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Section 319
NDNPDINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Decreases
Turbidity in Sandstone Creek
Waterbodv ImDrOVed H'9h turbidity- due in part to Practices associated with wheat
y ^ and cattle production, resulted in impairment of Sandstone
Creek and placement on Oklahoma's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired
waters in 2008. Implementation of best management practices (BMPs) to promote better
quality grazing land and cropland decreased sediment loading into the creek. As a result,
Oklahoma removed a 15-mile-long segment of Sandstone Creek from the state's 2012 CWA
303(d) list of impaired waters for turbidity. Sandstone Creek is now in full attainment of its
fish and wildlife propagation (FWP) designated use.
Problem
Sandstone Creek is located in Roger Mills and
Beckham counties in western Oklahoma (Figure 1).
Land use in the 65,905-acre watershed is primarily
wheat and pasture for cattle production. Poor graz-
ing land and cropland management contributed to
excess sedimentation in the watershed. In the 2008
water quality assessment, monitoring showed that
11 percent of Sandstone Creek's seasonal baseflow
water samples exceeded 50 nephelometric turbid-
ity units (NTU). A stream is considered impaired by
turbidity if more than 10 percent of the seasonal
base flow water samples exceed 50 NTU (based
on 5 years of data before the assessment year). On
the basis of these assessment results, Oklahoma
added a 15-mile-long segment of Sandstone Creek
(OK310840020020 _ 00) to the 2008 and subsequent
CWA section 303(d) lists for nonattainment of the
FWP designated use due to turbidity impairment.
Monitoring Site
Sandstone Creek Watershed
Project Highlights
Landowners implemented BMPs with assistance
from Oklahoma's locally led cost-share program and
through the local U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP),
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and
general conservation technical assistance pro-
gram. From 2008 to 2011, landowners addressed
erosion from grazing and crop lands with 12,322
acres of prescribed grazing, 94 acres of access
control, and seven ponds and 23 tanks for alterna-
Figure 1. The Sandstone Creek watershed is in western Oklahoma.
tive water sources. Hay and forage planting on 88
acres, forage harvest management on 641 acres
and 2,248 acres of pest (weed) management helped
to improve the quality of grazing lands. Reduced
cropland erosion potential was achieved by imple-
menting conservation cover crops on 78 acres and
residue/conservation tillage methods on 60 acres.
Installation of 17 grade stabilization structures along
with 3 acres of grassed waterways, and 13 diver-
sions also reduced loss of soil due to runoff (Figure
2). An additional 2,669 acres of prescribed grazing
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was implemented in 2012, along with continued
conservation tillage, alternative water supplies, and
another grade stabilization structure, which will
further reduce erosion potential.
The OCC's education program, Blue Thumb, has
had an active volunteer monitoring group in Roger
Mills County for over a decade. The conservation
district offers numerous environmental education
programs at schools and local events as well. Such
activities provide vital education for the residents
of the watershed and may help facilitate behavior
changes. Active volunteer monitoring and education
is continuing in the area.
Results
The OCC's Rotating Basin Monitoring Program,
a statewide nonpoint source ambient monitoring
program, documented improved water quality in
Sandstone Creek due to landowners implement-
ing BMPs. In the 2008 assessment, 11 percent of
seasonal base flow water samples exceeded the
turbidity criteria of 50 NTU (Figure 3). This exceed-
ance was reduced to zero percent in the 2012
assessment (Figure 2). Hence, Sandstone Creek
has been removed from Oklahoma's CWA section
303(d) list for turbidity impairment and is now in full
attainment of the FWP designated use.
Partners and Funding
The Rotating Basin Monitoring Program is sup-
ported by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
CWA section 319 funds at an average annual cost
of $1 million. Monitoring costs include personnel,
supplies, and lab analyses for 18 parameters from
samples collected every 5 weeks at about 100 sites.
In-stream habitat, fish, and macroinvertebrate sam-
ples are also collected. Approximately $600,000
in CWA section 319 funding supports statewide
education, outreach, and monitoring efforts through
the OCC's Blue Thumb program.
The Oklahoma cost-share program provided $3,916
in state funding for BMPs in this watershed through
the Upper Washita and North Fork of Red River
conservation districts, and landowners contrib-
uted $3,786 through this program. NRCS spent
approximately $3.5 million for implementation of
BMPs in the watershed from 2008 to 2011 through
EQIP, CSP, and general technical assistance funds.
Landowners provided a significant percentage
Figure 2. Installing grade stabilization structures reduced erosion.
Sandstone Creek
80-
60-
40H
_o
u.
a) 20
re
CO
o-
11% exceedance
0% exceedance
T
T
2008 2012
Assessment Year
Figure 3. Monitoring data show that turbidity levels in
Sandstone Creek have declined.
of funding toward BMP implementation in these
programs as well.
UJ
o
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-14-001U
April 2014
For additional information contact:
Shanon Phillips
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
405-522-4500 • shanon.phillips@conservation.ok.gov
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