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&z) NINNINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
PRO"**-
Water Quality Restored in West Branch Sheepscot River
\A/3fprhnH\' ImnrnvpH 0nce prize<^ as a C'ass AA water and home to the endangered
native Atlantic salmon, the West Branch Sheepscot River began
showing significant declines in salmon spawning and signs of degraded stream habitat/water quality
in the 1990s. Runoff from eroding roads and stream crossings, agricultural lands and inadequate
stream buffers contributed sediment, bacteria, excess nutrients and elevated water temperatures
that ied to the river's impairments. Funding from local, state and federal partners, including Clean
Water Act (CWA) section 319 grants, supported 11 years of restoration (e.g., riparian buffers,
easements, stabilized roads/stream crossings, livestock fencing). After monitoring showed the
river supported viable populations of juvenile salmon and attained Maine's Class AA standards for
dissolved oxygen (DO), Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) removed the West
Branch Sheepscot River from the section 303(d) list of impaired waters for DO in 2010.
Problem
The West Branch Sheepscot River is a Class AA river
(Maine's highest designation) that originates at the
mouth of Branch Pond in Palermo and empties into
the mainstem Sheepscot River. The Sheepscot River,
including the West Branch, is one of eight Maine
rivers providing essential spawning grounds for the
endangered native Atlantic salmon. The West Branch's
50-square-mile watershed (Figure 1) includes for-
est (66 percent), agriculture (21 percent), wetlands
(11 percent), and residential areas/roads (2 percent).
The West Branch (segment ME0105000305_528R02)
was listed as impaired for DO/aquatic life use in '1998
and bacteria/recreational use in 2002. At the seven
stations monitored on the West Branch from 1994 to
2004, DO levels fell below the DO standard for 6 to
53 percent of the readings. For bacteria, two of the
three stations monitored in 2007-2012 consistently
exceeded the geometric mean standard.
The 2004 Integrated Report listed agricultural
nonpoint source (NPS) pollution as a potential source
associated with the impairments. Other threats
included sediment and nutrients from roads, failing
stream crossings and a lack of streamside vegetation.
Several watershed surveys were conducted from 1994
to 1998 to identify specific sources of NPS pollution
to the river. In 1994 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) identified four sites on the banks of the West
Branch that had serious erosion problems. In 1996 the
Kennebec County Soii and Water Conservation District
Figure 1. The West Branch is in southern Maine.
(SWCD) surveyed agricultural areas in the watershed
and identified more than 1,050 acres of pasture, crop-
land and hay fields without riparian buffers, in 1996-
2000, Sheepscot Valiey Conservation Alliance (SVCA),
Sheepscot River Watershed Council (SRWC), Maine
China
Windsor
Palermo
Somerville
Whitefield
West Branch
Sheepscot River Watershed

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Before
-igure 2. Marden Hill Road, before (top) and after
(bottom) completion of an erosion control project.
State Planning Office (SPO) and Maine DEP conducted
NPS surveys and identified 93 soil erosion sites.
Story Highlights
From 1996 to 2007, partners implemented projects
to restore the West Branch. Several state and federal
grants, including seven CWA section 319-funded
projects, helped fix 84 NPS pollution sites on town and
state roads, trails, and private lands. Projects included
replacing and stabilizing failing culverts (Figure 2);
installing and stabilizing road ditches; installing sedi-
ment basins; and improving and grading roads. In
addition, more than 200 volunteers planted vegetation
to establish over 2,500 feet of riparian buffer, and
another 4,000 feet of riparian buffer were protected
through conservation easements held by the SVCA.
The Kennebec County U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
staff worked with farmers to install four livestock
exclusion projects, two stream crossings, 5.25 acres
of riparian buffers, and 80 acres of integrated pest
management.
Extensive public outreach was conducted through
school visits and workshops focused on logging BMPs,
proper stream culverts installation, salmon habitat
restoration and road BMPs. Project staff provided land-
owners and towns with technical assistance and project
updates through newsletters and public meetings.
Results
Maine DEP monitoring in 2004-2006 showed read-
ings generally remained at or above the DO standard.
Continuous monitoring using datasondes (automated
instrumentation) showed that drops below the
standard were small and without a wide diurnal swing
(which would indicate algae uptake and respiration).
The improved DO findings were further supported by
the low values measured in a Maine DEP biological oxy-
gen demand study in 2004 and a U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) sediment oxygen demand
study in 2006. These data showed the river supported
viable populations of juvenile salmon and attained
Maine's Class AA standards for DO. As a result, Maine
DEP removed the West Branch Sheepscot River from
the state's list of Impaired waters for DO in 2010. The
river remains listed as impaired for bacteria.
Partners and Funding
Numerous federal, state and local partners collabo-
rated on the West Branch restoration effort. Kennebec
County SWCD and SVCA served as the local project
coordinators. Key project partners included Sheepscot
River Watershed Council, Time and Tide Resource
Conservation and Development Area, Knox-Lincoln
SWCD, Atlantic Salmon Commission, Maine DEP,
USDA NRCS, USFWS, USEPA, Maine Department of
Transportation (DOT), Maine State Planning Office, and
the towns of China, Whitefield, Windsor, and Palermo.
USEPA provided $501,313 in CWA section 319 funds
for three projects focused solely on the West Branch
and another $278,944 in CWA section 319 funds for
another four projects for the larger Sheepscot River
watershed. The Kennebec County NRCS provided
farmers with technical assistance and funding through
Farm Bill programs. The Maine State Planning Office
provided three grants for road, riparian and water-
shed assessments in the West Branch. Maine DOT
watershed towns, landowners and partners contrib-
uted $813,150 in local match towards CWA section
319 projects ($508,343 West Branch project match;
$304,807 Sheepscot project match).
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
W .1
^ EPA 841-F-18-001DD
pRot^° October 2018
For additional information contact:
Wendy Garland
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
207-615-2451 • wendy.garland@maine.gov

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