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Stratford H. Kay, Ph.D. Environmental Senior Specialist Watershed Assessment Team

Existing Water Quality in the Indian/Howard’s Creek LWP Area and the Development of the Watershed Monitoring Plan. Stratford H. Kay, Ph.D. Environmental Senior Specialist Watershed Assessment Team NC Division of Water Quality, Raleigh,NC. Permits Impaired stream segment

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Stratford H. Kay, Ph.D. Environmental Senior Specialist Watershed Assessment Team

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  1. Existing Water Quality in the Indian/Howard’s Creek LWP Areaand theDevelopment of the Watershed Monitoring Plan Stratford H. Kay, Ph.D. Environmental Senior Specialist Watershed Assessment Team NC Division of Water Quality, Raleigh,NC

  2. Permits • Impaired stream segment • Biological monitoring stations • Ambient monitoring stations 303 (d)

  3. Existing Water Quality Data • Laboratory Water Analyses: turbidity, residues, metals, nutrients, etc. • Biological Monitoring: benthos and fish • Field Measurements: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, pH • Habitat Assessments: habitat quality of the stream channel and riparian zone conditions • Flow Data: USGS gage on Indian Creek

  4. Existing Water Quality Data Highlights • Very little data for entire LWP area • No clearly definable water quality issues in Indian Creek • Occasional elevated nutrients and fecal coliforms • Pollutant sources not clearly defined • Two WWTPs, cattle operations and livestock access to streams, the Lincoln County landfill, sewage sludge land application site, agriculture, and stormwater runoff possible pollutant sources • Source(s) and specific cause(s) of biological impairment in Indian Creek unknown and need to be determined

  5. Watershed Monitoring Plan Development • Preliminary Site Selection and Reconnaissance (completed in April 2008) • Become familiar with watershed • Find potential monitoring sites • Reconnaissance Monitoring (in progress) • Locate potential problem areas • Determine which areas need more detailed examination and which may be dropped • Refinement of Monitoring Plan • Reduce monitoring costs to a reasonable level • Focus future monitoring on issues that have emerged

  6. Preliminary Site Selection and Reconnaissance • Visual evaluation of potential monitoring sites • Accessibility • Surrounding land uses • Possible pollutant sources • Suitability for benthos assessments • Field measurements at potential monitoring sites • Water temperature • Dissolved oxygen • Specific conductance • pH • Water samples at limited number of sites • Chemistry (primarily nutrients and metals) • Fecal coliforms

  7. Reconnaissance Monitoring • Water sampling at 18 locations across LWP • Two months maximum • Chemistry, fecal coliforms, turbidity, residues • Named streams and major unnamed tributaries • Habitat assessments conducted once at all water sampling locations • Field measurements taken on each date at all 18 water sampling locations • Benthos at selected sites throughout watershed • Selected from the 18 water sampling sites • Determination of appropriate reference stream for the LWP

  8. Reconnaissance Monitoring Results (as of 17 June 2008) • Water samples collected from 10 sites • Nutrients and fecal coliforms at many sites • Low pH problem in Mill Creek • High sulfate concentrations, source uncertain • No apparently suitable reference stream in LWP area • Leepers Creek most likely reference area • Preliminary benthos collections at 6 sites • Insects small, suggesting late recovery from drought of winter 2007-2008 • Poor benthos habitat at all sites • Extreme drought across western NC • Includes entire Indian/Howard’s Creek LWP area • May impact water sampling and biological assessments

  9. Drought Conditions in NC10 June 2008(data from NC Drought Management Advisory Council http://www.ncdrought.org/)

  10. Stream Flow at USGS Gage on Indian Creek Near Laboratory

  11. Refinement of Monitoring Plan • Reduce monitoring costs to a reasonable level • Personnel time • Travel costs • Analytical costs • Redirect monitoring to address specific issues • Determine cause(s) of biological impairment of lower section of Indian Cr. • Determine sources of pollutants throughout LWP area • Identify sites for preservation, enhancement, and/or restoration

  12. WAT Contacts Raleigh Steve Kroeger: (919) 733-9726, steve.kroeger@ncmail.net Stratford Kay: (919) 733-9716, stratford.kay@ncmail.net Susan Gale: (919) 715-3477, susan.gale@ncmail.net Larry Eaton: (919) 715-3471, larry.eaton@ncmail.net Winston-Salem Tom Yocum: (336) 771-4953, tom.yocum@ncmail.net Dave Wanucha: (336) 771-4951, dave.wanucha@ncmail.net Asheville Cathy Tyndall: (828) 296-4655, cathy.tyndall@ncmail.net

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