and habitat conditions. Once
monitoring data show that biota and habitat meet the target
values established through the TMDL, project partners will
know that Carrier Creek can again support its aquatic life
designated use. The project has generated interim benefits
for stakeholders, including the following:
O Improved hydrology and habitat. The projects were
effective in increasing channel stability, improving
in-stream habitat, reconnecting the channel to its flood-
plain, and decreasing stream flashiness during periods of
elevated storm runoff.
O Increased awareness and involvement. Restoration
projects included the implementation of local educa-
tional programs to gain public support and voluntary
assistance. The project team distributed brochures, fact
sheets, and newsletters, conducted field trips for local
high school students, and provided cross-training oppor-
tunities for other Michigan drain commissioners.
O Continued monitoring. The TMDL process has
provided local stakeholders with the framework and
rationale for continued monitoring in Carrier Creek
to assess whether implementation projects are making
progress toward achieving water quality standards.
O Effective local partnerships. Cooperative efforts among
MDEQ, the Eaton County Drain Commissioner, Friends
of Carrier Creek, and other local partners and volunteers
were underway before the finalization of the Carrier Creek
biota TMDL. However, these local partnerships will serve
as the driving force to achieving the TMDL target values
and attaining water quality standards in Carrier Creek.
For more information on the Carrier Creek biota TMDL, contact Joe Rathbun, Michigan Department
of Environmental Quality Water Bureau, rathbunj@michigan.gov, (517) 373-8868
For more information on the Michigan TMDL Program, visit
www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313_3686_3728-12464--,00.html
&ER&
December 2009
EPA841-F-09-002L
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