US EPA
                   Nonpoint Source Program
                   Success  Story
                     Alabama
                    Catoma Creek Watershed
    Best Management Practices Reduce Nonpoint Source Pollution
Waterbody Improved
                        In the Catoma Creek Watershed, nonpoint source (NPS)
                        pollutants contained in rural and urban stormwater runoff
                        caused the creek to exceed State water quality standards.
Rural and urban best management practices (BMPs) have been installed in the watershed to
reduce erosion, improve aquatic habitat, and thus improve water quality.
OVERVIEW
The Catoma Creek Watershed, a part of the Alabama River Basin, is approximately 360
square miles in area and comprises about two-thirds of Montgomery County. Catoma Creek
flows in a north-westerly direction, giving it and one other creek in Alabama this unusual dis-
tinction. The creek has been listed as an impaired water, having a portion of the stream that
does not meet water quality standards. Pollutants contained in rural and urban storm water
runoff to the creek cause it to exceed the Alabama Department of Environmental Management
(ADEM) water quality criteria for Fish and Wildlife designated waters. Catoma  Creek  has been
designated as impaired by organic enrichment and pathogens from Ramer Creek to the Ala-
bama River, for a total of 23.1 miles. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) have  been com-
pleted for the creek with the primary sources of NPS impairments listed as pasture grazing
and urban runoff.
                               Catoma Creek
                (Photo courtesy of Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board)

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Nonpoint Source Program    Success Story
 HIGHLIGHTS
 To improve water quality in Catoma Creek and protect physical, chemical, biological, and
 habitat conditions, a project to reduce NPS pollution was initiated with the following objec-
 tives: 1) reduce or abate water quality degradation in priority NPS impacted areas through
 implementation of on-the-ground BMPs to protect natural resources and water quality; 2) as-
 sess water quality in priority NPS impacted areas; and 3) provide stakeholder educational out-
 reach and training through outdoor learning areas and resource materials for classroom and
 field use.

RESULTS
As a result of this project, over 59,000 feet of exclusion fencing have been installed, with 26
alternative watering sources, 13 heavy use protection areas, 1 stream crossing, 161 acres of
stream habitat and pasture improvements, and almost 1,700 acres of rotational grazing prac-
tices implemented to reduce cattle access to the creek. A major BMP completed on one farm
was a pump-out renovation and closure of three, five acre dairy lagoons with spillways next to
the creek; subsequently manure transfer and wastewater irrigation was provided to over 400
acres. Cover crops, conservation crop rotation,  residue management, and contour  farming were
also implemented on 385 acres adjoining the creek. In addition, a retention pond and recycling
system was  installed on the Alabama Sports Fish Hatchery Farm to prevent the direct with-
drawal and release of pond water to Catoma Creek.
The following table summarizes BMPs installed on the creek:
BMPs Installed in the Catoma Creek Watershed
BMP
Alternative Water Sources
Closure of Waste Impoundments
Conservation Crop Rotation
Conservation Tillage
Cover Crop
Critical Area Planting
Fence
Heavy Use Area Protection
Manure Transfer
Nutrient Management
Pasture & Hayland Planting
Pipeline
Pond
Prescribed Grazing
Stream Crossing
Water Well
Size/Units
26 Units
15 Acres
385 Acres
385 Acres
385 Acres
24 Acres
59930 Feet
12 Acres
400 Acres
1696 Acres
36 Acres
12275 Feet
1 Unit
1696 Acres
1 Unit
2 Units

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US EPA Region 4
PageS
       Dairy lagoon before pumpout and renovation                Dairy lagoon after pumpout and renovation

The Table below summarizes estimated sediment and nutrient load reductions as a result of
the Catoma  Creek Watershed project:
Catoma Creek Watershed: Load Reduction Data
Pollutant Type
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Load Reduction Esti-
mate
153,349
17,083
Sedimentation-Siltation 1,209.1
Units
LBS/YR
LBS/YR
TONS/YR
To assess water quality in this ongoing project, the biological, chemical, physical, and habitat
conditions are monitored and analyzed in various Catoma Creek tributaries by the Montgom-
ery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board and Auburn University in Montgomery. Water
quality monitoring occurs on a monthly basis at 13 standard sites, which are located through-
out the watershed. Sampling tests are conducted around each BMP site.
                                     Fencing for cattle exclusion

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Page 4                                                      Nonpoint Source Program   Success Story


As a part of the education and outreach component, the project helped support the "Hooked
on the Alabama River" campaign through funding, planning, and implementation of the event.
In addition, the Catoma Creek Watershed  Education Subcommittee holds the Montgomery
County Water Festival, for 4th grade students. This has been a very successful program with
over 2,800 students and 150 volunteers attending each year. Eleventh grade students that
attended the first Montgomery Water Festival are now returning to teach at the festival. A wa-
ter quality program has also been initiated for 7th grade students who live in the basin. The
first event was held in October 2008 with students participating in water chemistry sampling,
bioassessments, and designing ponds using a Global Positioning System (GPS).

PARTNERS AND FUNDING
The project was funded by $650,000 in US Environmental Protection Agency Section 319
funding; state matching funds of $482,635 was provided by participating partners, includ-
ing the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board, the Montgomery County
SWCD, the Natural  Resources Conservation Service, the City of Montgomery, Auburn Uni-
versity - Montgomery, CH2M Hill, the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Montgom-
ery County Cooperative Extension System, and the Upper Alabama Clean Water Partner-
ship.

For additional information contact:
Missy Middlebrooks
Senior Environmental Scientist
Alabama Department of Environmental Management
Nonpoint Source Unit
P.O.  Box 301463
Montgomery, AL 36130-1463
E-mail: mmiddlebrooks@adem.state.al.us
Phone: 334-391-4351

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