Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SOCGESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices Reduces Bacteria
in the Neosho River
. , , ,- i , Runoff from cattle grazing areas contributed high levels of bacteria
VVaterDOdieS improved to several waterbodies in Kansas'Twin Lakes watershed, including
a 20.6-mile-long segment of the Neosho River ("Neosho River near Parkerville") and a 12.2-mile-long
segment of Haun Creek, a tributary to the Neosho River. In 1998 the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment (KDHE) added these waterbodies to the state's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d)
list of impaired waters for violating the state's fecal coliform (FC) bacteria water quality standard
and not supporting the waterbodies' primary contract recreation designated uses. Working with the
local Kansas Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (KS WRAPS) Twin Lakes Project, project
partners in Morris County implemented agricultural best management practices (BMPs) throughout the
watershed. River monitoring data collected between 2004 and 2011 showed that the "Neosho River
near Parkerville" segment and waters upstream to the river's headwaters now meet the state's bacteria
water quality standards. As a result, in 2012 KDHE removed the two segments ("Neosho River near
Parkerville" and the Haun Creek segment, totaling 32.8 miles) from the state's list of impaired waters.
Problem
The headwaters of the Neosho River originate in
the northwest corner of Morris County in central
Kansas, which is part of the Twin Lakes watershed
(Figure 1). Nestled in the Flint Hills, the Twin Lakes
watershed is predominately grassland, which cov-
ers 67 percent of the drainage area. The livestock
grazing density in the watershed, 30 to 45 animals
units per square mile, is considered medium. The
Neosho River near the town of Parkerville drains
87 square miles and flows directly into the Council
Grove Lake (a public water supply) before continu-
ing on to the John Redmond Reservoir.
Sampling conducted during 1992 and 1996 showed
that levels of FC bacteria exceeded the state
criterion for primary contact recreation, 200 fecal
coliform colony forming units (cfu) per 100 mil-
liliters (ml). As a result, in 1998 KDHE listed the
20.6-mile-long "Neosho River near Parkerville" seg-
ment and a 12.2-mile-long segment of Haun Creek
on the CWA section 303(d) list of impaired waters
for excessive bacteria. High bacteria levels caused
the segments to violate water quality standards
during the primary recreation season (April through
October). KDHE developed a total maximum daily
Twin Lakes
Watershed
Council Sniw
Council Grove
Delisted Stream Segments U)
Monitoring Site SC637
BMP Priority Area 1
BMP Priority Area 2
Figure 1. The Neosho River is in the Twin Lakes watershed
in central Kansas. Implementing BMPs removed the bacteria
impairment on two segments in the Neosho River watershed.
load (TMDL) for bacteria for "Neosho River near
Parkerville" in 2002. The TMDL cites small, unper-
mitted livestock operations and rural homesteads
and farmsteads along the river as contributing
nonpoint sources of FC bacteria to the river.
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Project Highlights
Since the approval of the "Neosho River near
Parkerville" TMDL in 2002, the Morris County
Conservation District, the Morris County office
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), local
landowners, and the Twin Lakes WRAPS have
implemented agricultural BMPs throughout the
watershed. (WRAPS is a planning and manage-
ment framework that adopts a citizen-stakeholder
approach to coordinate watershed protection and
restoration efforts.)
From 2004 to 2011, project partners implemented
a number of BMPs in the Neosho River near
Parkerville to reduce runoff into the waterbody.
Project partners worked with landowners to
address grassland runoff by implementing
1,175 acres of prescribed grazing (the controlled
harvest of vegetation with grazing animals);
351 acres of range planting (establishing perennial
or self-sustaining vegetation, which can help to
reduce erosion); 20 acres of grassed waterways
(grass strips planted along cropland drainage
areas); 19 acres of filter strips (vegetated buffers
between possible contamination sources and
waterbodies); and 2.5 acres of critical area plant-
ing. In addition, partners installed 1,395 feet of
fencing to limit livestock's access to waterbodies;
enrolled 1,477 acres in a nutrient management
plan; installed six onsite wastewater systems; and
installed nine constructed ponds, providing alterna-
tive livestock watering sources.
Results
Kansas' bacteria standards underwent changes in
2003. Escherichia coli replaced fecal coliform as the
indicator bacteria, and impairment was determined
by a geometric mean greater than 427 cfu/100 mL
based on five samples taken over a 30-day period.
KDHE conducted routine sampling in 2004 and
2008, as well as intensive sampling over 30-day
periods four times each year in 2007 and 2011. All
eight resulting geometric means met the state's
E. coli water quality criterion (Figure 2). In addition,
since 2003 only five of the 52 samples taken from
the Neosho River near Parkerville monitoring station
have exceeded the E. coli bacteria criterion. Based
Neosho River near Parkerville, KS Bacteria Levels (GeoMean)
Wean (cfu/100 ml)
g
." 100-
Eco/iBacte
=|=
%>
-
%
^
\
\
\
A
\
Fecal Coliform Bacteria GeometricMean
A Era// Bacteria Geometric Mean
^ Fecal Coliform Water Quality Standard
Era//WaterQualityStandard
A
\
\
A
%,
A
\
±
\
Time Period
^ s
-'
A
>\
Figure 2. Data show that bacteria levels in the Neosho River
have steadily declined over time and have met the applicable
water quality standard since 2004.
on these data, KDHE has removed both impaired
segments ("Neosho River near Parkerville" and
Haun Creek) from the state's 2012 list of impaired
waters. Although the bacteria impairment has
successfully been eliminated, further efforts are
needed to reduce nutrient (phosphorus) impairment
in the Neosho River.
Partners and Funding
The success of this project can be attributed to a
number of local, state and federal partners, includ-
ing the Morris County Conservation District; Morris
County NRCS office; Kansas Water Office; Flint Hills
Conservation and Development Council; Kansas
Forest Service; Kansas Department of Agriculture,
Division of Conservation; Kansas State University;
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7;
Kansas Rural Center; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks; and local
landowners.
The project was supported by six CWA section 319
grants (totaling $440,678) for Twin Lakes imple-
mentation projects between 2003 and 2011. The
Kansas Department of Agriculture's Division of
Conservation, NRCS and local landowners provided
additional support.
UJ
(9
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-12-001XX
November 2012
For additional information contact:
Ann D'Alfonso
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
785-296-3015
AD'Alfonso@kd heks.gov
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