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Control Measures Reduced Pollutants in Powell River and Tributaries
Waterbody Improved Tw° segments (12-30 miles) of Powell River were listed in 2002
and 2004 as impaired on Virginia's Clean Water Act (CWA) Section
303(d) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Priority List and Report because they did not attain the
Commonwealth's water quality general standard for aquatic life. Two more segments (4.69 miles)
within the watershed were listed in 2006 for exceeding Virginia's bacteria water quality standards
(WQS) for designated recreation (swimming) use. A TMDL study identified primary pollutant sources
for each category. Implementing best management practices (BMPs) helped reduce bacteria
and sediment loadings and improved biological health in the Powell River. As a result, the two
benthic-impaired segments were removed from the impaired waters list in Virginia's 2018 and
2020 305(b)/303(d) Water Quality Assessment Integrated Report (Integrated Report) and the two
bacteria-impaired segments were removed in the 2014 and 2020 Integrated Reports.
Problem
The majority of the Powell River and tributaries
watershed is in Virginia's Lee and Wise counties in
the Tennessee/Big Sandy River basin (Figure 1). The
watershed land area is approximately 293,000 acres,
with forest and woodlands as primary land use (73%),
followed by pasture and hayland (18%); the remaining
area includes developed mines and water land uses.
Biological assessments were conducted for the Poweli
River and South Fork Poweii River segments at stations
6BPOW120.69 and 6BPLL002.55, respectively, under
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ)
probabilistic monitoring program. The biological Integ-
rity scores (Virginia Stream Condition Index, or VSCI)
for Poweii River and South Fork Powell River were less
than the minimum threshold score of 60 for the 2002
and 2004 assessment periods, respectively. Therefore,
both segments were placed on Virginia's 2002 and
2004 303(d) list of impaired waters.
In addition, water quality monitoring in Powell River
and Town Creek was conducted under DEQ's ambient
monitoring program. Water samples collected for the
2006 assessment period for Powell River (stations
6BWAL000.12) and Town Creek (station 6BTOW001.32)
indicated two out of eight samples (25%) and five out
of nine samples (55%), respectively, exceeded WQS for
Escherichia coli bacteria. Based on greater than 10%
exceedance criteria, these segments were placed on
Virginia's 2006 303(d) list of impaired waters.
Figure 1. Delisted segments and bacteria and benthic
monitoring stations in southwest Virginia's Powell River
watershed.
The 2011 bacteria and benthic TMDL for Powell River
and its tributaries identified primary pollutant sources
for the bacteria impairment—animal wastes, failing
septic systems, pets, and wildlife—and for the benthic
impairment—sediment transport through stream fiow
and stream bank scour. In 2018, DEQ developed an
implementation plan with input from federal and state
government agencies, the Daniel Boone Soil and Water
Conservation District (DBSWCD), the Lonesome Pine
Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD), and
watershed stakeholders.
Powell River and Tributaries Success Story
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Powell River Watershed
(Bacteria Monitoring Station: 6BWAL000.12)
1999-2004 2007-2012
Water Quality Assessment Period
Figure 2. High-tensile electric fence installed in the
South Fork Powell River watershed.
Story Highlights
Agricultural BMP projects, administered by DBSWCD,
LSWCD, and the Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS), were executed with combined efforts
of federal, state, and local agencies and stakeholders,
including Virginia Department of Conservation and
Recreation (DCR), DEQ, Virginia Cooperative Extension
(VCE), and the Farm Bureau. Outreach activities
included farm visits, county fairs, meetings, and mail-
ings to watershed stakeholders.
BMPs installed between 2002 and 2018 included
136,608 linear feet of stream exclusion fencing with
grazing land management, 172 acres of grazing land
management, 40 acres of permanent vegetative cover
on critical area, and 5 acres of riparian forest buffer
filter area planted under the NRCS's Conservation
Reserve Enhancement Program (Figure 2). In addition,
stakeholders added 400 linear feet of stream diversion,
protected 850 linear feet of crop stream, and treated
145 tons per year of animal waste in the watershed.
Results
BMP installation resulted in water quality improve-
ment, which is reflected in decreased bacteria
exceedances and increased VSCI scores. The biological
samples collected showed VSCI scores exceeding the
minimum threshold value of 60 at monitoring station
6POW120.12 for the 2018 assessment period and at
station 6BPLL001.66 for the 2020 assessment period
(both sites showed scores of 72 and 79 in spring and
Figure 3. Bacteria exceedance rate {%) and number of
samples collected in Powell River.
fail, respectively), indicating a fuliy supporting status
for both segments. Based on these improvements,
segments of Poweli River (8.47 miies) and South Fork
Poweii River (3.83 miles) were removed from DEQ's
2018 and 2020 Integrated Reports, respectively.
Also, 12 samples collected at monitoring station
6WAL000.12 for the 2014 assessment period (Figure 3)
and at station 6BTOW001.32 for the 2020 assessment
period showed bacteria exceedance of less than 10%
of the E. coli standards, indicating fully supporting bac-
teria standards for the designated recreation (swim-
ming) use. Based on these improvements, the Powell
River (2 miles) and Town Creek (2.69 miles) segments
were removed from DEQ's 2014 and 2020 Integrated
Reports, respectively.
Partners and Funding
The improvements in the Powell River watershed
are a result of combined efforts of DBSWCD, LSWCD,
and state and federal agencies, including DCR, DEQ,
NRCS, Lee County and Wise County Farm Bureau, VCE
Services, and watershed stakeholders. Total funding
from 2002 through 2018 was $2,231,582, which
includes $1,766,356 from Virginia Agricultural Cost-
share Program (VACS); $136,784 from VACS-outside
Chesapeake Bay Fund; $42,154 as state contributions
to CREP; $85,523 from Southern River supplemental
fund; and $199,200 from the Commonwealth's Water
Quality Improvement Funds. The projects were coordi-
nated by DEQ's Nonpoint Source Program staff.
PROl*°
2
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-22-001K
June 2022
For additional information contact:
Stephanie Kreps
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
276-676-4803 • Stephanie.Kreps@deq.virginia.gov
Landon Johnson
Lonesome Pine Soil and Water Conservation District
276-926-6621 • Landon.Johnson@va.nacdnet.net
Shawn Morris
Daniel Boone Soil and Water Conservation District
276-346-8195 * Shawn.Morris@va.nacdnet.net
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