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Section 319
NDNPDINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Decreases
Turbidity in Kiowa County's Stinking Creek
Waterbodv ImDrOVed H'9h turbidity- due in part to Practices associated with wheat
and cattle production, resulted in impairment of Stinking
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 the 18-mile-long Stinking Creek from the state's 2012 CWA section
303(d) list for turbidity impairment. Stinking Creek is now in partial attainment of its fish and
wildlife propagation (FWP) designated use.
Problem
Stinking Creek is located in Kiowa County in
southwestern Oklahoma (Figure 1). Land use in the
66,868-acre watershed is primarily wheat produc-
tion and pasture for cattle production. Poor grazing
land and cropland management contributed to
excess sedimentation in the watershed. In the 2008
water quality assessment, monitoring showed that
21 percent of Stinking Creek's seasonal base flow
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 the entire 18-mile-long segment of Stinking
Creek (OK310830020020 _ 00) to the 2008 and
subsequent CWA section 303(d) lists for nonattain-
ment of the FWP designated use due to turbidity
impairment.
Project Highlights
Landowners implemented BMPs with assis-
tance 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), Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program
(WHIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP),
and general conservation technical assistance
program. From 2008 to 2011, landowners in Kiowa
County reduced the potential for erosion from
* Monitoring Site
• Stinking Creek Watershed
Figure 1. The Stinking Creek watershed is in southwestern
Oklahoma.
grazing land by implementing prescribed grazing
and nutrient management, installing more than 40
ponds, four watering facilities, four grade stabiliza-
tion structures, diversions, terraces, and grassed
waterways. In addition, vegetation was enhanced
by cross-fencing and supplemental planting of criti-
cal erosive areas and pasture and range land areas.
Additional BMP implementation has occurred in
2012, which has allowed continued improvement in
the watershed.
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Figure 2. Stinking Creek, following the implementation of
best management practices.
240
S 200
H
> 160 -\
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f 120
l-
o 80
LL
0)
(A
40-
Stinking Creek
21% exceedance
0% exceedance
i :
2008 2012
Assessment Year
]
Figure 3. Monitoring data show that turbidity levels
Stinking Creek have declined.
Results
The Oklahoma Conservation Commission's Rotating
Basin Monitoring Program, a statewide nonpoint
source ambient monitoring program, documented
improved water quality in Stinking Creek due to
landowners implementing BMPs (Figure 2). In the
2008 water quality assessment, 21 percent of sea-
sonal base flow water samples exceeded the turbid-
ity criteria of 50 NTU. This exceedance was reduced
to zero percent in the 2012 assessment (Figure 3).
Accordingly, Stinking Creek has been removed from
Oklahoma's CWA section 303(d) list for turbidity
impairment and is now in partial attainment of its
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 Blue Thumb program.
The Oklahoma cost-share program provided
$16,322 in state funding for BMPs in this watershed
through the Mountain View Conservation District,
and landowners contributed $9,322 through this
program. The NRCS spent approximately $3.3 mil-
lion for implementation of BMPs in Kiowa County
from 2008 through 2011 through NRCS EQIP, CSP,
WHIP, and general technical assistance funds,
and another $800,000 was expended in 2012.
Landowners provided a significant percentage
toward BMP implementation in these programs
as well.
UJ
O
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-14-001V
April 2014
For additional information contact:
Shanon Phillips
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
405-522-4500 • shanon.phillips@conservation.ok.gov
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