Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SOGGESS STORY
Implementing Best Management Practices Reduces Bacteria Levels
in the Allen Creek Watershed
WaterbodieS Improved NonP°int source pollution generated from cattle grazing
and stream access activities resulted in high levels of
bacteria in Kansas' Allen, Dows, and Stillman creeks. In 1998 the Kansas Department of
Health and Environment (KDHE) added two segments of the main stem of Allen Creek and
two Allen Creek tributaries, Dows Creek and Stillman Creek, to the state's Clean Water
Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters for bacteria. Landowners cooperated
with local, state, and federal agencies to implement best management practices (BMPs)
in the watershed. Water quality monitoring since 2003 indicates that Allen Creek and its
tributaries now meet the water quality standards for bacteria. As a result, KDHE removed
all four segments from the state's list of impaired waters in 2012.
Problem
Allen Creek originates in north-central Lyon County
and flows south for 31 stream miles until it merges
with its tributaries and empties into the Neosho
River in east-central Kansas. The Allen Creek
watershed is part of the 421,946-acre Neosho
Headwaters watershed (Figure 1).
The Allen Creek watershed is predominately
grassland (68 percent), which is used for grazing
cattle. Another 20 percent of the watershed is
composed of cropland. The remaining 12 percent
of land includes woodlands, water, and other uses.
Allen, Dows, and Stillman creeks are designated as
primary recreation use Class C waters, indicating
that the public is restricted by private property from
accessing the streams for swimming and other full-
body-contact recreation.
Water quality monitoring data collected since 1991
by KDHE indicated that Allen Creek exceeded
the state's bacteria criterion of 200 fecal coliform
colony-forming units (CPU) per 100 milliliters (ml).
As a result, KDHE added two segments of Allen
Creek, along with Dows Creek and Stillman Creek,
to the state's 1998 CWA section 303(d) list of
impaired waters for bacteria. In 2003 the basis for
the bacteria standard changed from fecal coliform
to Escherichia coli. In addition, the basis for deter-
mining a violation of state standards for waterbod-
Neosho Headwaters
Watershed
Dsage
A
Legend
Dellsted Stream Segments (4)
Monitoring Site SC628
1^5 Livestock BMPs
Cropland BMPs
Figure 1. Allen, Dows, and Stillman creeks are in Kansas'
Neosho Headwaters watershed.
ies designated as primary recreation use Class C
waters became five samples collected within
30 days exceeding the geometric mean of 427
CFU/100 ml. A total maximum daily load (TMDL)
for Allen Creek and its tributaries was developed
and approved in 2002 to direct efforts to reduce
the bacteria impairments in the watershed. The
TMDL identified small, unregulated livestock oper-
ations and rural homesteads along the streams as
potential nonpoint sources of bacteria loading.
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Figure 2. Partners installed numerous BMPs, including
streambank protection project on Dows Creek.
Project Highlights
Following the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's (EPA's) approval of the TMDL in 2002,
the Lyon County Conservation District, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), local landowners, and
Neosho Headwaters Watershed Restoration and
Protection Strategy (WRAPS) partners implemented
agricultural and livestock BMPs throughout the
Allen Creek watershed. They installed 586 acres of
access control and streambank protection; added
2 acres of critical planting to reduce runoff into the
creeks; installed 4,168 feet of fence; added 2 acres
of filter strips (dense grass sod strips that serve as
a border around cropland, which can filter pollutants
in agricultural runoff); built 4,507 feet of pipeline to
facilitate alternative watering systems; constructed
a pond; and implemented 750 acres of prescribed
grazing (Figure 2).
Results
KDHE completed sampling on Allen Creek on a
rotational schedule; sampling occurred during the
primary recreational seasons in 2003, 2007, and
2011. Water quality samples showed that E. coli
levels were below the state's criterion of 427
CFU/100 ml in all but four cases (Figure 3). In addi-
tion to the rotational scheduled monitoring, inten-
Allen Creek £ Co// Bacteria during Primary Recreation Season
1000 1 I I I 1 1 1 1 j 4 4 1. 1. 1. I.-- 1 1 1 1 -1 4 I 4 I -
a (CFU/100 ml)
::
-*
-
::
|WQS = 427CFU/100mL|
--
*
c
,
₯
f
"I
*ri
A
:
Date
(Samples ^ WQS A Geometric Means |
Figure 3. £. co// bacteria values during primary recreation
season for Allen, Dows, and Stillman creeks.
sive monitoring occurred on four occasions in both
2007 and 2011. In all cases, the geometric means
remained below the criterion value. As a result of
the water quality samples meeting the criterion,
KDHE removed Dows Creek (26.5 miles), Stillman
Creek (9.5 miles), and two segments of Allen Creek
(totaling 31 miles) from the state's list of impaired
waters in 2012.
Partners and Funding
The success of the delisting and water qual-
ity improvements can be attributed to several
local, state, and federal partners, including the
Neosho Headwaters WRAPS, Flint Hills Resource
Conservation and Development Council, Kansas
Forest Service, Kansas Department of Agriculture's
Division of Conservation, Kansas Water Office,
Kansas Water Authority, NRCS, Lyon County
Conservation District, Kansas Department of Health
and Environment, Kansas Rural Center, Kansas
State University, EPA Region 7, and participating
landowners.
The project was supported by CWA section 319
funds ($130,000 for assessment and planning
and $267,950 for implementation), as well as
additional support from the Kansas Department of
Agriculture's Division of Conservation, NRCS, and
local landowners.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-14-001LL
July2014
For additional information contact:
Ann D'Alfonso
Kansas Bureau of Water
785-296-3015 AD'Afonso@kdheks.gov
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