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Implementing Conservation Practices Reduced Polluted Runoff and
Restored the Biological Integrity of McKinley Creek
Waterbodv Imoroved Sedirnentation and organic enrichment from agricultural,
*	silvicultural and cattle activity impacted water quality in
Mississippi's McKinley Creek. As a result, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ) placed McKinley Creek on the state's 1998 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list
for aquatic life use impairment. Implementing best management practices (BMPs) as part of the
Luxapalila/Yellow Creek Demonstration Project and Buttahatchee Watershed Restoration Project
significantly reduced sediment and nutrients entering McKinley Creek. As a result, a 13.5-mile
segment of McKinley Creek was assessed as attaining the aquatic life use in the state's 2014 CWA
section 305(b) report and was removed from the impaired waters list.
Problem
McKinley Creek is in the 36-square-mile Wilson Creek-
McKinley Creek Watershed (HUC 031601011403)
in northeastern Mississippi's Monroe County. The
watershed spans approximately 36 square miles, and
is comprised primarily of forestland and pasture-
land (Figure 1). Pollution sources in McKinley Creek
included sedimentation from silvicultural and agricul-
tural practices, organic enrichment from agricultural
processes, and livestock.
Biological community data are routinely used by
MDEQ to determine if streams are healthy enough
to support a balanced aquatic community. McKinley
Creek (Waterbody ID: MS804011) was monitored in
2001 as part of Mississippi's biological monitoring
program. Using MDEQ's index of biological integ-
rity, the Mississippi Benthic Index of Stream Quality
(M-BISQ), McKinley Creek scored 54, less than the
assessment threshold of 57 required to attain aquatic
life use support for this region. Therefore, McKinley
Creek's original 1998 listing as not attaining aquatic life
use due to pesticides, nutrients, siltation and organic
enrichment/low dissolved oxygen (based primarily on
review of anecdotal information and no monitoring
data) was updated to not attaining aquatic life use
due to biological impairment. According to a Stressor
Identification Report generated for McKinley Creek in
2006, causes of the biological impairment to the creek
were attributed to sediment.
Wilson Creek-McKinley Creek
Legend
•
BMP Location
A
Monitoring Location
O
Subwatershed
O
Basin
w—
Perennial Stream
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Farmers implemented multiple practices to reduce
polluted runoff, including adopting conservation tillage
to control soil erosion (top), implementing prescribed
grazing to achieve vegetation management goals
(middle), and conducting pasture and hayland planting
to protect soii and provide livestock forage (bottom).
(2001-2004) and the Buttahatchee Watershed
Restoration Project (2004-2007). BMP installations
within the McKinley Creek area began in 2003 and
concluded in 2006. Supported with CWA section 319
funds, the implemented BMPs included 1,688 acres of
conservation tillage, 476 acres of pasture and hayland
planting, 421 acres of prescribed grazing, and 647
acres of integrated crop management (see photos,
left). A total of 16 practices were installed covering
approximately 3,232 acres and saving an estimated
112 tons of soil per year.
Results
In 2011 MDEQ returned to the original sampling loca-
tion in McKinley Creek to collect biological community
data. The score was 67.43, above the updated assess-
ment threshold of 65.7 required to attain aquatic life
use support for this region. Using this 2011 data, a
13.5-mile segment of McKinley Creek was assessed as
attaining the aquatic life use In the 2014 CWA
section 305(b) report and was removed from the
state's impaired waters list.
Partners and Funding
The restoration of McKinley Creek was a collec-
tive effort between the Mississippi Soil and Water
Conservation Commission, MDEQ, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, NRCS and the Monroe County Soil
and Water Conservation District. The total cost of the
overall Luxapalila/Yellow Creek Demonstration Project
and Buttahatchee Watershed Restoration Project was
$766,667, of which $460,000 was CWA section 319
funding. Participating state and local stakeholders
contributed a total of $306,667 towards implementing
these two watershed projects.
>J>1 PRO^°
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©
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-17-001C
January 2017
For additional information contact:
Ajay Parshotam
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
601-961-4253 • aparshotam@mdeq.ms.gov
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