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Fecal Coliform in Big Creek
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Figure 3. Data were collected at this Big Creek
monitoring site.
Figure 2. Fecal coliform ambient monitoring cycle data
collected for Big Creek.
Project Highlights
Big Creek is one of 40 waterbodies identified in the
state's 2012 Nonpoint Source Management Plan to be
partially and/or fully restored by October 2016. Big
Creek is also a priority waterbody selected as part of
a joint effort between the state, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's National Water Quality Initiative
for financial and technical assistance and instream
monitoring to assess water quality improvements.
Since 2008, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) has assisted local landowners in
implementing dairy and cattle farm BMPs, In 2012
the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
(LDAF) partnered with NRCS to continue implement-
ing these BMPs, which included nutrient management
(3,659 acres), fencing (463 acres), field borders (89
acres), forage harvest management (617 acres), heavy
use area protection (366 acres), irrigation pipeline (144
acres), livestock pipeline (67 acres), livestock shade
structure (77 acres), pond (43 acres), prescribed graz-
ing (3,606 acres), residue and tillage management (363
acres), sprinkler system (114 acres), upland wildlife
habitat management (150 acres), waste facility closure
(77 acres), waste recycling (598 acres), water well (35
acres) and water facility (256 acres). Road signs stating,
"Big Creek Watershed: Ours to Protect," were also
placed along roadways throughout the watershed in
an effort to raise public awareness.
Results
The rapid improvement in water quality following
restoration efforts indicated that the major sources
of bacteria impairment were addressed. Monthly
bacteria data from the 2014 ambient sampling cycle
indicated that bacteria levels did not exceed PCR and
SCR (see Figure 2). As a result, LDEQ removed the fecai
coliform impairment for Big Creek from its 2016 list of
impaired waters. Big Creek has been restored for its
PCR and SCR designated uses (Figure 3).
Partners and Funding
In 2012, LDAF's Office of Soil and Water Conservation
partnered with the Tangipahoa-St. Helena Soil and
Water Conservation District and LDEQ on the Big
Creek Watershed Restoration Project in the Lake
Pontchartrain Basin. This cost-share program enabled
farmers to better understand how BMPs reduce the
amount of sediment, nutrients and fecal coliform in
local waters.
A total of $266,950 of CWA section 319 funding was
spent on BMP implementation on 3,046 acres of
land owned by 27 different farmers. Additional 319
funding included approximately $82,164 for LDAF
staff to provide technical assistance for BMP imple-
mentation, $28,630 for lab analyses, and $67,125
to support LDEQ staff time for monitoring. NRCS
spent $2,037,269 within the Big Creek watershed in
2008-2015. NRCS funding supported BMPs through
the Environmental Quality Incentives Program
($1,891,559), Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program
($135,910), and the Conservation Stewardship
Program ($9,800).
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-16-001V
October 2016
For additional information contact:
Michael Schooler
Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
318-435-6743 Ext. 122
Karen Vidrine
Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
225-219-1208 • Karen.Vidrine@la.gov
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