Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SOCGESS STORY
Protecting Riparian Areas Yields In-Stream Improvement in First Year
Watprhnrlv Imnrnx/pH
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from agricultural activities and urbanization contribute to
sediment and nutrient impairments in the lower Monocacy River and
Lake Linganore. As a result, Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) added the waterbodies to
the 1996 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list, on which they have since remained. A landowner
installed agricultural best management practices (BMPs), including cattle fencing, alternative water-
ing facilities and riparian planting on a small, unnamed tributary of Lake Linganore. The BMPs have
resulted in water quality improvements in the first year. MDE will continue monitoring progress toward
meeting the total maximum daily load (TMDL) and water quality standards.
Problem
Lake Linganore is an impoundment in eastern
Frederick County, Maryland. An earthen dam
was installed across Linganore Creek in 1972 to
create the 216-acre lake as a water supply and
for recreational use. Water from Lake Linganore
empties back into Linganore Creek and then flows
to the Monocacy River, the Potomac River and
the Chesapeake Bay. The lake's primary inflows
include Bens Branch and Linganore Creek. Many
of the streams in the area were affected by agri-
cultural land uses historically and are now also
affected by suburban development. For example,
grazing cattle's uncontrolled access to headwater
streams caused severe sedimentation in tributaries
upstream of Lake Linganore (Figure 1).
Sediment and nutrients in agriculture and suburban
runoff impaired the lake, preventing it from meeting
two of its designated uses—water supply and rec-
reation. As a result, MDE added the lake to its 1996
CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters. A TMDL
for phosphorus and sediment was approved for Lake
Linganore. Nutrient and sedimentTMDLs are being
developed for the entire watershed.
Figure 1. Before the 2006
fence installation,
uncontrolled cattle
access to an unnamed
tributary of Bens Branch
caused visible erosion.
Figure 2. In autumn 2007,
after fence installation,
the riparian area is
recovering. Numerous
tree tubes indicate that
trees will soon dominate
the area.
Project Highlights
To meet the TMDL requirements, the Maryland
Department of Agriculture (MDA) targeted the
entire watershed for technical and financial assis-
tance to local farmers who are willing to implement
BMPs. For example, MDA worked with the owner
of Hunting Lotte Farm to implement improvements
along a small, unnamed headwater tributary to
Bens Branch. The 450-acre crop and livestock farm
produces a variety of crops and supports about
150 head of Black Angus cattle on approximately
80 acres of pasture. Before 2006, stream riparian
conditions on the tributary were poor because of
cattle overgrazing and trampling the streambanks.
The landowner installed more than 8,800 feet
of fencing along streambanks, developed three
alternative water sources that use natural springs
instead of allowing cattle to drink from the stream,
and improved three heavy-use areas and two
stream crossings. Trees were planted during Earth
Day celebrations in 2006 and 2007 in cooperation
with MDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service
and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). The
landowner planted more than nine acres of cool-
season grasses along the streambanks. By autumn
2007 riparian vegetation had rapidly begun to cover
and stabilize the streambanks (Figure 2). The farm
also participates in the cover crop program, uses
no-till and minimum tillage practices, and complies
with and participates in the Maryland Nutrient
Management Program.
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Results
To track in-stream changes for this and other proj-
ects statewide, MDE's Targeted Watershed Project
staff conducted the following: quarterly water moni-
toring to track nutrient changes, annual quantitative
stream channel surveys to track substrate changes,
and periodic sampling of stream bugs (benthic
macroinvertebrates) to track changes in the local
biological community.
MDE maintains monitoring sites on the unnamed
tributary running through Hunting Lotte Farm.
Within one year of BMP installation, the rapid return
of riparian vegetation provided extensive sum-
mer stream shading and improved bank stability.
The percentage of in-stream gravel substrate has
increased and in-stream sand/mud substrate has
decreased (Figure 3). The stream channel survey
that MDE conducted in 2006 and 2007 shows that
substrate quality in both stream reaches is improv-
ing, including a decrease in clay and sand and an
increase in gravel and cobbles.
Hunting Lotte Farm Upper Reach Substrate Comparison
Clay/mix
Gravel/cobble mix
Figure 3. Monitoring conducted before (2006) and after (2007)
the landowner installed BMPs shows that the in-stream gravel
substrate increased, and the percentage of in-stream sand/mud
substrate decreased.
Phosphorus concentrations have also decreased
from a high of 0.2 milligram per liter (mg/L) in 2006
to a low of 0.025 mg/L in 2007, which indicates that
erosion and sediment movement have decreased
(Figure 4). Declining phosphorus concentrations
can be attributed to reduced erosion in the riparian
area and the streambanks as result of restricting
cattle's access to the stream. More time is needed
Hunting Lotte Farm Pasture Fencing
Total Phosphorus (TP)
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07/12/06 1/17/07
03/14/07
Figure 4. Installing fences to keep cattle away from streams
helped reduce phosphorus levels. Data from monitoring sites
HL1 and HL4 show steady phosphorus declines.
to assess the biological community change of
macroinvertebrate populations. Total nitrogen data
did not change significantly, which could be associ-
ated with a lag in the BMP effect—plant roots in the
riparian area have notyet developed to the point
where they can uptake higher amounts of nitrogen.
While sediment and phosphorus loads have been
significantly reduced, Lake Linganore and the
Lower Monocacy River are notyet meeting water
quality standards and remain on Maryland's list of
impaired waters. However, visible improvements in
the unnamed tributary and elsewhere in the Lake
Linganore watershed are soon expected to measur-
ably reduce impairments in the lake.
Partners and Funding
Mostly in 2006, the farm owner invested nearly
$100,000 in BMPs, approximately $79,000 of which
was supported by grants. The Maryland Agricultural
Cost Share program provided about $57,000; the
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
provided $19,400; and CBF provided nearly $2,600.
To track in-stream changes for this and other
projects statewide, the MDE Targeted Watershed
Project is using CWA section 319 grant funds to pay
for technicians and analyses, including quarterly
water quality monitoring, annual stream substrate
surveys and periodic biological sampling of benthic
macroinvertebrates.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-10-001B
January 2010
For additional information contact:
Ken Shanks
Maryland Department of the Environment
410-537-4216 • kshanks@mde.state.md.us
Dwight Dotterer
Agricultural Assessment Planner, Maryland Department
of Agriculture, Resource Conservation
301-694-9290, x130 • Dwight.Dotterer@md.nacdnet.net
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