Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
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Installing Best Management Practices Reduces Bacteria Levels in
Lagoon Creek
A , . , , I , High levels of Escherichia coli bacteria, attributed in part to practices
i/VaiGrDOay ll flproved assocjatec| Wjtn cattle production, resulted in impairment of Lagoon
Creek. As a result, Oklahoma added Lagoon Creek to the Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
of impaired waters in 2006. Landowners implemented best management practices (BMPs) to limit
livestock's stream access and to protect the riparian areas, thereby decreasing the amount of animal
waste and sediment runoff into the creek. Bacteria levels declined, prompting Oklahoma to remove
Lagoon Creek from the state's 2010 CWA section 303(d) list for E. coli impairment.
Problem
Lagoon Creek is a 25-mile-long stream flowing
through Pawnee and Creek counties in north
central Oklahoma (Figure 1). Land use in the
watershed is primarily cattle and forage produc-
tion. Poor management of livestock and grazing
lands, as well as a lack of healthy riparian areas,
contributed to excess runoff of animal wastes into
the creek. E. coli are bacteria common in animal
wastes and can cause human illness. These bacte-
ria are used as an indicator of the possible pres-
ence of other harmful pathogens. Waterbodies
with a geometric mean above 126 colony forming
units per 100 milliliters of water (CFU/100 ml) dur-
ing the recreation 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 assess-
ment of E. coli in Lagoon Creek in 2006 showed a
geometric mean of 199 CFU/100 ml, which indicat-
ed impairment. On the basis of these assessment
results, Oklahoma added Lagoon Creek to the
2006 CWA section 303(d) list for failing to support
the primary body contact recreation designated
use due to E. coli impairment.
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Project Highlights
Landowners implemented BMPs with assistance
from Oklahoma's locally led cost-share program and
through the local Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives
Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program and gen-
eral technical assistance program. These projects
focused on keeping livestock away from the stream,
protecting riparian areas and improving grazing
Figure 1. Lagoon Creekflows through Creek County
in north central Oklahoma.
lands. Since 2006, landowners added 14,733 feet of
fencing, four new ponds, one alternative watering
facility and one heavy use protection area to keep
livestock out the creek and protect riparian areas.
Landowners have implemented residue manage-
ment practices on 172 acres to help reduce cropland
erosion. To improve the condition of pasture and
rangeland, landowners also implemented prescribed
grazing on 4,023 acres and developed nutrient
management plans for 651 acres. Producers planted
forage on 51 acres, practiced better forage harvest
management on 99 acres, installed critical area plant-
ing on nine acres, and used integrated pest manage-
ment on 2,906 acres. Brush management occurred
on 3,445 acres, and prescribed burning took place
on 157 acres after installing 22,800 feet of firebreak.
Landowners also installed one grade stabilization
structure and managed upland wildlife habitat on
11 acres.
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Current NRCS initiatives in Pawnee and Creek
Counties include managing Eastern red cedar,
controlling waste from animal feeding operations,
and closing failing animal waste lagoons. All of
these should continue to improve water quality in
the Lagoon Creek watershed.
Results
The Oklahoma Conservation Commission's (OCC)
Rotating Basin Monitoring Program, a statewide
nonpoint source ambient monitoring program,
documented improved water quality in Lagoon
Creek after landowners implemented BMPs.
Reductions in animal access to the stream, increas-
es in protected riparian areas, and improvements
to grazing lands resulted from the implemented
practices and the accompanying education of
landowners, which ultimately led to decreased
levels of E. coli. Data show that the geometric mean
for £ coli had dropped below the impairment level
to 97 CFU/100 mL in 2010 and 2012—down from a
high of 346 CFU/100 mL in 2008 (Figure 2). On the
basis of these data, Oklahoma removed Lagoon
Creek from the state's 2010 CWA section 303(d) list
for E. coli impairment. The creek partially attains its
primary body contact recreation designated use.
Partners and Funding
The Rotating Basin Monitoring Program, which
includes both fixed and probabilistic components,
is funded through the 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
Lagoon Creek
1500-
o loco-
500-1
uj
126
Geometric
mean = 199
Geometric
mean = 346
Geometric
mean = 97'
Geometric
mean = 97*
T
2006 2008 2010
Assessment Year
" Meets [. coll bacteria criteria (geometric mean < 126 CFU)
2012
Figure 2. Data show that Lagoon Creek has complied with the
water quality criteria for E. coli since 2010. Boxplots indicate the
interquartile range (25th-75th percentile) and median of the data.
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 monitor-
ing efforts through the Blue Thumb program. Over
the past decade, the Oklahoma cost-share program
has provided $2,278 in state funding for BMPs
in this watershed through the Lincoln and Creek
County Conservation Districts. The NRCS has spent
approximately $215,000 to implement BMPs in the
watershed from 2006 through 2012. Landowners
have provided a significant percentage of the cost
toward BMP implementation.
UJ
(9
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-12-001W
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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