Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
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Installing Best Management Practices Reduces Bacteria Levels in
Pennington Creek
A , . , , I , High levels of Enterococcus bacteria, attributed in part to practices
i/VaierDOay ll nproved associated with livestock production (cattle, pigs, goats and sheep),
resulted in impairment of Pennington Creek. As a result, Oklahoma placed Pennington Creek on the
state's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2006. Landowners implemented
best management practices (BMPs) to limit livestock access to the stream and to protect the riparian
areas, thereby decreasing the amount of animal waste and sediment reaching the creek. Bacteria levels
declined, prompting Oklahoma to recommend that Pennington Creek be removed from Oklahoma's
CWA section 303(d) list in 2012.
Problem
Pennington Creek flows for more than 25 miles
through Johnston County in southeastern
Oklahoma (Figure 1). The creek is the sole source of
drinking water for the city of Tishomingo and serves
as a regional recreational resource. Cattle produc-
tion is the primary agricultural activity in the area,
with over 90 percent of the land use in the county
being range or pastureland. Poor management of
livestock and grazing lands, as well as a lack of
healthy riparian areas, contributed to animal waste
entering the creek.
Enterococcus, a species of bacteria common in ani-
mal waste, can cause human illness. These bacteria
are used as an indicator of the possible presence
of other harmful pathogens. Waterbodies with a
geometric mean above 33 colony-forming units per
100 ml water (33 CFU/100 ml) during the recre-
ation season (May 1-September 30) are considered
impaired for primary body contact recreation due to
an unacceptably high health risk from waterborne
diseases. Water quality assessment of Pennington
Creek in 2006 showed a geometric mean of
104 CFU/100 ml, indicating impairment. On the
basis of these assessment results, Oklahoma
added Pennington Creek to the 2006 and subse-
quent CWA section 303(d) lists for nonattainment of
the primary body contact recreation designated use
because of Enterococcus.
Project Highlights
Landowners implemented BMPs with assistance
from Oklahoma's locally led cost-share program and
Figure 1. Pennington Creekflows through Johnston
County in southeastern Oklahoma.
through the local Natural Resources Conservation
Service's (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives
Program, Conservation Stewardship Program
and general technical assistance program. These
projects focused on keeping livestock away from
the stream, protecting riparian areas and improv-
ing grazing lands. Since 2006, landowners added
15,948 feet of fencing, four new ponds, two water-
ing facilities and 500 feet of pipeline to keep
livestock out of the creek and provide alternative
watering sources. To improve the condition of
pasture and rangeland, landowners implemented
prescribed grazing on 1,018 acres, developed nutri-
ent management plans for 1,773 acres, improved
219 acres through rotation of supplement and
feeding areas, and installed one heavy-use area
protection practice. Producers planted supplemental
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Figure 2. Blue Thumb volunteers visit Pennington
Creek.
grasses on 77 acres, including three acres of critical
area, and practiced integrated pest management
on 1,510 acres. Brush management occurred on
105 acres, and prescribed burning took place on
925 acres. One grade stabilization structure was
installed.
In addition, the Oklahoma Conservation
Commission's education program, Blue Thumb,
actively promoted restoration efforts in the
Pennington Creek watershed starting in 2006
(Figure 2). Two volunteer training events were held in
Tishomingo; participants included the mayor of the
City of Tishomingo, staff of the Tishomingo National
Wildlife Refuge and members of the Chickasaw
Nation. These activities provided vital education of
the residents of the watershed and helped facilitate
behavior changes. Active volunteer monitoring and
education efforts continue in the area.
Results
The Oklahoma Conservation Commission's Rotating
Basin Monitoring Program, a statewide nonpoint
source ambient monitoring program, documented
improved water quality in Pennington Creek after
landowners implemented BMPs. BMP implementa-
tion and landowner education efforts led to reduc-
tions in animal access to the stream, increases
in protected riparian areas, and improvements to
grazing lands, which ultimately led to decreased
levels of Enterococcus bacteria in the creek. Data
show that the geometric mean decreased from a
high of 104 CFU in 2006 to 61 CFU/100 ml in 2008.
By 2010 and 2012, Enterococcus levels had fallen
Pennington Creek
E 400-
,§. 200
I
S
2
Geometric
mean = 104
Geometric
mean = 61
Geometric
mean = 27a
Geometric
mean = 26a
2006 2008 2010
Assessment Year
" Meets Enteroatcais bacteria criteria (geometricmean < 33 CFU)
2012
Figure 3. Data show that Pennington Creek has complied with
the water quality criteria for Enterococcus since 2010. Boxplots
indicate the interquartile range (25th-75th percentile), median of
the data (noted as line) and data sample outlier (noted as *).
to 27 CFU/100 ml and 26 CFU/100 ml, respectively,
which are below the impairment level (Figure 3).
On the basis of these data, Oklahoma has rec-
ommended that Pennington Creek be removed
from the state's 2012 CWA section 303(d) list for
Enterococcus impairment. The creek now fully
attains all of its designated uses.
Partners and Funding
The Rotating Basin Monitoring Program, which
includes both fixed and probabilistic components,
is funded through U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA) CWA section 319 funds at an aver-
age annual cost of $1 million. Monitoring costs
include personnel, supplies and lab analysis for
19 parameters from samples collected every five
weeks at about 100 sites. In-stream habitat, fish
and macroinvertebrate samples are also collected.
Approximately $600,000 in EPA section 319 funds
support statewide education, outreach and moni-
toring efforts through the Blue Thumb program.
During the past fewyears, the Oklahoma cost-share
program has provided $3,500 in state funding for
BMPs through the Johnston County Conservation
District. The NRCS has spent approximately
$75,000 to implement BMPs in the watershed from
2006 through 2012. Landowners have provided
a significant percentage of the funding for BMP
implementation, usually contributing 40 to 60
percent of the cost of a practice.
us
o
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-12-001AA
August 2012
For additional information contact:
Shanon Phillips, Director
Water Quality Division
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
shanon.phillips@conservation.ok.gov
405-522-4500
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