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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