Section 319
              NONPOINT SOURCF PKAM  SUGGESf STORY
Reservoir Restoration and Watershed Treatment Efforts Improve Water Quality
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                               Urban and construction site runoff carried phosphorus, sediment and asso-
                               ciated pollutants to Nebraska's Holmes Lake. These pollutant loadings cre-
                               ated eutrophic conditions characterized by turbid water, high nutrients, low
dissolved oxygen, excessive algae growth and shallow water depths. Nebraska Department of Environmental
Quality (NDEQ) added the lake to the state's 1998 Clean Water Act section 303(d) list because of aquatic life
use impairments. In 2000 the  city of Lincoln initiated a  Community Based Planning process, with the goal of
developing a locally led Lake and Watershed Management Plan that would address water quality issues. The
primary components of the plan included watershed treatment, extensive education and lake rehabilitation. The
project was a success, and water quality improved. As  a result, NDEQ first removed dissolved oxygen from the
list of impairments in 2002 and then removed sedimentation and nutrients from the list of impairments in 2008.
Holmes Lake now fully supports all its assigned beneficial uses.
Problem
Holmes Lake is in southeastern Nebraska in
Lincoln and falls within the Lower Platte River
Basin. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers com-
pleted the construction of the 123-acre lake
in 1962. It serves as a  recreational resource
for local citizens and is managed by Lincoln's
Department of Parks and Recreation. NDEQ
added the lake to the state's 1998 Section
303(d) impaired waters list for atrazine, arsenic,
nutrients, dissolved oxygen and sedimentation.
Nebraska revised its surface water quality stan-
dards for atrazine and  arsenic in 1999. Because
of the changes, atrazine and arsenic levels in
Holmes Lake no longer violated standards, and
NDEQ removed these two pollutants from the
2000 303(d) list for Holmes Lake.

Data collected between 1995 and 1998 show
that average concentrations of dissolved
oxygen in the water column fell below the
water quality standard of 5.0 milligrams per
liter (mg/L) for 5 of the 21 surface-to-bottom
profiles. Nutrient listings are partially based
on growing season mean chlorophyll a con-
centrations exceeding 44 milligrams per cubic
meter (mg/m3). The pre-project (1976-2001)
chlorophyll a growing season average value
was 46.52 mg/m3. NDEQ added sedimentation
to the list of pollutants because of the violation
of two assessment criteria. The first criterion
is the annual sedimentation rate. From 1984 to
1993, the average annual loss of original lake
                                                            Figure 1. Pre-project
                                                            condition of a stream
                                                            draining to Holmes
                                                            Lake. Severe stream-
                                                            bank erosion contrib-
                                                            uted sediment and
                                                            nutrients to Holmes
                                                            Lake.
                             volume was 1.31 percent, which exceeded the
                             criteria of 0.75 percent. The second criterion is
                             the total lake volume lost. As of 1993, Holmes
                             Lake had lost 27 percent of the original volume,
                             which exceeded the 25 percent total volume
                             loss criterion (Figure 1).

                             NDEQ developed a total maximum daily load
                             (TMDL) for sediment and phosphorus in 2003.
                             The TMDL identified annual loading reductions
                             of 53 percent for sediment and 97 percent for
                             phosphorus to achieve a full-support status in
                             the lake.
                             Project Highlights
                             The Community Based Planning process
                             encouraged extensive public input. Through
                             this process, various community members
                             representing lake users, educators and
                             watershed  residents came together to form a
                             Watershed Advisory Committee (WAC). The
                             WAC drove the development of project goals,

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objectives and specific action items. While
the lake restoration was completed in 2005,
watershed treatment and educational activities
are ongoing. Since watershed build-out was
nearly completed  in the 1990s, on-the-ground
controls were limited to rain gardens (20),
wetland development (10 acres), and drainage
network stabilization (Figure 2).  Primary in-lake
efforts included removing 321,000 cubic yards
of sediment, stabilizating 2.4 miles of shoreline
and restoring fish  habitat.

The WAC implemented an extensive educational
program that continues today. While educational
efforts cover a  broad range of issues, the focus
is on lawn fertilizers and pet waste. According
to surveys conducted in the watershed, approxi-
mately 63 percent of the homeowners now
use either low phosphorus or non-phosphorus
fertilizer. During the course of the project, the
Lincoln-Lancaster  County Health Department
and city of Lincoln worked together to adopt a
citywide pet waste ordinance.
Results
Of the nine water quality profiles measured
from 1999 through 2001, no violations of
the state's dissolved oxygen standard were
observed (Figure 3). As a result, NDEQ
removed dissolved oxygen from
the state's 2002 303(d) of impaired
waters.  Post-project (2006-2007)
chlorophyll a values of 17.30 mg/m3
met standards and prompted NDEQ
to remove the chlorophyll a impair-
ment from the 2008 303(d) list.
Sedimentation also declined. The
average annual lake volume loss fell
to 0.13 percent, and sediment removal
efforts in the lake reduced the loss
of original volume to 14 percent.
Consequently, NDEQ removed the
sedimentation impairment from the
state's 303(d) list in 2008. As a result
of the in-lake and watershed improve-
ments, Holmes Lake now fully sup-
ports all beneficial uses.
                                           Figure 2. Post-project
                                           condition of a stream
                                           draining to Holmes
                                           Lake. The revegetat-
                                           ed stream channel
                                           includes rock piles
                                           that serve as check
                                           dams to slow water
                                           flow to the lake.
         Partners and Funding
         The project was made possible through a
         strong partnership between Lincoln, Nebraska
         Environmental Trust, Nebraska Game and
         Parks Commission, Lincoln-Lancaster County
         Health Department, EPA, NDEQ and the
         Holmes Lake Watershed Council. Section
         319 funding supported water quality planning
         and demonstrations ($95,119), information
         and education ($34,934), sediment removal
         ($2,084,409), engineering design ($311,588)
         and drainage network rehabilitation ($163,616).
         Additional sources of project funding include
         the city of Lincoln ($1,275,099), Nebraska
         Game and Parks Commission ($1,777,000),
         Nebraska Environmental Trust ($620,000) and
         the Lower Platte South Natural Resources
         District ($67,483).

               Holmes Lake: Water Column Average Dissolved Oxygen
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1 = Assessment Criteria Vio ation


1998 303(d) Listing 2002 303(d) De-listing
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 Wetland Construction: 1996 & 2000
                          Lake Restoration/Watershed Treatment/Education: 2001-present
Figure 3. Bar graph noting water column average dissolved oxygen measure-
ments by sampling date. Red bars indicate a violation of assessment criteria.
Data show no violations since 1998.
\
     U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
     Office of Water
     Washington, DC

     EPA841-F-08-001AA
     September 2008
         For additional information contact:
         Paul Brakhage
         Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
         Water Quality Assessment Section
         402-471-4224 •  paul.brakhage@nebraska.gov

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