National Association of Conservation Districts

National Association of Conservation Districts

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TMDL Case Study: Virginia

Cedar, Hall, Byers and Hutton Creek Watersheds
Washington County, Virginia

The Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District (HRSWCD) in Washington County, Virginia, played a key role in a well organized TMDL planning effort to reduce fecal coliform levels in four creeks that drain to the Middle Fork of the Holston River. The planning process was an excellent example of partnership and locally led conservation. In the beginning of the implementation phase, the District is challenged to meet goals with limited funding.

Background

Fecal coliform levels within the watersheds of four small creeks, Cedar Creek, Hall Creek that flows into Byers Creek and Hutton Creek, were consistently high enough to warrant the area being placed on Virginia’s 303(d) list of impaired waters. These watersheds flow into the Middle Fork of the Holston River in an area about 10 miles east of the town of Abingdon in the western tip of Virginia, near the Tennessee border.

In November1999, the Virginia Departments of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Conservation and Recreation (DCR) began a total maximum daily load (TMDL) analysis and implementation plan that would maintain fecal coliform levels at or below state water quality standards. DCR hired MapTech, Inc. to develop the TMDL plan. MapTech specializes in hydrologic/water quality models and Geographic Information System (GIS) programs to help solve nonpoint source pollution problems.

Key partners in the planning process included: Washington County government; Virginia Departments of Conservation and Recreation, Environmental Quality, Health, and Agriculture and Consumer Affairs; Cooperative Extension; USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); Washington County Farm Bureau; the District; and, local citizens.

Fecal Coliform

Total coliform bacteria are a collection of relatively harmless microorganisms that live in large numbers in the intestines of man and warm- and cold-blooded animals. They aid in the digestion of food. A specific subgroup of this collection is the fecal coliform bacteria, the most common member being Escherichia coli (E. coli). These organisms may be separated from the total coliform group by their ability to grow at elevated temperatures and are associated only with the fecal material of warm-blooded animals.

The presence of fecal coliform bacteria in aquatic environments indicates that the water has been contaminated with the fecal material of man, domesticated animals or wildlife. Pathogens or disease-producing bacteria or viruses that can also exist in fecal material may have contaminated the source water. Some waterborne pathogenic diseases include typhoid fever, viral and bacterial gastroenteritis and hepatitis A.

The presence of fecal contamination is an indicator that a potential health risk exists for individuals exposed to this water. Fecal coliform bacteria may occur in ambient water as a result of the overflow of domestic sewage or nonpoint sources of human and animal waste. Throughout the U.S., the Center for Disease Control estimates at least 73,000 cases of illnesses and 61 deaths per year are caused by E. coli.

Land Use

The Cedar, Hall/Byers and Hutton watersheds (the TMDL watersheds) are predominantly agricultural but also include urban/residential uses as follows:

Located in the Southwest Virginia Mountains, Washington County agriculture is devoted primarily to beef, burley tobacco and dairy, but also supports nurseries, apples and swine, sheep and poultry operations. Pasture, corn and hay crops support 63,000 cattle and calves, 20,700 beef cows, 4,800 milk cows and 1,500 sheep and lambs.

The large population of livestock is a major source of fecal coliform from agricultural sources. Fecal coliform from wildlife can also be a significant factor.

Fecal coliform is also coming from human sources, mostly either from failing home septic systems or straight pipes from homes to nearby streams.

TMDL Implementation Plan

The environmental consulting firm, CH2M Hill completed a fecal coliform TMDL development study in April 2000. A summary of the study recommended actions within the Cedar, Hall/Byers, and Hutton Creeks watersheds that were needed to meet the total maximum daily load:

Water Quality Monitoring Program

Monitoring sites were established at 11 locations throughout the TMDL watersheds representing areas of comparable size, equal distribution and to isolate influences from human, wildlife and livestock. Three of the sites correspond to DEQ sites that will be monitored during the implementation phase at the outlets of each of the creek watersheds.

All water samples were analyzed for fecal coliform and fecal streptococcus. Bacterial Source Tracking, also known as fecal sourcing or fecal typing, is new methodology that is also being used to actually determine the sources of fecal bacteria (e.g. from human, livestock, or wildlife origins).

At 8 of the 11 sampling stations, the contribution of fecal coliform from livestock was significant enough to exceed the water quality standard, found mostly in the Cedar and Hutton Creeks watersheds. At 5 of the sites, human contributions were high enough to exceed the standard in Hall/Byers and Hutton Creek watersheds. At 4 of the sites, wildlife contributions alone exceeded the standard.

Public Participation

Every stakeholder in the watersheds was encouraged to participate in the planning and implementation process from the beginning. Public participation was provided on three levels:

Through these various groups, major emphasis was placed on best management practices (BMPs) specifications, location of control measures, education, technical assistance and funding.

