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Agriculture Best Management Practice Implementation Improves
Smith Creek
Waterbody rn p TON -eel Smith Creek in Warren County was originally listed as impaired for
biological integrity (specifically fish community) in 2002. With no
permitted discharges in the watershed, the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural
Resources Division of Water Resources (DWR) and the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation
District (SWCD) started a partnership to address agricultural nonpoint source pollution, which was
deemed the main culprit. DWR and Warren SWCD began to plan and implement a path to recovery.
The nonpoint source pollutants that are targeted in this effort include nitrogen, phosphorus,
sedimentation, pathogens/bacteria and low dissolved oxygen. A number of agricultural best
management practices (BMPs) were installed during the grant period that resulted in a delisting for
the biological integrity parameter in 2016.
Problem
The 34,500-acre Smith Creek watershed is in Warren
County, North Carolina (Figure 1). The Smith Creek
watershed is part of the larger Roanoke River basin.
The primary objective of this project is to develop and
implement a watershed restoration plan to address
the severe sedimentation problems of Smith Creek.
The Smith Creek Agriculture Sediment Initiative will
restore degraded waters by targeting and implement-
ing BMPs, which will directly reduce sediment delivery
to the listed impaired waters. Other benefits can be
expected as well because many of the proposed BMPs
will prevent off-site movement of pesticides, phospho-
rus, nitrogen and fecal coliform.
Improvements in streambank stability and habitat
for fish and macroinvertebrates will also be realized.
Smith Creek was listed on North Carolina's 2002, 2004
and 2006 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) lists
because of biological impairment (specifically fish com-
munity impairment). Erosion and sedimentation from
agriculture has been identified as the potential source
of impairment. The overall goal is removing Smith
Creek from North Carolina's CWA section 303(d) list.
Project Highlights
The Warren County SWCD wrote and implemented
24 BMP contracts between Juiy 2005 and September
2008. A total of 753 acres were positively affected by
lorthampton
County
Coui
Franklin County
Nash Col
Location Map
Figure 1. Smith Creek in Warren County is along the
North Carolina-Virginia state line.
project BMP implementation. A total of 24,000 feet
of livestock exclusion fencing was installed to prevent
stream access and provide a buffer between pasture-
land and Smith Creek (Figure 2). More than 18 water
troughs (alternative watering facilities) were installed

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Partners and Funding
Figure 2. Landowners installed cattle exclusion fence
to protect surface waters from nonpoint source
pollution.
to provide drinking water to cattle, which previously
received water from stream access. Stream crossings
and stock trails were also installed to allow movement
of livestock for alternate grazing purposes. The trails
allow cattle to move from one pasture to another,
which permits the regeneration of grasses and stabili-
zation of pasture.
Results
The project's overall effectiveness was evaluated by
assessing the installed BMPs and the relative outputs
according to the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation
(RUSLE), Nitrogen Loss Estimation Worksheet (NLEW),
and the Phosphorous Loss Assessment Tool (PLAT),
which showed the following load reductions in Smith
Creek: 6,207 pounds per year (Ibs/yr) nitrogen, 3,534
Ibs/yr phosphorus, and 5,820 tons/yr sediment.
As a result of pollution removal, the health of the
creek's fish populations significantly improved. In April
2004, the creek received a rating of fair. By June 2014,
the rating had improved to good-fair, which indicates
fish community beneficial use support. As a result,
DWR removed the biological integrity impairment
(for fish community) from the CWA section 303(d)
list in 2016 for the lower segment of Smith Creek,
Assessment Unit 12-10c (from State Route 1208 to
North Carolina-Virginia state line).
In addition to North Carolina Division of Soil and
Water Conservation staff, others who were vital in the
implementation phase of the project included Warren
County SWCD, NRCSSoil Survey Office, and area NRCS
staff. A total of $130,000 was requested to adequately
fund the Smith Creek Agricultural Sediment Initiative
and was awarded via the CWA Section 319 Program.
In addition, the North Carolina Agricultural Cost Share
Program provided $108,000 for Implementation and
$32,000 in technical assistance free of charge.
&
PROt*°
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-17-001EE
December 2017
For additional information contact:
Thomas Hill, NC Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services
919-707-3778 • Thomas.Hill@ncagr.gov
Heather Jennings, NC Department of Environmental Quality
919-807-6437 • Heather.b.jennings@ncdenr.gov

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