NONPOINT SOIREE SICCESS STOIY
Upgrading Septic Systems and Removing Straight Pipes as Part of
Watershed Plan Reduces Bacteria in Eagle Creek
A/ t h H I H High bacteria loading from failing onsite wastewater treatment
VVaterDOay I 1 proved systems in the Ten MileCreek watershed led to increased
bacteria levels in Eagle Creek, the receiving stream. Because bacteria levels exceeded water
quality standards, the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW) added a 12.9-mile segment of Eagle
Creek to the state's 1998 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters. The
partial implementation of a watershed-based plan led to bacteria loading reductions from the Ten
Mile Creek watershed and improved water quality in Eagle Creek. As a result, Eagle Creek met its
designated use for primary contact recreation (PCR) and was removed from Kentucky's impaired
waters list in 2010.
Problem
Ten Mile Creek is in the northeastern corner of the
Kentucky River basin in the Eagle Creek watershed.
The 68-square-mile Eagle Creek watershed is popular
for fishing and swimming. Ten Mile Creek drains
to Eagle Creek (Figure 1) and encompasses two
hydrologic unit code (HUC) 12-digit subwatersheds.
Malfunctioning onsite wastewater treatment units in
the Ten Mile Creek subwatershed and straight pipes
that drain directly to the creek led to an increase in
stream bacteria levels in Ten Mile and Eagle creeks.
According to Kentucky's water quality standards for
PCR, fecal coliform levels cannot exceed 400 colony-
forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters (ml) in more
than 20 percent of samples taken during the May
through October PCR season, and Escherichia coli
levels cannot exceed 240 CFU/100 ml in more than
20 percent of samples taken during the May through
October PCR season. A KDOW water quality assess-
ment conducted in 1999 found that the river mile seg-
ment 14.4 to 27.3 of Eagle Creek, immediately below
the confluence with Ten Mile Creek, did not support
its PCR use because bacteria levels exceeded the
PCR water quality standard. As a result, KDOW
added this 12.9-mile segment of Eagle Creek to the
state's 2000 CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
waters. Water quality monitoring and data analyses
during the total maximum daily load development
process in Eagle Creek indicated that onsite waste-
water treatment units and straight pipes in the Ten
Mile Creek subwatershed (included on the 2004
section 303(d) list of impaired waters) were the likely
causes of the elevated bacteria levels in Eagle Creek.
Legend
„ Eagle_BMPs
Sample Site: Eagle Creek, near Glencoe
DOW 305ib) 2002 Use Support- PCS
— Fully
Not supporting
Partial
Threatened
_ I Lower Eagle Creek HUC12s
County Boundary Lines
Moseby Brdnch-Eagle Creek HUC12
CH Lower Eagle Creek HUC12
County Boundary Polygons
Figure 1. The Eagle Creek and Ten Mile Creek watersheds are
in northern Kentucky.
Project Highlights
As part of Kentucky's Watershed Management
Framework (initiated in 1997) assessment and
ranking efforts, the Kentucky River Basin Team (KRBT)
identified Eagle Creek as one of three river basin
priority watersheds in 2000. It was subsequently
added to the KDOW list of priority watersheds, where
it still remains. By conducting watershed planning
workshops and meetings, the KRBT identified issues
and opportunities in the watershed, which led to the
development of the Eagle Creek Watershed Council
(Council), a group of local stakeholders that wanted
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Figure 2. Project partners fixed failing septic systems (left) and removed straight pipes (right).
to work to address these water quality issues. The
Northern Kentucky Health Department (NKHD) agreed
to lead the Council's development of a watershed-
based plan for the Ten Mile Creek subwatershed.
In 2005 the KDOW awarded the NKHD CWA sec-
tion 319 grant funding to develop and implement
a watershed-based plan for the Ten Mile Creek
subwatershed of Eagle Creek. This watershed plan
was the first in the state to receive KDOW official
acceptance. The plan outlines the pathogen, sedi-
ment, nutrients and pesticide load reductions needed
for Eagle Creek to achieve water quality criteria. The
focus of this initial watershed-based plan was to
identify sources of pathogens, enhance community
involvement in watershed protection, and provide
education about the operation and maintenance of
onsite wastewater systems. A subsequent CWA sec-
tion 319-funded project provided additional on-the-
ground implementation funding for the watershed
plan, which included reducing pathogen loading to
Eagle Creek from the Ten Mile Creek subwatershed.
The Ten Mile Creek watershed-based plan identified
an estimated 45 straight pipes and 158 failing septic
systems (leaking lateral fields, overflows, etc.) in the
subwatershed (Figure 2). As part of their work on
TMDL development, the Kentucky Water Resources
Research Institute estimated that pathogen loads
could be reduced by 90 percent by installing or
upgrading 40 to 100 septic systems.
Through the NKHD onsite wastewater grant program,
34 septic systems were installed or upgraded in the
subwatershed. The majority of these systems were
completed in 2006 and 2007, with the last several
installed in 2008. A subsequent CWA section 319 grant
in 2009 enabled the NKHD to install another 23 septic
systems in the Ten Mile Creek subwatershed.
In addition, NKHD initiated a public education/
social marketing campaign using newspaper, radio
and television messages to inform area residents
about onsite wastewater issues. These messages
discussed proper septic system maintenance and
the illegality of straight pipes. After implementing the
social marketing campaign, the NKHD announced an
onsite wastewater grant program available to home-
owners in the Ten Mile Creek subwatershed.
Results
As a result of the improved operation and function-
ing of onsite wastewater systems, pathogen loads
decreased in Eagle Creek. A 2008 water quality data
assessment showed that the entire "Eagle Creek 15.3
to 28.5" segment (KY491407 _01: From Two Mile
Creek to Ten Mile Creek) fully supported its designat-
ed use for PCR. Only 8 percent of samples exceeded
the maximum allowable bacteria levels. On the basis
of these data, KDOW removed the waterbody from
the 2010 CWA section 303(d) list. As of 2014, Ten
Mile Creek was still impaired for PCR. Streams in
the KY River Basin will be sampled again in 2018.
(Note: In the 2010 water quality assessment, KDOW
adjusted the Eagle Creek segment lengths to reflect
the National Hydrography Data Set. This segment
increased slightly from 12.9 to 13.2 miles long.)
Partners and Funding
Restoring water quality in Eagle Creek was the result
of a collaborative effort by many partners, including
the KRBT, Eagle Creek Watershed Council, NKHD,
Ten Mile Creek residents, Kentucky Water Resources
Research Institute, Kentucky River Watershed Watch
and KDOW. The Ten Mile Creek project used a total
of $473,163 in CWA 319 funding (2005-2013).
I
a
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-15-001UU
October 2015
For additional information contact:
Lisa Hicks, Kentucky Division of Water
502-564-3410 • lisa.hicks@ky.gov
James Roe, Kentucky Division of Water
502-564-3410 • james.roe@ky.gov
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