A BMP Advisory Committee was formed by DCR to address potential variances to the state agricultural cost-share program as suggested by the Ag Focus Group and the Steering Committee. Some of the issues that concerned these groups was: the number of contractors available to install BMPs was very limited; that some landowners may be overwhelmed with installing a complete conservation system in a short period of time; that cost-sharing should be provided for alternative water sources; and, that greater incentives may be necessary in order to achieve the project’s goal of 100% participation.

Regarding urban and residential problems, the Residential Focus Group and the Steering Committee determined that stream walks would be necessary in order to identify straight pipes and failing septic systems and that a pump-out and inspection program would help identify failed septic systems.

All the groups agreed that education was the key to getting people involved in implementation. A general public information campaign includes workshops, demonstrations, and printing articles on TMDLs and fecal coliform that will be featured throughout the implementation phase in Farm Bureau newsletters, USDA-Farm Services Agency newsletters, flyers mailed with water bills, and targeted mailings.

For the agricultural community, the groups recommended field days, pasture walks and presentations. Small community meetings and demonstration pump-outs were recommended for educating homeowners about septic system maintenance after it was recognized that many homeowners are unaware of the need for regular septic system maintenance.

Control Measures Needed

The majority of agricultural BMPs will be used to exclude livestock from streams: a minimum 25 foot riparian buffer protected by about 86 miles of streamside fencing and 58 hardened cattle crossing areas. The estimated technical assistance needed to help plan and install these practices is 15.5 man-years over 5 years. A focus on improved pasture management on upland areas will also improve water quality.

In the urban and residential areas, it was estimated that about 4% of septic systems fail each year. To analyze the extent of the situation, MapTech used a GIS map layer of building locations to exclude houses served by the local waste treatment plant and to focus on houses not served by the waste treatment plant but close enough to streams or sinkholes to impact water quality. Applying the 4% annual failure rate indicated that 42 homes a year would need systems repaired or replaced, also requiring 0.5 man-years of residential technical assistance and educational outreach.

The Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District will conduct both the agricultural and residential programs during the implementation phase.

Funding Needs

Adding up livestock exclusion BMPs, residential BMPs and technical assistance, $4.98 million was estimated to implement the TMDL plan at nearly $1 million per year. Potential funding sources include Section 319 funding, the USDA Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), USDA Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP), USDA Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, the Virginia Agricultural BMP Cost-Share, Tax Credit and Loan Programs and the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project.

Conservation District Role

The TMDL planning process was completed in July 2001 and the implementation phase began. The District, with primary responsibility for both agricultural and residential implementation, has a full time staff of four people with two NRCS employees to work in Washington County.

The plan called for 3.5 man-years of technical assistance per year for agricultural and residential work. With Section 319 funding, a new position was filled in December to work in the residential areas of the TMDL watersheds to identify and correct failing septic systems and straight pipes. One of the two district employees who worked in the agriculture program countywide now focuses all his activity in the TMDL watersheds. With part-time assistance from the rest of the agricultural staff, the District can provide the planned staff resources.

From the beginning, funding is proving to be the limiting factor that may not allow implementation goals to be met according to the plan. One factor lies with the state agriculture cost share program, which has experienced severe budget cutbacks; consequently, the amount available in the watersheds is approximately one tenth what is ordinarily available.

The CREP program, which started in October 2000, has been an asset so far. The District assisted in getting 370 landowners to sign up the first year countywide of which 180 now have approved contracts, but only three were in the TMDL watershed. The District recently received an award from DCR for leading the state in CREP sign-ups.

Since 1997, approximately $500,000 of EQIP funds have been spend in the Washington County priority area, one third of which is within the TMDL watersheds. It is estimated that nearly $1 million has been spent implementing practices in the watersheds prior to the TMDL process. Of course, the TMDL monitoring results reflected the impact of the historic implementation and indicated that far more needs to be done to achieve the TMDL goals.

Goals

One question that remains to be answered is if there are adequate incentives available to landowners in the watersheds to achieve the ultimate TMDL goal of 100% participation. This was the subject of several discussions by the Agricultural Focus Group and the Steering Committee. Some felt that additional incentives would be needed to convince all the landowners that needed livestock exclusion systems and others felt that it would be inappropriate to "reward" those who offered the most resistance to helping solve a community problem.

Neighboring Maryland was forced to deal with a similar problem. The first state in the country to establish a CREP program, Maryland’s primary target was riparian buffers along major tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay. CREP payments per acre constituted the highest incentives ever offered in a voluntary conservation program. Yet, after the initial spike in sign-ups, progress languished until both USDA and Maryland offered additional incentives. As a result, the pace of sign-ups picked up significantly and propelled the program towards its goals.

"The Holston River Soil and Water Conservation District will make the best use of existing staff resources and financial incentives to meet the challenge of reducing fecal coliform levels in the target area, said Don Quesenberry, District Chairman. "Ultimately, we intend to remove the watersheds from the 303(d) list. We’re confident that we can make a difference."

Contact Person:

Wayne Turley, 540-628-8187, wayne-turley@va.nacdnet.org .