Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Reduces Siltation
Waterbodv Improved Erosion from poorly mana9ed livestock pasture grazing
areas caused increased sediment and siltation in Turkey
Creek. As a result, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)
added the creek to the state's 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired
waters because of siltation and habitat alteration. Landowners implemented agricultural
best management practices (BMPs) to reduce siltation levels in the stream. Water quality
improved, prompting the TDEC to remove a 5.8-mile-long segment of Turkey Creek from
Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2008.
Problem
The Turkey Creek watershed (Figure 1) is just south
of Morristown in Hamblen County, Tennessee. The
5.8-mile long creek flows through the Southern
Shale Valley ecoregion, which includes intensive
agricultural, urban/industrial and thick forested
areas, and empties into the Nolichucky River.
Erosion and runoff from poorly managed livestock
pasture grazing areas caused increased sediment
levels in the creek. The increased siltation caused
the creek to lose its biological integrity. TDEC
performed a water quality biological assessment
survey in 2000 that confirmed that Turkey Creek
was unable to support its designated use of aquatic
life. On the basis of this information, TDEC placed
a 5.8-mile segment of Turkey Creek on the state's
CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2002.
TDEC completed a total maximum daily load
(TMDL) study on the Nolichucky River and its
tributaries (including Turkey Creek) for impairments
attributed to siltation and habitat alteration. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region IV,
approved the TMDL on February 26, 2008.
Project Highlights
Local landowners installed agricultural BMPs in
the Turkey Creek watershed using grants from
the CWA section 319 program, Tennessee's
Agricultural Resources Conservation Fund (ARCF)
and Tennessee's voluntary cost share program.
Farmers installed 2,800 feet of fencing to exclude
cattle from the creek (Figure 2), 0.2-acre of filter
strip, seven alternative watering facilities, 555 feet
of pipeline that carry water to new alternative
Turkey Creek
Figure 1. Turkey Creek is in Tennessee's Nolichucky River
watershed, which is seen highlighted in green, above.
Figure 2. Turkey Creek watershed landowners built fences like this
one to keep livestock away from the creek.
watering facilities, 2.5 acres of critical area plant-
ing, a 60-foot roof runoff structure, protection on
more than 0.3-acre of heavy-use area, and other
BMPs that control erosion and sediment. Protecting
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heavy-use areas involves stabilizing land areas
that people, animals or vehicles frequently. For
instance, the practice is applied in streams where
cattle or farm equipment frequently cross, around
cattle watering and feeding facilities, and in cattle
feedlots or walkways. The locations and types of
BMPs implemented in the Turkey Creek watershed
are shown in Figure 3.
Results
BMPs surrounding Turkey Creek, TN06010108001-0200
Hamblen County, Tennessee
Watershed in Hamblen County
The new BMPs are helping to control erosion,
reduce siltation and restore biological integrity in
Turkey Creek. To assess the restoration effort's
success, TDEC established a Semi-Quantitative
Single Habitat Assessment (SQSH) station at
mile 0.1 at Bent Ridge Road in 2005. SQSH is used
as a measure of compliance with water quality
standards for the beneficial use of fish and aquatic
life. The principal metrics used are the total mac-
roinvertebrate families (or genera); the number
of families (or genera) of mayflies, stoneflies, and
caddisflies (collectively referred to as EPT—short
for the order names Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and
Trichoptera); and the number of pollution-intolerant
families (or genera) found in a stream. The SQSH
documented 8 EPT genera and 28 total genera of
macroinvertebrates, earning a score of 32 out of
42 on the Tennessee Macroinvertebrate Index—a
good score. On the basis of these data, the TDEC
removed the 5.8-mile segment of Turkey Creek from
the state's 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2008.
Partners and Funding
Turkey Creek projects received funding from the
CWA section 319 program ($5,454 with additional
matching funds of $3,616) and the Tennessee
ARCF ($6,551 plus matching funds of $7,250).
The Hamblen County Soil Conservation District
and Smoky Mountain Resource Conservation and
Development Council provided BMP implementa-
tion assistance. Local landowners contributed the
majority of the in-kind matching funds for BMPs.
Figure 3. This map shows the location and types of BMPs installed
in Turkey Creek watershed.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-10-001P
September 2010
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
sam.marshall@tn.gov • 615-837-5306
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