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Main Creek Watershed Meets Temperature Standards as a Result of
Riparian Improvements
\ a # i i i i	I Since 2012 the Utah Division of Water Quality and various agency
Waterboay Improved	, .	,	,	r
partners and private landowners have restored more than 7.5
miles of riparian habitat along Main Creek, which was listed on the Clean Water Act (CWA) section
303(d) list of impaired waters for Escherichia coli and temperature in 2010. These restoration efforts
have not only improved habitat for wildlife and aquatic life, but have also reduced phosphorus and
E.coli concentrations. Most notably, this restoration work has helped significantly reduce water
temperature. As a result of this reduction in temperature, Main Creek was removed from the CWA
section 303(d) list of impaired waterbodies for temperature in 2014. However, it remains listed as
impaired for E. coli.
Problem
Main Creek, located within the 45,000-acre Wallsburg
Watershed, is one of several tributaries to Deer Creek
Reservoir in northern Utah (Figure 1). This reservoir
is an important drinking water source to Salt Lake
City and the Wasatch Front. Deer Creek Reservoir
has experienced low levels of dissolved oxygen due
to elevated water temperatures and excess algae
growth fueled by nutrient loading. Main Creek also
has elevated levels of phosphorus and E. coli as well
as elevated water temperature. Main Creek (segment
UT16020203-009_00) was placed on the CWA section
303(d) list of impaired waters for E. coli and tempera-
ture in 2010. A management plan was developed
for the Wallsburg Watershed in 2007 that identified
overgrazing as one of the main sources of pollution in
the watershed.
Story Highlights
In March 2007, the Wasatch Conservation District met
with local stakeholders to address resource concerns
in the Wallsburg Watershed. Using the Coordinated
Resource Management (CRM) planning process,
stakeholders, landowners, and agency personnel
evaluated local resources and the potential for actions
to protect and restore the watershed. Participants
listed water conservation and water quality as the top
two resource concerns. Streambank restoration was
identified in the Walisburg CRM Pian as an effective
Figure 1. Main Creek is within the Wallsburg Watershed in
northern Utah's Wasatch County.
Main Creek Watershed General Location
Wasatch County, Utah

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Figure 2. Main Creek in 2013, before restoration.
way to lower water temperature and reduce E. coli
and total phosphorus loading to Main Creek and Deer
Creek Reservoir. Streambanks are characterized as
highly erodible due to lack of riparian vegetation and
access by livestock. The lack of native woody vegeta-
tion along the creek also allowed for higher in-stream
temperature due to a lack of shading.
Restoration projects began on Main Creek in
September 2012. Currently more than 7.5 miles of
stream have been treated with a range of practices
including streambank protection (39,600 feet), riparian
buffer restoration (24.4 acres), livestock stream cross-
ings (1,920 square feet) and two alternative watering
facilities (Figures 2 and 3). Nearly 50,000 feet of fence
has been installed to better control grazing within the
watershed.
Results
As a result of the project implementation, notable
improvements have been observed within the Main
Creek watershed. These improvements include
significant loading reductions of E. coli and nutri ¦
ents. The amount of fine sediment in the creek has
decreased and the vegetative cover has increased.
The channel width has narrowed and pool depth has
increased, leading to decreased water temperatures
and a vast improvement in the biological composition
in the restored sections. Data show that Main Creek
met water quality standards (WQS) for temperature
beginning in 2014 (Table 1), prompting Utah to remove
it from the 2014 CWA section 303(d) list of impaired
Figure 3. Main Creek in 2017, after restoration.
Table 1, Main Creek temperature exceedances1
Segment
Impaired?
IR Year
# of Samples
Collected
# of Samples
Exceeding
WQS
%
Exceedance
Yes
2010
44
8
18%
Yes
2012
46
7
15%
No
2014
47
2
4%
No
2016
48
2
4%
No
2018
38
3
8%
1The waterbody is considered impaired if samples exceed standards
ot least 10% of the time.
waterbodies. Although E. coli loading into Main Creek
has been reduced by 54 percent since project imple-
mentation began, Main Creek does not yet consis-
tently meet standards; therefore, Main Creek remains
listed as impaired for E. coli.
Partners and Funding
Agencies spent more than $2.5 million to imple-
ment projects throughout the watershed, including
$293,019 in CWA section 319 funding and another
$395,710 in Utah State Nonpoint Source Grants.
Other significant funding was provided by the Natural
Resource Conservation Service ($1.05 million), Utah
Department of Agriculture and Food ($350,939),
Utah Department of Natural Resources ($277,443),
Provo River Watershed Council ($60,000), U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service ($21,469), and landowner in-kind
match ($186,452).
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-19-001EE
November 2019
For additional information contact:
James Bowcutt
Utah Division of Water Quality
801-536-4336 • jdbowcutt@utah.gov

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