NONPOINT SOIRCf SICCESS STOIY
Illinois
Implementing Erosion Control Practices and Shoreline Restoration
Improved Blue Creek
Waterbody Improved Sedimentation from hydromodification and agriculture
resulted in degraded habitat for aquatic life in Illinois
Blue Creek. As a result, Illinois added the creek to its Clean Water Act (CWA) section
303(d) list for sedimentation in 1998. In the early 2000s project partners implemented
best management practices (BMPs) in the upper watershed that decreased
sedimentation. As a result of these efforts, water quality improved and Illinois
removed Blue Creek from its impaired waters list in 2014.
Problem
Blue Creek is a direct tributary of the 18,000-square-
mile Lower Illinois River watershed. Agricultural
runoff, channel and drainage modifications, and
urbanization impaired aquatic habitat and biological
communities in these watersheds. The Blue Creek
(071300110801) subwatershed covers 39 square
miles in Pike County (Figure 1). Primary land uses
include 42 percent row crop (primarily corn and
soybeans), 35 percent deciduous forest, 15 percent
pasture, 4 percent residential and 2 percent open
lands. Agriculture uses include some small livestock
operations such as hog production (open lots), and
cattle on pasture.
Blue Creek is 17 miles long with topography vary-
ing from gentle slopes and grassed gullies to rolling
lands that contain narrow forested ravines. A 241-
acre impoundment (Lake Pittsfield) was constructed
on Blue Creek in 1961 as a flood control reservoir
and to provide a public water supply for the city of
Pittsfield, Illinois. Sedimentation from the surround-
ing watershed led Illinois to add the lake to the state's
impaired waters list in 1992 for failing to support
aquatic life uses due to nutrients and siltation. In sub-
sequent years this excess sedimentation impacted
the downstream areas of Blue Creek.
On the basis on monitoring data collected in Blue
Creek in 1995, the state listed the creek on the 1998
CWA section 303(d) list for aquatic life impairment
due to sedimentation/siltation. Further sampling in
2006 at station IL _ DZC-07 showed that Blue Creek
remained impaired through 2009.
Legend
f Water Quality Monitoring Station
* Section 319 8MPs
* Stream Stabilization BMPs
^— Interstate*
State Highways
— Blue Creek
Streams
B HUt 071300110801
_ Lake Pittsfield
Town Boundary
County Boundary
Figure 1. Blue Creek watershed, in western Illinois.
Project Highlights
Work to improve water quality in the Blue Creek water-
shed was initiated in 1991 (and continued through
1998) with a federal Clean Lakes Program Phase II
Implementation project that addressed sedimenta-
tion/siltation impairments in Lake Pittsfield. This
restoration work included activities such as dredging,
aeration/destratification, shoreline stabilization, water-
shed management and algae management (with the
majority of funding coming from local sources).
Further restoration work was implemented in 1994-
1995 by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency
(Illinois EPA), the University of Illinois, Illinois State
-------
Figure 2.
Partners installed
29 water and
sediment control
basins in the Blue
Creek watershed,
including this one.
Figure 3.
Partners restored
and stabilized this
section of Blue
Creek above Lake
Pittsfield.
Water Survey (Illinois SWS), and the Pike County
Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). These
partners collaborated to construct 29 water and sedi-
ment control basins (WASCOBs) to reduce the trans-
port of sediment into Lake Pittsfield (Figure 2). They
constructed an additional basin above Lake Pittsfield
in 1996 with CWA sections 314(h) and 319(h) funding.
This basin was estimated to trap over 90 percent of
the sediment entering Lake Pittsfield.
In 2002, watershed partners stabilized 2,100 linear
feet of shoreline on Lake Pittsfield with rip rap placed
over filter fabric. In 2008 they stabilized another
1,075 linear feet of an unnamed tributary to Blue
Creek using stone toe protection methods (Figure 3).
The efficacy of the restoration work to reduce
sediment loading was monitored from 1994 to 2004
through the Illinois Section 319 Nonpoint Source
Management National Monitoring Program.
Results
Illinois collected Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) and
Macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity (mlBI)
scores in Blue Creek in 2011 that showed improving
biological and habitat conditions. A site's IBI score
represents how much that site's biotic integrity
differs from a known reference condition (represent-
ing biological conditions that would be expected in
Illinois streams least disturbed by human impacts).
IBI scores of less than 41 indicate that a site is of
lower biotic integrity than reference conditions,
and is therefore not fully supporting its aquatic life
designated use. IBI scores of greater than 41 indicate
a site exhibits similar biotic integrity to reference
conditions, and is considered fully supporting.
Similarly, mlBI scores of greater than 41.8 indicate full
support. As shown in Table 1, Blue Creek's IBI score
increased from "below reference condition" in 2006,
to "similar to reference condition" in 2011. The mlBI
score already indicated support in 2006, but Blue
Creek had remained listed as not supporting because
of the low IBI score. The mlBI score showed further
improvement in 2011. Because the 2011 mlBI and IBI
data showed that Blue Creek (IL _ DZC) fully sup-
ported its aquatic life designated use, it was removed
from the impaired waters list in 2014.
Table 1. Index of Biotic Integrity and
Macroinvertebrate Index of Biotic Integrity
scores in Blue Creek, Illinois
Location in Blue
Creek Watershed
Below Lake
Pittsfield
Below Lake
Pittsfield
Station
Code
DZC-07
DZC-01
Year
2006
2011
mlBI
Score
51.95
55.65
IBI
Score
23
50
Partners and Funding
Many partners collaborated in the restoration of Blue
Creek, including the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
(USDA's) Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Illinois EPA, Illinois Department
of Natural Resources (DNR)/lllinois SWS, Pike County
SWCD, city of Pittsfield, and the Farm Bureau of Pike
County. Illinois EPA provided staff hours to administer
$1,439,044 of USEPA CWA section 314(h)/319(h) fund-
ing that was provided for BMPs ($1,174,824 of CWA
319(h) and $264,220 of CWA 314(h)). USDA provided
$32,000 in Farm Bill funding to support conservation
practice design and implementation, information and
education outreach efforts, and evaluation of possible
participation interests. Illinois DNR/lllinois SWS pro-
vided $459,333 of in-kind funds through implement-
ing field work and monitoring activities using CWA
section 314(h)/319(h) funds, and providing presenta-
tions and technical publications. Illinois Department
of Agriculture and Pike County SWCD provided
$223,332 in state and local funds for supporting
contract administration, designing and implementing
BMPs, conducting project information and educa-
tion outreach efforts to stakeholders, and evaluating
possible participation interests. The city of Pittsfield
provided $132,110 in city funds for contract admin-
istration, labor and equipment resources. Lastly, the
Farm Bureau of Pike County helped educate produc-
ers about BMPs, conducted outreach and evaluated
possible participation interests.
I
3
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001AAA
November 2015
For additional information contact:
Scott Tomkins, Illinois EPA
Scott.tomkins@illinois.gov • 217-782-3362
John Beardsley, Illinois SWS
Jbeardsl@illinois.edu • 309-299-5860
Brad Smith, Pike County SWCD
Brad.smith@il.nacdnet.net • 217-285-5448 Ext. 3
------- |