Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Repairing Septic Systems Reduces Bacteria in Stamp Creek
A/ato hnH I n n oH Polluted runoff from failing septic tanks in low-density residential
VaierDOay imprOVea areas and agricu|tura| fie|ds caused high levels of fecal coliform (FC)
bacteria concentrations in Stamp Creek, Georgia. As a result, the Georgia Environmental Protection
Division (GAEPD) placed the 9-mile-long Stamp Creek on its 1996 Clean Water Act (CWA) section
305(b)/303(d) list of impaired waters for FC bacteria. Using CWA section 319 and third-party grant
funds, stakeholders repaired two failing septic systems in 2009. The repairs contributed to water
quality improvements in the 9-mile segment of Stamp Creek, prompting GAEPD to remove it from
Georgia's 2012 list of impaired waters for FC bacteria.
Problem
The 9-mile-long Stamp Creek is east of Cartersville
in Bartowand Cherokee counties in northwest
Georgia (Figure 1). The creek flows into a northern
arm of Lake Allatoona, an impoundment on the
Etowah River. The Etowah River combines with the
Oostanaula River to form the Coosa River. Stamp
Creek is in the Blue Ridge ecoregion, which is
underlain by a mix of igneous, metamorphic, and
sedimentary rocks and contains mostly high-gradi-
ent, cool, clear streams that flow through forested,
rugged terrain. The southern Blue Ridge is one of
the richest centers of biodiversity in the eastern
United States—containing Appalachian oak forests,
shrub, grass, and heath balds. The ecoregion's
hemlock, cove hardwoods, and oak-pine communi-
ties are also significant.
Monitoring data collected in the early 1990s indi-
cated that Stamp Creek was not meeting the state's
FC bacteria water quality standard necessary to
support its fishing designated use. As a result,
GAEPD added the 9-mile-long creek to Georgia's
1996 CWA section 305(b)/303(d) list of impaired
waters for high FC bacteria concentrations due to
unknown nonpoint source pollution.
A review of aerial images from 1996 showed that
low-density residential land use and sporadic
agricultural areas were present in the watershed at
the time of the original CWA section 305(b)/303(d)
listing. Since the area is not serviced by municipal
sewer system, GAEPD assumed that faulty septic
systems were the cause of FC impairment.
GAEPD conducted additional monitoring in 2001
that showed continued problems with elevated FC
Stamp Creek
Watershed
Etowah River
Watershed
Figure 1. Stamp Creek is in northern Georgia.
bacteria levels. The applicable FC bacteria water
quality standard requires that FC levels not exceed
a geometric mean (based on at least four samples
collected over a 30-day period) of 200 colony-
forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 ml) in the
summer (May-October) and 1,000 cfu/100 ml in the
winter (November-April). Analysis of water quality
samples collected during a 30-day period in August
and September 2001 period showed a FC bacteria
geometric mean of 268 cfu/100 ml, exceeding the
water quality standard for FC bacteria (Table 1).
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Table 1. Stamp Creek Monitoring Data, 2001 and
2009-2010
Date
Feb/Mar2001
May/Jim 2001
Aug/Sept2001
Oct2001
Jun/Jul 2009
Jul/Aug 2009
Mar 2010
Jul2010
Nov/Dec 2010
Feb/Mar2011
FC Bacteria
Geometric Mean
(cfu/lOOmL)
28
68
268
40
24
23
9
119
31
32
Applicable Water
Quality Criteria1
1,000 cfu/100 ml
200cfu/100mL
200 cfu/100 ml
200 cfu/100 ml
200 cfu/100 ml
200 cfu/100 ml
1,000 cfu/100 ml
200 cfu/100 ml
1,000 cfu/100 ml
1,000 cfu/100 ml
Meets
Criteria?
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Fecal coliform bacteria levels may not exceed a geometric mean of
200 cfu/100 ml in the summer (May-October) and 1,000 cfu/100 ml in
the winter (November-April).
A total maximum daily load (TMDL) study for patho-
gen loads in the Stamp Creek watershed was devel-
oped by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) in 1998. Based on land use data available at
the time, EPA's water quality model assumed the
watershed land use to be 100 percent forested;
therefore, the final TMDL load reduction for FC bac-
teria was identified as zero percent. However, EPA
concluded that since a water quality violation had
been established, some source of pollution must be
occurring in the watershed. As a result, EPA recom-
mended in its TMDL report that GAEPD conduct a
reconnaissance survey of the watershed to confirm
land use information and to locate potential sources
of fecal contamination (e.g., faulty septic tanks from
low-density residential areas). GAEPD developed a
TMDL implementation plan in 2001. Based on the
zero percent reduction, additional monitoring was
recommended as a management measure.
Project Highlights
As part of a CWA section 319-funded watershed
improvement project (2006-2011), the Limestone
Valley Resource Conservation and Development
Council (RC&D) worked with local stakeholders to
promote and install best management practices
to reduce FC bacteria runoff into Etowah River and
its tributaries, including Stamp Creek. To better
target areas with septic problems in the Stamp
Creek watershed, a GAEPD contractor performed a
preliminary land use review. The RC&D then worked
with two Stamp Creek
watershed homeown-
ers to repair their failing
residential septic sys-
tems in 2009 (Figure 2).
The homeowners par-
ticipated voluntarily and
provided partial funding
for the repairs.
Etowah River watershed
project partners have
conducted extensive
education and outreach
by developing and
distributing brochures,
conducting workshops
and presentations, and
creating a website.
Figure 2. Before the restoration
project, bacteria-laden effluent from
a failing septic system was surfacing
and draining off of this yard in the
Stamp Creek watershed.
Results
Bartow County representatives conducted
long-term monitoring of Stamp Creek, in accor-
dance with a GAEPD-approved Sample Quality
Assurance Plan, beginning in June 2009 and
continuing through March 2010. Bartow County
found that none of the six geometric means
violated the state-established criterion for FC
bacteria. The data indicate that the stream is
meeting water quality standards (see Table 1).
Therefore, GAEPD removed Stamp Creek (segment
GAR031501041004) from its 2012 list of impaired
waters for FC bacteria.
Partners and Funding
Stamp Creek has directly benefited from $5,600
in CWA section 319 funding for septic system
repairs. Homeowners provided the remaining
40 percent of repair costs for a total of $9,300
directed towards septic repair. Key partners
in this effort include the Upper Etowah River
Alliance, Limestone Valley RC&D, Bartow County
Environmental Health Department, and Cherokee
County Environmental Health Department. Agents
of these generous partners provided technical
expertise and labor. Other partners involved in
the larger Etowah River watershed project include
landowners, The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife
Fund, and the City of Canton. Landowners in the
Etowah River watershed contributed in-kind labor
hours and some matching funds to the overall
project.
UJ
O
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-14-001YY
September 2014
For additional information contact:
Jeff Linzer II, Georgia Environmental Protection
Division
404-675-1643 • Jeffrey_Linzer@dnr.state.ga.us
Diane Minick, Limestone Valley RC&D
706-625-7044 • dianeminick@msn.com
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