Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Installing Agricultural and Stormwater Management Practices Reduces
Bacteria in the Upper Soque River
. , , , I , Bacteria in runoff from agricultural and urban lands led to high bacteria
i/VaierDOay improved counts in Georgia's Soque River. As a result, the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division (GAEPD) added a 29-mile segment of the Soque River to its 2002 Clean Water Act
(CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters for failure to attain its fishing designated use. Beginning
in 2008, the installation of agricultural and stormwater best management practices (BMPs) resulted in
decreased bacteria levels that met state water quality standards. These measures allowed Georgia to
remove fecal coliform as an impairment from the 29-mile segment of the Soque River in 2012.
Problem
The Soque River is the northeastern-most tributary
of the Chattahoochee River and has a number of
important uses both locally and regionally within
the state (Figure 1). The main stem of the river
serves as the drinking water source for the city
of Clarkesville, and the river's tributaries provide
water for other localities in Habersham County.
In addition, the river supplies an estimated 1/6 of
the inflow to Lake Lanier, the major drinking water
reservoir for the city of Atlanta. The Soque River is
also renowned for the recreational opportunities it
provides (primarily fishing). The watershed covers
approximately 160 square miles and rests wholly
within Habersham County, thus presenting a unique
opportunity for watershed protection and manage-
ment while avoiding jurisdictional conflicts.
Georgia's water quality standards for the months
of May through October require that fecal coliform
not exceed a geometric mean of 200 colony-
forming units per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 ml).
For the months of November through April,
fecal coliform is not to exceed a geometric
mean of 1,000 cfu/100 ml or a maximum of
4,000 cfu/100 ml for any single sample. Data
collected by GAEPD indicated that these standards
were not being met. The fecal coliform geometric
mean from Georgia sampling station 12024001
(now called 1201020201) was 304 cfu/100 ml in
July 2000. This prompted GAEPD to add a 29-mile
segment of the Soque River (beginning at Goshen
Creek and ending at the State Route 17 Bridge in
the city of Clarkesville) to the 2002 CWA section
303(d) list for not supporting its fishing designated
Project Location
(HUC10:0313000102)
Soque River
! Sampling Station 1201020201
0 1 2 4
6 8 Miles
Map includes data from the CWA section 303{d) Iht, U.S. Census Bureau. US6S Jtipo base/nap, ant!.'.';'<) Wotenlied Boundary Dtitasel
Figure 1. The Upper Soque River is in northeastern Georgia.
use. In 2003 GAEPD developed a total maximum
daily load (TMDL) for fecal coliform in the impaired
segment (Goshen Creek to SR 17, Clarkesville -
segment # GAR031300010202). The TMDL was
revised in 2008.
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Figure 2. A landowner installed this off-stream
watering source to reduce livestock access to
surface waters.
Project Highlights
In 2008 a FY2005 CWA section 319 implementa-
tion grant was initiated to carry out recommenda-
tions outlined in the 2007 Soque River Watershed
Protection Plan. The primary focus areas of the
implementation grant included (1) cost-sharing with
20 farmers on cattle exclusion projects to eliminate
fecal coliform bacteria and reduce streambank
erosion, (2) implementing two sediment reduction
BMPs, and (3) implementing two stormwater control
BMPs. The implementation grant also called for
public education and outreach activities.
The restoration efforts resulted in a total of
812.3 acres under contract, with 65 agricultural
BMPs aimed at bacterial and sediment source
control, including 46,442 linear feet of stream and
cross-fencing installed; 111,756 square feet of heavy-
use area protected; four stream crossings built; and
three water wells installed for off-stream watering
(Figure 2). Approximately 549 animals, predomi-
nantly beef cattle, have been excluded from surface
waters. Streambank restoration work included using
a natural channel design (provided by North Carolina
State University researchers) to restore 500 linear
feet of severely eroding streambanks. Stormwater
restoration projects included a rain barrel distribution
program for homeowners (more than 300 bar-
rels distributed over the project span), installing a
demonstration rain garden (500 square feet) at North
Georgia Technical College, a 1,100-gallon cistern
to collect rooftop runoff and meet garden irrigation
demand at Fairview Elementary, a 275-gallon cistern
at Clarkesville City Hall, and a rain garden at Cornelia
Community House to infiltrate parking lot runoff.
600
500
400
"s
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5 300
Q_
S
200
100
0
Aui
2009-2010 Bacteria Levels in the Soque River
Nonswimming
Season Standard =
lOOOMPN/IOOmL
•
I
•
• •
•
Swimming Season
Standard = 200 MPN/IOOmL
•
•
•
•
• Fecal
Geometric
Means
•
-09 Oct-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Mar-10 May-10 Jun-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Nov-10 Jan
Dates
-11
Figure 3. Data show that fecal coliform levels meet applicable
standards in both the nonswimming season (November
through April) and swimming season (May through October).
Results
Bacteria samples collected at U.S. Geological
Survey station# 02331200 (also called GAEDP
monitoring site 1201020201) in 2009 and 2010 by
GAEPD and the Soque River Alliance showed only
a 7 percent exceedance of standards (based on
14 geometric means) (Figure 3). To remove the
waterbody from the impaired waters list, exceed-
ances of the allowable geometric mean must be
less than 10 percent.
Based on these data, GAEPD removed the fecal
coliform impairment from the 29-mile segment of
the Soque River on the state's 2012 list of impaired
waters.
Partners and Funding
The water quality improvement in the Soque
River has primarily been the result of partnerships
between GAEPD and the city of Clarkesville. CWA
section 319 grant funding was provided from
FY2005 (totaling $447,286) to support the imple-
mentation of restoration projects. Another $298,191
in local match and documented landowner contri-
butions was provided by the city of Clarkesville to
implement these restoration projects. Additional
monitoring data to support the impairment removal
was collected by the Soque River Alliance.
UJ
O
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001Y
May 2015
For additional information contact:
Duncan Hughes, Watershed Coordinator
Soque River Watershed Partnership
dhughes@northgatech.edu • 706-754-7872
Jeff Linzer, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Jeffrey.Linzer@gaepd.org • 404-651-8532
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