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NONPOINT SOURCE SUCCESS STORY
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Conservation Programs Improve the Wewoka Creek Watershed
Waterbodies Improved High bacteria'chloride-and pH levelsresulted in imPairmert
of Wewoka Creek arid placement on Oklahoma s Clean Water
Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2002, 2004 and 2012 for these pollutants,
respectively. Pollution from grazing and crop lands contributed to these impairments. Implementing
conservation practice systems (CPs) to promote better land management decreased Escherichia
coli (E. coli), chloride, and pH levels in the watershed. As a result, Oklahoma removed the following
impairments from its CWA section 303(d) lists: phi in 2006 and chloride and E. coli in 2016. Wewoka
Creek now partially supports its primary body contact (PBC), warm water aquatic community
(WWAC), and agricultural (AG) designated beneficial uses.
Problem
The Wewoka Creek Watershed covers 225,000 acres
(ac) in central Oklahoma (Figure 1). Land use is about
61 percent hay/grazing lands, 24 percent forested,
and 3 percent cropland. There are a limited number
of large swine operations. Poor grazing lands manage-
ment contributed to water quality impairment.
In 2002, at least 16 percent of water samples exceeded
the individual sample chloride standard of 430 mil-
ligrams per liter (mg/L) and the annual mean of 385
mg/L exceeded the yearly mean standard one time.
A stream violates the chloride criteria if more than
10 percent of samples exceed the individual sample
standard or if the annual mean of samples exceeds the
yearly mean standard of 334 mg/L. In 2004, 12 percent
of samples were outside the acceptable pH range of
between 6.5 and 9.0 standard units. A stream violates
the pl-l criteria if more than 10 percent of samples fall
outside the acceptable range. In 2012, the geomean
of E. coli in samples collected during the recreation
season was 164 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters
(CFU/100 mL). The PBC designated use is considered
impaired if the recreation season geometric mean
exceeds 126 CFU/100 mL for £ coli. As a result of these
impairments, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission
(OCC) added segment OK520500020010_00 (42.99
miies long) to the CWA section 303(d) iist in 2002 (for
bacteria), in 2004 (for chloride), and in 2012 (for pH)
due to nonattainment of the AG, WWAC, and PBC
designated beneficial uses.
Figure 1. Wewoka Creek is in central Oklahoma.
Story Highlights
Landowners worked with the Hughes County,
Seminole County and Shawnee conservation districts;
the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS); and the OCC to imple-
ment CPs through the OCC's Locally Led Cost Share
Program (LLCP) and NRCS's Environmental Quality
incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives
Program (WHIP), Conservation Securities Program
(CSP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CStwP) and
general conservation technical assistance program.
From 2000 to 2018, landowners improved pasture
and hay meadows, which reduced runoff of sediment
and other pollutants. They enrolled at least 10,493 ac
in CSP and CstwP, showing commitment to enhanced
[Legend
/ewoka Streams
Wewoka Waterbodies
	Delisted Segment
J Wewoka Creek Watershec
County Boundaries

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conservation efforts related to grazing management
such as rotation of supplement and feeding areas,
intensive management of rotational grazing, and
stockpiling of forages to extend the grazing season.
Specific CPs installed included forage harvest manage-
ment (2,913 ac), forage and biomass planting (1,558
ac), grade stabilization structure (2), comprehensive
nutrient management plan (17), diversions (675 feet
[ft]), conservation crop rotation (855 ac), watering
facilities (12), water wells (11), conservation cover (95
ac), pest management (2,546 ac), heavy use area pro-
tection (1.6 ac), livestock pipeline (17,673 ft), fencing
(121,619 ft), critical area planting (105 ac), ponds (101),
prescribed grazing (28,959 ac), waste transfer facilities
(16), nutrient management (4,897 ac), brush manage-
ment (1,797 ac), and sprinkler systems (193 ac).
Wewoka Chloride
Results
The OCC documented improved water quality in the
Wewoka Creek watershed due to installation of CPs
through its statewide nonpoint source Rotating Basin
Ambient Monitoring Program (Figure 2). By 2006,
data showed only 5 percent of phi values were outside
the acceptable range of 6.5 - 9 phi units. By the 2016
assessment, chloride had decreased such that 10
percent or fewer samples exceeded the criteria, in
addition, the E. coli geometric mean had fallen to 33
CFU/100 mL by 2016, which met the criteria. Based on
these data, Oklahoma removed Wewoka Creek from
the CWA section 303(d) list for pH in 2006 and chloride
and E. coli in 2016. Wewoka Creek now partially sup-
ports its AG, WWAC, and PBC beneficial uses.
Partners and Funding
The OCC monitoring program is supported by U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) CWA section
319 funding at an average annual statewide cost of
$1 million. Approximately $500,000 in EPA 319 funds
support statewide water quality educational efforts
through Blue Thumb. Approximately $284,260 of
these federal and state matching funds have been
devoted to Wewoka Creek. From 2000 to 2018, NRCS
supplied more than $197,000 for CP implementation
in Oklahoma through EQIP. Funds for other NRCS
programs (e.g., CSP, CStwP) helped to ensure contin-
ued improvements in land management. Landowners
funded many practices based on recommendations
mean:	275 284 215 213 298 385 309 206 206
exceedance: 15.6% 14.3% 11.6% 10.2% 27.2% 53.3% 26.5% 10% 10%
1400
i : j i i
i ! I ; :
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Wewoka pH
0% 0% 0%
1
2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Wewoka Creek E. coli
maximum; 9,900 10,000 10,000
% exceedance: 25% 0% 0%
geomean: 22 29 168 163 33 32 22
900
1 800
o
o
> 700
5 600
E 500



r
1
> 400
o
8. 300





s 200
100

III


i i.

2002 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Figure 2. Chloride (top), pH (middle), and E. coli (bottom)
levels declined as CPs were installed.
through NRCS general technical assistance. Finally, the
OCC, conservation districts, and landowners funded
more than $300,000 worth of CPs, at least $153,083 of
which was funded by landowners through the LLCP.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
W .1
^ EPA 841-F-19-001BB
pRot^° October 2019
For additional information contact:
Shanon Phillips
Oklahoma Conservation Commission
405-522-4728 • shanon.phillips@conservation.ok.gov

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