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'&?) NONPOINTSOIREE SICCESS STORY
*1 PRO^°
^^^^ennesses
A Focus on Repairing Septic Systems Helped Reduce Bacteria in the
Headwaters of Big Fiery Gizzard Creek
Waterbodies Imnrovsd ^ec'c'en Branch arid an unnamed tributary to Little Fiery Gizzard
Creek were added to Tennessee's 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA)
section 303(d) list for failing to meet Escherichia coli bacteria standards due to septic tanks and
pasture grazing. A water contact advisory had been issued for Hedden Branch in 2000. From 2013
to 2016, the Southeast Tennessee Resource Conservation and Development Council (SETN RC&D),
with support from a CWA section 319 grant, repaired or replaced multiple septic tanks and installed
agriculture best management practices to reduce the pollutant ioad entering Hedden Branch and
the unnamed tributary. Water quality improved, and the water contact advisory was lifted in 2013.
As a result, 1.55 miles of Hedden Branch and 1.54 miles of an unnamed tributary to Little Fiery
Gizzard Creek were removed from Tennessee's 2014 impaired waters list for E. coli.
Problem
Hedden Branch (TN06030001057 - 0921) and an
unnamed tributary to Little Fiery Gizzard Creek
(TN06030001057 - 0924) are within the Big Fiery
Gizzard Creek watershed (060300010104) in Grundy
and Marion counties, Tennessee (Figure 1). in 1982, 17
miies of Big Fiery Gizzard Creek were included on the
Nationwide Rivers Inventory for exceptional scenery,
recreation, geology and fish "outstandingly remarkable
values." South Cumberland State Park, located just
downstream from the segments on Little Fiery Gizzard
Creek, includes a public swimming area.
As early as 1992, Big Fiery Gizzard Creek was identified
in Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list as impacted by
pathogens from urban/stormwater and agricultural
sources. In 2000 a water contact advisory was issued
for Little Fiery Gizzard Creek and several tributaries
(including Hedden Branch) due in part to the pres-
ence of failing septic systems at local homes. In 2002
Hedden Branch and an unnamed tributary were
included on Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list for
failing to support all designated uses due to E. coli.
A total maximum daily load (TMDL) for E. coli for
the Guntersville Lake watershed (06030001), which
includes Hedden Branch and the unnamed tribu-
tary to Little Fiery Gizzard Creek, was developed by
the Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation (TDEC) and approved by the U.S.
Figure 1. Approximate locations of implemented best
management practices in Hedden Branch watershed.
Environmental Protection Agency in March 2008. A
goal of the TMDL was to have Hedden Branch and the
unnamed tributary meet the Tennessee water quality
criteria, which states that no single sample may exceed
a maximum of 941 colony-forming units per 100 mil-
liliters of water (CFU/100 mL). In 2006 E. coli levels in
Hedden Branch were as high as 2,419.2 counts/100
mL in a single sample. In August and September of
2010, samples in the unnamed tributary to Little
Fiery Gizzard Creek were also determined to exceed
Tennessee water quality standards.
Hedden Branch
GRUNDY
COUNTY
Unnamed Tributary to Little
Fiery Gizzard Creek	
MARION
COUNTY
HEDDEN BRANCH
(TN06030001067-0921)
&
JNNAMED TRIBUTARY TO LITTLE
FIERY GIZZARD CREEK
(TN06030001057-0924)
GRUNDY COUNTY. TN

LEGEND
¦ 2014 Delisted Segments
5 Big Fiery Gizzard Watershed
C "> County Boundaries
319-Funded BMPs
ARCF-Funded BMPs
TDEC Stream Assessment
- Fully Supporting
	 Not Supporting
Not Assessed
;e note: Each marker may Indicate m

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E. Coli levels in Hedden Branch
Single Sample Standard (941 cts / 100ml)
1/14/2004 10/10/2006 7/6/2009 4/1/2012 12/27/2014 9/22/2017
Date of Sample
Figure 2. A failing septic system along Hedden Branch.
Story Highlights
The segments' primary sources of E. coli Impairment
included pollution from both a point source (malfunc-
tioning wastewater treatment plant at an elementary
school) and nonpoint sources (pasture grazing and
multiple falling septic systems at homes and busi-
nesses) (Figure 2). The cities of Monteagle and Tracy
City collaborated on upgrades to the wastewater treat-
ment plant. In 2009 Monteagle received $6.2 million
through Tennessee's State Revolving Fund loan pro-
gram and the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act to help improve the area's wastewater treatment
and collection. In 2010 the sanitary sewer system was
expanded to accept new hook-ups from homes and
businesses. Existing sewer lines were upgraded to
improve the wastewater collection system.
The SETN RC&D helped repair, maintain or replace 15
septic systems at homes and businesses outside the
Monteagle/Tracy City service area, including eight
projects that occurred before the segments were
removed from the 2014 impaired waters list. In addi-
tion, the SETN RC&D has implemented two agricultural
BMPs with the assistance of CWA section 319 grant
funds. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture's
(TDA's) Agricultural Resources Conservation Fund
(ARCF) program has helped to implement six agricul-
tural BMPs in the Big Fiery Gizzard Creek watershed,
including fencing and alternative watering facilities
(see Figure 1).
Results
Sampling performed in August and September of 2010
indicated the stream met Tennessee's water qual-
ity criteria for E. coli. No single sample from Hedden
Figure 3. E. coli levels in Hedden Branch (2004 - 2017).
Branch or the unnamed tributary to Little Fiery Gizzard
Creek taken from April 2011 through June 2016 has
exceeded the state single sample criteria of 941
CFU/100 mL (Figure 3). In 2013 TDEC lifted the water
contact advisory for Little Fiery Gizzard Creek and
its tributaries in Grundy County. As a result, Hedden
Branch and the unnamed tributary of Little Fiery
Gizzard Creek were removed from Tennessee's 2014
impaired waters list for E. coli. Both segments continue
to be listed for alteration in streamside or littoral
vegetation from pasture grazing and high-density
urbanization.
Partners and Funding
The SETN RC&D was awarded a CWA section 319
grant totaling $122,814 in fiscal year 2010, with
approximately $15,788 provided as cost-share for
projects within the Big Fiery Gizzard Creek water-
shed. (Additional work performed by SETN RC&D in
and around the Guntersville Lake watershed is not
reflected on Figure 1, as the BMPs were installed in
nearby watersheds and do not directly impact the seg-
ments being discussed.) Key partners with SETN RC&D
include the University of the South; TDEC's Division
of Water Resources; TDEC's Division of Groundwater
Protection; the Grundy County Soil Conservation
District (SCD); U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural
Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS); and the
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). USDA
NRCS and the Grundy County and Marion County SCDs
partnered with TDA to install BMPs through ARCF. To
date, SETN RC&D has provided $9,220 in cost-share
for the BMPs in the watershed. Tennessee's ARCF has
also contributed approximately $12,508 in cost-share
assistance to implement agricultural BMPs.
0
PRO^°
s
©
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-18-Q01K
August 2018
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Land and Water Stewardship Section
615-837-5306 • Sam.Marshall@tn.gov

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