Section 319
NONPOINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STORY
Implementing Agricultural Conservation Practices Improves Water Quality
in Flat Creek
A , . , , I , Nonpoint sources of bacteria, including livestock, pets, humans and
VVaterDOay improved wi|d|ife; impaired several waterbodies within Virginia's Appomattox
River watershed. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) added an 8.95-mile-long
segment of Flat Creek to the state's Clean Water Act section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 1996 for
bacteria. Watershed partners worked with local landowners to implement more than 150 agricultural
best management practices (BMPs) in the Flat Creek subwatershed to reduce nonpoint source
pollutant loadings to waterbodies. Water quality monitoring data show a decreasing trend in bacteria
concentrations in Flat Creek. Implementing additional BMPs should result in continued water quality
improvement in the creek and the broader Appomattox River watershed.
Problem
Flat Creek flows into the Appomattox River, which in
turn empties into the James River. The 90,752-acre
Flat Creek subwatershed drains portions of Amelia
and Nottaway counties near Farmville, Virginia.
The major land uses in the subwatershed are for-
est (66 percent) and pasture (25 percent). Of the
24 water quality samples collected in Flat Creek
during a 1996 assessment period, seven violated
Virginia's water quality standard for fecal coliform
bacteria, which requires that the instantaneous
bacteria concentration remain below 1,000 colony
forming units (CFU) per 100 milliliters (ml) of water.
As a result, in 1996 DEQ added an 8.95-mile-long
segment of Flat Creek to the state's list of impaired
waters for failing to support its primary contact
designated use because of fecal coliform bacteria.
In 2004 DEQ completed a bacteria total maximum
daily load (TMDL) study for impaired streams in the
Appomattox River watershed. The study identified
a number of nonpoint sources of bacteria in the
watershed, including wildlife, grazing livestock,
pets, land application of manure, land application
of biosolids, urban/suburban runoff, failing septic
systems and uncontrolled discharges (e.g., straight
pipes). TMDLs were developed for Flat Creek and
other impaired streams in the Appomattox River
watershed, including nearby segments of Nibbs,
Deep and West creeks (Figure 1). The Flat Creek
TMDL stated that bacteria loads from four nonpoint
source categories — livestock, humans, pets and
wildlife — must be reduced by 99 percent to meet
theTMDL load allocation.
A/ Impaired Streams
Streams
• Cities
County Boundaries
Watersheds
Deep Creek
Rat Creek
Nibbs Creek
West Creek
.
Burkeville
Crewe
Figure 1. Between 1996 and 2002 Virginia classified Flat Creek and
several nearby streams as impaired by bacteria.
Project Highlights
Pollution control efforts in the Flat Creek
subwatershed have been under way since 2002. BMP
implementation rates increased significantly in 2006
after the Virginia Department of Conservation and
Recreation (OCR) and the Piedmont Soil and Water
Conservation District (PSWCD) initiated a coordinated
watershed planning effort with other government
agencies and stakeholders to reduce the bacteria
loading in Flat, Nibbs, West and Deep creeks. In
2008 OCR and PSWCD helped to complete a TMDL
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Figure 2. Project partners installed
alternative water sources for cattle
in the Flat Creek watershed.
implementation plan for the project area, including
all four creek subwatersheds; the plan included a
timeline for implementing a variety of BMPs.
Between 2007 and 2011, the
watershed partners imple-
mented 166 agricultural BMP
projects in the Flat Creek
subwatershed, including
4.75 miles of stream livestock
exclusion fencing (22 percent
of the TMDL implementation
plan goal) and the construc-
tion of alternative water
sources for cattle (Figure 2)
and two animal waste control
facilities. The partners also
implemented a number
of cropland BMPs aimed
at reducing erosion runoff from fields: more than
2,200 acres of cover crop planting, 254 acres of con-
servation crop rotation, 37 acres of tree and shrub
establishment, and reforestation on 48 acres of erod-
ible crop and pastureland. Approximately 54 acres of
pasture and hayland were overseeded with tem-
porary cool-season grass species to provide green
cover through the winter months, thereby reducing
soil erosion and runoff. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) worked with landowners to install
approximately 18 acres of riparian forest buffer
through its Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program (CREP), a voluntary land retirement program
that helps agricultural producers protect environmen-
tally sensitive land, waters and wildlife habitat.
PSWCD and the NRCS held numerous tours in the
project area to promote agricultural BMP implemen-
tation. These agencies also coordinated various
outreach activities, maintained personal contact
with farmers and residents, and hosted meetings
to update the community about the water quality
improvements achieved. The efforts resulted in a
significant increase in BMP implementation during
the project period, 2007-2011.
Results
Implementing agricultural BMPs has reduced
pollutant loads (by 32,901 pounds of phosphorus,
114,576 pounds of nitrogen, and 22,567 tons of sedi-
ment). In 2002 Virginia began using Escherichia coli
bacteria as an indicator species for the existence
of other pathogenic bacteria. The new bacteria
Flat Creek (2-FLA028.98)
2007
2008 2009 2010
Sampling Year
Figure 3. The number of £ coli violations (exceeding the
235 CFU/100 ml standard) recorded at monitoring station
2-FLA028.98 has steadily declined.
standard states thatE coli levels must not exceed a
geometric mean of 126 CFU/100 ml or an instanta-
neous value of 235 CFU/100 ml.
£ coli bacteria monitoring data collected at a Flat
Creek ambient water quality monitoring station since
2007 shows a decreasing trend in the frequency of
bacteria criteria violations (Figure 3). A second site
shows a similar trend. This demonstrated improve-
ment in water quality will help encourage landown-
ers and residents to install more BMPs and to take
a more active role in achieving water quality goals in
Flat Creek and other nearby impaired watersheds.
Partners and Funding
Project success to date has been the result of part-
nerships between the PSWCD, OCR, DEQ, Virginia
Cooperative Extension, Amelia and Nottaway coun-
ty governments, and NRCS. The project is planned
to continue beyond June 2013, subject to fund avail-
ability. The PSWCD has led community outreach
and installation of BMPs during the implementation
project. State-funded PSWCD staff work with
landowners in the project area. BMPs have been
funded by Virginia's Water Quality Improvement
Fund (through OCR) and NRCS Environmental
Quality Incentive Program cost-share funds (total of
$140,805). The BMP cost-share payments through
2011 for the entire water quality improvement
project area total $779,282, of which $390,935 has
been used in the Flat Creek subwatershed. In addi-
tion to federal and state funding, the farmers and
residents of the watershed have paid for their share
of the cost of the BMP installation.
PRO^
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA841-F-13-001T
May 2013
For additional information contact:
Charlie Wootton, TMDL Conservation Specialist
Piedmont Soil and Water Conservation District
434-392-3782 Ext.128 • Charles.Wootton@va.nacdnet.net
Charlie Lunsford, TMDL Program Manager
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
804-786-3199 • Charles.Lunsford@dcr.virginia.gov
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