/q\ Section 319
NONPIINT SOURCE PRBGBAM SUECESS STORY
"*£ PRO-^
Implementing Best Management Practices and Restoring Streambanks
Improve Water Quality in Goose Creek
Waterbodv ImDroved Land devel°Pment contributed to increased siltation in
Tennessee's Goose Creek and degraded water quality. As
a result, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) added the
creek to the state's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2004.
Best management practices (BMPs) implemented in the watershed improved water quality,
and Goose Creek was removed from Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
waters in 2010.
Problem
Goose Creek is a 15.4-mile stream that flows from
its headwaters to Town Creek through the town of
Mountain City in Johnson County (Figure 1). The
creek is in ecoregions 66f (Limestone Valleys and
Coves) and 66e (Southern Sedimentary Ridges
of the Blue Ridge Mountains).Water uses in the
watershed include irrigation, livestock watering and
wildlife, recreation, and fish and aquatic life. The
stretch of Goose Creek from Crooked Branch to
Corn Creek is considered an Exceptional Tennessee
Water due to the presence of the state endangered
skunk cabbage and the state threatened crested
shield-fern.
Land development and bank erosion caused altera-
tion in streamside or littoral vegetation. In 2003,
TDEC conducted several Semi-Quantitative Single
Habitat assessment (SQSH) tests at River Mile 1.3
near Brown Place Road and at mile 0.3 (behind the
visitor's center of Ralph Stout Park). SQSH is used
as a measure of compliance with water quality
standards for the beneficial use of fish and aquatic
life. During initial testing at this time, Goose Creek
received a habitat score of 101 at river mile 1.3 and
a score of 114 at river mile 0.3. Both scores are
considered impaired in these ecoregions. The creek
also showed Escherichia coii levels that exceeded
the state's standard of 126 colony forming units
per 100 milliliters (cfu/100 mL) and riparian loss,
indicating that the waterbody failed to support
its designated uses. As a result, TDEC placed all
15.4 miles of Goose Creek (TN06010103034-0310)
on the state's CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
waters in 2004 due to increased siltation.
Figure 1. Goose Creek is one of several tributaries that combine to
form Town Creek in Johnson County, Tennessee.
Project Highlights
Habitat restoration within the Goose Creek
watershed is ongoing with the assistance of the
Tennessee Agricultural Resources Conservation
Fund (ARCF) cost-share program and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency CWA section 319
funds. Since 2003, these two sources have funded
the implementation of BMPs in the watershed.
ARCF funding supported the installation or con-
struction of 7,896 feet of fence, 810 feet of access
road, erosion protection on five heavy-use areas,
.Goose Creek
Corn Creek
Muddy Branch'
Crooked
- Branch *
Goose Creek, Tennessee
Johnson County
Johnson County
Johnson County
Legend
	Goose Creek
o ARCF BMPs
© 319 BMPs
TDEC Stream Assessment
ATTAINMENT
	Fully Supporting
Not Assessed
•	Not supporting
I I Town or Mountain Qty
I Town Creek Watershed
9H Johnson County
1 dot may represent more than one piactke

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Figure 2. Stakeholders installed educational signs
along Goose Creek.
4,837 feet of pipeline, seven watering facilities,
150 feet of subsurface drain, three pumping plants,
194 feet of stock trails and walkways, and one
water weil. CWA section 319 funding supported the
creation of 3,536 feet of riparian forest buffer, and
1,700 feet of streambank protection.
In Mountain City's Ralph Stout Park, CWA section
319 funds were used to install multiple rock vanes
along Goose Creek to control bed elevation and
divert sheer stress. Native tree, shrub, and herb
species were also planted along the streambank
to establish a riparian buffer. In Mountain City, the
Ralph Stout Park is used extensively for walking and
biking. The educational kiosks/signs installed along
Goose Creek were designed to educate the public
on the processes and benefits of stream restoration
as well as enhance community involvement (Figure
2). Improving water quality has restored both plant
and animal native habitats (Figure 3).
Results
BMPs installed on the tributaries to Goose Creek
have helped reduce the level of siltation entering
the waterbody, and enhanced the recovery from
riparian loss. In 2006 TDEC conducted a SQSH
assessment at mile 0.1 near the mouth of Goose
Creek, which showed marked improvement. The
creek earned a habitat score of 143, considered
good for the region (where a score of 200 would be
Figure 3. Good habitat and chemical test scores
indicate that Goose Creek has been restored.
optimal). Water quality assessment now indicates
that Goose Creek fully supports its designated
uses. Accordingly, the waterbody was removed
from Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list of
impaired waters in 2010.
Partners and Funding
Many federal and state agencies, local orga-
nizations, and individual landowners worked
together to improve water quality in the Goose
Creek watershed. Funding sources included
CWA section 319 grants totaling $51,971, which
were allocated for improvements made along
Goose Creek and its tributaries. Stakeholders
used $36,009 from the ARCF, which included
support provided through the Johnson County
Soil Conservation District ($27,069), the Carter
County Soil Conservation District ($2,678), and
the Suliivan County Soil Conservation District
($6,262 for creek-side signage in Ralph Stout
Park). Other key partners included the town of
Mountain City, Ralph Stout Park, the Appalachian
Resource Conservation and Development Council,
Johnson County Soil Conservation District, Carter
County Soil Conservation District, Brushy Fork
Environmental Consulting, TDEC, Johnson City
Environmental Field Office, and local landowners.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Bill funds
also supported installation of practices from
2005 to 2011.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-14-001PP
July 2014
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306
Sam, Marshal l@tn.gov

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