Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Improves Water
Quality
Waterbodv Improved Erosion from P°or|y managed livestock pasture grazing areas
around Kyker Branch caused increased sediment and siltation
in the creek. As a result, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
(TDEC) added the branch to the state's 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
of impaired waters because of siltation and habitat alteration. Local farmers installed
agricultural best management practices (BMPs) to exclude livestock from the branch and
control erosion. Water quality improved as a result of the efforts, prompting TDEC to
remove Kyker Branch from Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2008.
Problem
The Kyker Branch watershed, which empties into
the Nolichucky River, is approximately 7 miles
northeast of Parrottsville in Greene County,
Tennessee. Erosion and runoff from poorly man-
aged 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 con-
firmed that Kyker Branch was unable to support its
designated use of aquatic life. On the basis of this
information, TDEC placed 2.5 miles of Kyker Branch
on the state's CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
waters in 2002.
Project Highlights
Local landowners installed agricultural BMPs in the
Kyker Branch watershed using grants from both
the CWA section 319 program and Tennessee's
Agricultural Resources Conservation Fund. With
help from the Greene County Soil Conservation
District, farmers installed 16,478 feet of fencing that
excludes cattle from the branch (Figure 1), added
three alternative watering facilities, built 1,200 feet
of pipeline that carries water to new alternative
watering facilities, and protected 0.1-acre of heavy-
use area.
Figure 1. Landowners built fences to exclude livestock and
establish a riparian zone along Kyker Branch.
Protecting heavy-use areas involves stabilizing land
areas that people, animals or vehicles frequently
use. 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 and walkways. Farmers in the
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area also participated in Tennessee's voluntary
cost-share program and installed other BMPs that
helped to control erosion and sediment. The loca-
tions and types of BMPs implemented in the Kyker
Branch watershed are shown in Figure 2.
Results
BMPs surrounding Kyker Branch TN06010108005-0800
in Greene County, Tennessee
ID
1
2
3
4
NRCS Code
382
516
614
561
Practice
Fence
Pipeline
Watering Facility
Heavy Use Area
Size of Project
16,478 feet
1200 feet
3 waterers
0.1 acre
TNDeptof AgricuifuT/
8/14/2008
Kyker Branch is delisted for Pasture Grazing (2.5-mile long segment from the
headwaters to the confluence with the Nolichucky River).
The new BMPs are helping to control erosion,
reduce siltation and restore biological integrity in
Kyker Branch. To assess the restoration effort's suc-
cess, TDEC established a Semi-Quantitative Single
Habitat Assessment (SQSH) station at mile 0.1
at Offinger Dairy driveway in 2005-2006. 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
macroinvertebrate 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 32 total genera,
earning a score of 38 out of 42 on the Tennessee
Macroinvertebrate Index—a very good score. The
habitat assessment also received a good score of
140 out of 200. The multiple results showed that
water quality had improved, prompting TDEC to
remove 2.5 miles of Kyker Branch from Tennessee's
2008 CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Partners and Funding
Kyker Branch has benefited from $6,522 in CWA
section 319 funding (including additional match-
ing funds of $20,828). Tennessee's Agricultural
Resources Conservation Fund provided $4,041 (plus
another $1,348 in matching funds). Key partners
were the Greene County Soil Conservation District
for BMP assistance and landowners for contributing
the majority of the in-kind matching funds.
Figure 2. This map shows the location and types of BMPs installed
in Kyker Branch watershed.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-10-001S
September 2010
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
sam.marshall@tn.gov • 615-837-5306
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