Section 319
NONPOINT SOORCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Reduces Bacteria
Levels in the Cub Creek Watershed
Waterbodies Improved No"point s,ource m^^T^^ a9ricultural
land uses, livestock, and wildlife led to high counts
of bacteria in Virginia's Cub Creek. Two segments failed to attain their primary contact
recreation designated use due to violations of the state's water quality standard for
bacteria. As a result, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) added two
segments of Cub Creek to Virginia's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list in 2006 and
2008, respectively, for Escherichia coli bacteria. Landowners implemented agricultural best
management practices (BMPs) in the Cub Creek watershed, which significantly reduced
bacterial loadings and allowed the creek to meet water quality standards and support its
recreation designated use. As a result, DEQ removed the two segments of Cub Creek
(14.07 miles total) from Virginia's 2012 list of impaired waters forE coli bacteria.
Problem
The Cub Creek watershed drains portions of
Appomattox and Charlotte counties in south-central
Virginia. Cub Creek empties into the Roanoke River
(referred to locally as the Staunton River). The Cub
Creek watershed area draining to the impaired
segments consists of approximately 95,332 acres,
primarily comprised of forested land (70 percent)
and agricultural land (24 percent). Bacteria loadings
from livestock, human sources (septic systems),
agricultural and urban land uses, and wildlife led to
high bacteria counts in Cub Creek.
DEQ collected water quality samples on Cub Creek
in 2003 and 2004. Approximately 24 percent of
samples had E. coli bacteria levels that exceeded
235 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters
(cfu/100 ml). These results violated the state E. coli
single sample maximum bacteria criterion, which
requires that no more than 10 percent of samples
(based on a minimum of 12 samples) have E. coli
levels exceeding 235 cfu/100 ml. As a result, DEQ
added two segments of Cub Creek to Virginia's
CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters for
E. coli bacteria—an 8.35-mile segment (VAC-
L37R _ CUB01AOO) in 2006 and a 5.72-mile segment
Cub Creek (VAC-L37R_CUB01AOO)
Cub Creek (VAC-L37R_CUB01B08)
Impaired River/Stream
River/Stream
US Highway
CH? County Boundary
Cub Creek Watershed
Figure 1. Two segments in Virginia's Cub Creek were
delisted as impaired for bacteria.
(VAC-L37R _ CUB01B08) in 2008 (Figure 1). In 2006
DEQ developed a bacteria total maximum daily load
(TMDL) for this watershed.
-------
H
Figure 2. Installing livestock exclusion
fencing and adding alternative water
sources helped to reduce bacteria
loadings in the stream.
Project Highlights
After the Cub Creek
bacteria TMDL was
developed, watershed
stakeholders (i.e., state
and local government,
conservation organiza-
tions, and landowners)
developed and began
carrying out a structured
TMDL implementation
plan. Through these com-
bined efforts, landowners
installed numerous BMPs
between 2006 and 2013, including 71,948 linear
feet (13.6 miles) of livestock exclusion fencing with
grazing management (Figure 2), 62 acres of refores-
tation of erodible crop and pasture lands, 57 acres of
continuous no-till, 35 acres of permanent vegetative
cover on cropland, 21 acres of small-grain cover
crop, 1,330 linear feet of stream protection and one
loafing lot management system.
State and local government agencies conducted
a combination of outreach activities for landown-
ers and farmers to encourage them to implement
agricultural BMPs. Outreach efforts included
farm tours, personal communications, publication
of articles in local newspapers, and distribution
of TMDL brochures explaining eligible BMPs
and their benefits for Cub Creek watershed
stakeholders.
Results
Data calculations from the Virginia Department of
Conservation and Recreation (OCR) BMP Tracking
Database indicated that installing BMPs in the
watershed significantly reduced nonpoint source
pollutant loadings, including bacteria. DEQ col-
lected 15 samples on Cub Creek during 2009 and
2010. Of those, only one sample (6.7 percent of
all samples collected) exceeded 235 cfu/100 mL
E. co/i—meeting the state's bacteria water quality
standard (Figure 3). As a result, DEQ removed the
two Cub Creek segments (14.07 miles total) from
the state's list of impaired waters for bacteria in
2012. Both segments now support their primary
contact recreation designated use.
Cub Creek Bacteria Levels
Sampling Site 4ACUB017.46
E
a
uj
o-
Jun
A A
•
*
iyu*, •*•<•
-03 Apr-04 Jan-05 Nov-05 Sep-06 Jul-07 May-08 Mar-09 Jan-10 Oct-10 Aug-11
Sampling Time (Month-Year)
Figure 3. Water quality data show that violations of the 235
cfu/100 mL E. co/i bacteria water quality criterion (denoted by red
dots) declined significantly after farmers installed BMPs.
Partners and Funding
The water quality improvement in Cub Creek has
largely been the result of partnerships between
the Southside and Robert E. Lee soil and water
conservation districts (SWCDs) and several federal
and state agencies, including the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS), OCR, DEQ, the Virginia Department
of Health and the Virginia Cooperative Extension
Service. The TMDL implementation project, admin-
istered by the Southside and Robert E. Lee SWCDs,
included agricultural cost-share funding, technical
assistance for landowners and outreach activities.
To offset the costs of implementing BMPs, farmers
received $7,243 in NRCS Environmental Quality
Incentive Program funds and a combined $484,598
from the Virginia Water Quality Incentive Fund and
the Virginia Natural Resources Commitment Fund.
The state of Virginia also provided $36,619 in the
form of tax credits issued to farmers implementing
BMPs. SWCD staff provided significant technical
assistance to farmers over the 5-year project peri-
od. Most of the staff time was supported through
OCR with approximately $125,000 from Virginia's
General Fund ($25,000 per year for 5 years). Some
CWA section 319 funds supported OCR staff time
as they provided project oversight and guidance for
TMDL implementation. DEQ provided water quality
monitoring support.
UJ
O
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001D
January 2015
For additional information contact:
Charlie Lunsford, Virginia Department of
Environmental Quality
Charlie.Lunsford@deq.virginia.gov • 804-698-4172
David Sandman, Robert E. Lee SWCD
David.Sandman@Releeconservation.com • 434-352-2819
------- |