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Section 319
NDNPDINT SDURCF PROGRAM SUCCESS STDRY
Diverse Best Management Practices Control Urban and Agricultural Runoff
WatPrhndv Imnrnvpd ^]^ nu1:r'ent concentrations from agricultural runoff, loss
of biological integrity as a result of siltation, and habitat
loss from streamside alteration caused Tennessee to put a 15-mile segment of West
Sandy Creek on its 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2002 and 2004. Sources included
agriculture use, bank and shoreline modification, and runoff from urbanized areas.
To help address the problems, the Henry County Soil Conservation District (District)
implemented 10 best management practices (BMPs), including grade-stabilization
structures, water/sediment control basins, terrace construction, and hay and pasture
plantings. The BMPs improved the water quality in the 15-mile segment, which was
removed from the 2006 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Problem
West Sandy Creek is in the Kentucky Lake
watershed in Henry County (Ecoregion 65E).
The 15-mile impaired segment of West Sandy
Creek extends from the West Sandy embay-
ment in Kentucky Lake to the creek's head-
waters. Tennessee added the creek to its
2002 and 2004 303(d) lists of impaired waters
because of siltation, high nutrient concentra-
tions, loss of habitat, and poor biological
integrity. The state identified the sources
of siltation as runoff from agricultural land
and urban areas. Modification of the creek's
shoreline led to its listing for habitat loss.
This segment of West Sandy Creek was not
meeting water quality criteria to fully support
its designated use classification for fish and
aquatic life. The state standards require that
there be no distinctly visible solids, scum,
foam, oily slick, or the formation of slimes,
bottom deposits, or sludge banks of such size
or character that could be detrimental to fish
and aquatic life.
Project Highlights
The District implemented 10 BMPs in the
Kentucky Lake watershed between 1999 and
2005. Pasture and hay planting, terrace con-
struction, and installing water/sediment con-
trol basins helped to prevent excess silt from
entering the creek. The terraces stabilized
steep slopes along the creek and reduced
runoff and soil erosion. Water/sediment con-
trol basins reduced stream bank scouring and
gully erosion, trapped sediment, and reduced
runoff, thereby improving water quality.
The District also created grade-stabilization
structures throughout the watershed. These
structures controlled the grade of the creek
and helped prevent water from cutting into
the side of natural or artificial channels. The
practice was used in areas where the con-
centration and flow of water could potentially
have caused gully erosion.
Three grade-stabilization structures and one
terrace were installed in the drainage area of
West Sandy Creek (Figure 1). The District also
installed two water/sediment control basins
and one grade-stabilization structure in the
Spring Creek drainage area. Clifty Creek ben-
efited from the installation of one water/sedi-
ment control basin. One grade-stabilization
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structure was installed on Chapel Branch, in
the Kentucky Lake watershed.
Results
The BMPs implemented in the West Sandy
Creek watershed reduced the level of nutri-
ents and silt in the water and helped to
prevent streamside erosion. Using the U.S.
Environmental Protections Agency's (EPA's)
rapid bioassessment protocol III (RBPIII), state
biologists calculated a biological reconnais-
sance score (biorecon) for the West Sandy
Creek, which is used to measure compliance
with the state water quality standard for
siltation. Biorecon is one tool used to recog-
nize stream impairment as judged by species
richness measures, emphasizing the presence
or absence of indicator organisms without
regard to relative abundance. The biorecon
index is scored on a scale from 1 to 15. A
score of less than 5 is regarded as very poor.
A score of more than 10 is considered good.
The principal metrics used are the total mac-
roinvertebrate families, the number of families
of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies (col-
lectively referred to as EPT, which is short for
the order names Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera,
and Trichoptera), and the number of pollution
intolerant families found in a stream.
In 2004 biological sampling on West Sandy
Creek, state biologists found 19 total families,
5 EPT families, and 1 pollutant-intolerant fam-
ily. The biorecon score for the station was 13,
which is in the good range. The data indicate
that the stream is meeting water quality stan-
dards. Therefore, Tennessee removed this
15-mile segment of West Sandy Creek from
its 2006 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Partners and Funding
The Henry County Soil Conservation District
implemented the BMPs with $24,817 provided
by the Tennessee state Agricultural Resources
Conservation Fund through cost-share from
Clean Water Act section 319 grant pool
projects. In addition, local matching funds
contributed $13,170.
Tennessee Department of Agriculture, August 2006
• BMPs Installed 1999-2005
~~| West Sandy Creek Watershed, 060400050601 -j-S? ,
7 DcnIOn
/ County
Figure 1. Location of BMPs installed along West Sandy Creek, TN.
. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
\ Office of Water
a Washington, DC
EPA841-F-07-OODD
November 2007
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306
Sam.Marshall@state.tn.us
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