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Improvements to Agricultural Management Help in the Recovery of
East Rock Creek (Marshall County)
\A/3tprhnr|y ImnrnvpH East Roc'< Cree'<' l°catec' in Marshall County, was added to
Tennessee's 2002 Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list for
impairments from siltation and habitat alterations from pasture grazing. By 2012, the causes of
pollution had been expanded to include nitrate and Escherichia coli (E. coli). The Nature Conservancy
(TNC), with support from two Clean Water Act (CWA) section 319 grants, helped producers install
agricultural best management practices (BMPs). Tennessee's Agricultural Resources Conservation
Fund (ARCF) also supported implementation of BMPs along East Rock Creek and its tributaries.
In 2018, 14.17 miles of East Rock Creek had been improved significantly, and the segment was no
longer listed as impaired by nitrate, siltation, or habitat alterations on the State of Tennessee's List
of Impaired Waters.
Problem
East Rock Creek (TN06040002012 - 0100) is within the
Rock Creek watershed (060400020501), in Marshall
County, Tennessee (Figure 1). The designated uses for
East Rock Creek are fish and aquatic life, recreation,
livestock watering and wildlife, and irrigation. This
portion of Marshall County is predominately rural, and
the primary land use in the Rock Creek watershed is
pasture grazing and hay production, with some row
crop farming and forested areas.
In Tennessee's 1992 CWA section 303(d) list of
impaired waters, Big Rock Creek (including East
Rock Creek) was identified as impacted by ammonia,
nutrients, and organic enrichment/dissolved oxygen.
In 2002, East Rock Creek was listed individually on
Tennessee's CWA section 303(d) list for siitation and
other habitat alterations from pasture grazing. In 2006,
nutrients (nitrates) were added as a cause of pollution;
in 2008, E. coli was identified as an impairment.
In 2011, the Tennessee Department of Environment
and Conservation (TDEC) conducted a Tennessee
Macroinvertebrate Index (TMI) to measure biological
function, which yielded a score of 24. (To meet biocri-
teria guidelines, a score of 32 or higher is required.)
<* *> Rock Creek Watershed
Figure 1. East Rock Creek is in central Tennessee.
A total maximum daily load (TMDL) for low dissolved
oxygen and nutrients for the Upper Duck River water-
shed (06030001), which includes East Rock Creek,
was developed by TDEC and approved by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 2005. No
target load reductions for East Rock Creek were iden-
tified. ATMDL for the Upper Duck River watershed for
siltation and habitat alteration was also developed by
TDEC and approved by USEPA in 2006. The TMDL recom-
mended a decrease of 39.6 percent of the siltation load.

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Story Highlights
In fiscal year (FY) 2001, TNC was awarded a CWA section
319 grant to develop a watershed management plan for
Big Rock Creek (to which East Rock Creek flows). In FY
2006, TNC received a second CWA section 319 grant to
implement the watershed management plan and assist
with the installation of agricultural BMPs within the
watershed. A total of 31 agricultural BMPs were installed
in the Rock Creek watershed, including fencing, livestock
pipelines, heavy use areas, watering facilities and riparian
forest buffers (Table 1).
Table 1. BMPs installed in the Rock Creek watershed.
Practice name
Units installed
Total units
installed
CWA 319
funds
ARCF funds
Cover crop
-
66 (2,547 ac)
66 (2,547 ac)
Fence
2 (5,100 ft)
2 (10,902 ft)
4 (16,002 ft)
Riparian forest
buffer
1 (600 ft)
-
1 (600 ft)
Forage and bio-
mass planting
-
8 (252 ac)
8 (252 ac)
Cropland
conversion
-
10 (452 ac)
10 (452 ac)
Pipeline
7 (5,995 ft)
2 (4,520 ft)
9 (10,515 ft)
Heavy use area
9
6
15
Watering facility
12
7
19
Notes: ft = linear feet; ac = acres
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture's (TDA) ARCF
program has assisted with the implementation of 101
agricultural BMPs along East Rock Creek and its tributar-
ies within the Rock Creek watershed, including fencing,
heavy use areas, cover crops, and forage and biomass
plantings (Figure 2).
Results
The biological function of East Rock Creek was reevalu-
ated by TDEC in 2015. Macroinvertebrate sampling of
East Rock Creek provided an improved TMI of 34 (passing
score is 32), with an increase in intolerant species (indicat-
ing improved water quality). As a result of the 2015 TMI,
East Rock Creek was removed from the Tennessee's
2018 list of impaired waters for nitrate, siItation, and
habitat alterations. (Tennessee has narrative nutrient and
Before
Figure 2. Cross fencing installed near East Rock Creek in
Marshall County.
siltation criteria; since nitrates and siltation are no longer
causing measurable harm, TDEC delisted East Rock Creek
for these parameters based on the improved habitat
scores.) As of 2018, East Rock Creek remains impaired by
E. coli from pasture grazing.
Partners and Funding
The TNC was awarded a CWA section 319 grant in 2001
totaling $986,238 to support restoration efforts along
Big Rock Creek and its tributaries (including East Rock
Creek). During the FY 2001 grant period, a watershed
management plan was developed for Big Rock Creek. In
2006, a second CWA section 319 grant (for $492,987) was
awarded to TNC for implementing BMPs along Big Rock
Creek and its tributaries. Within the Rock Creek water-
shed specifically, in which East Rock Creek is located, a
total of $32,501 was invested in agricultural BMPs. Key
partners with TNC included the Center for Watershed
Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Austin
Peay University Marshall County School District and the
City of Lewisburg.
In addition to the CWA section 319 grant funding,
Tennessee's ARCF program has contributed $118,355 for
installing agricultural BMPs in the Rock Creek watershed.
Partners with TDA for installation of BMPs through ARCF
include USDA NRCS and the Marshall and Bedford county
soil conservation districts.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-19-001JJ
November 2019
For additional information contact:
Sam Marshall
Tennessee Department of Agriculture
615-837-5306 • Sam.Marshall@tn.gov

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