NPS-IS) for Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 (04100007 09 05
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Nine-Element Nonpoint Source Implementation Strategy (NPS-IS) for Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 (04100007 09 05) Prepared for: Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District Prepared by: Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. Toledo, Ohio Version 1.0: May 2020 Approved: May 19, 2020 This page intentionally left blank. Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. i Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District CEC Project 185-495 Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy Acknowledgements Version 1.0 prepared and written by: Jeff Giesige, Jeff Nordhaus, Sarah Rieman, Curtis Tobe Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District 1206 E. Second Street Ottawa, OH 45875 Deanna Bobak Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. 4841 Monroe Street, Suite 103 Toledo, OH 43623 The Putnam Soil and Water Conservation District would like to acknowledge the collaboration of multiple partners in the preparation of this Nonpoint Source Implementation Strategy (NPS-IS) for the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12. Thank you to the individuals and organizations that contributed background information, insight into objectives and projects for inclusion in this NPS-IS. Special thanks to Rick Wilson, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency – Division of Surface Water, for guidance throughout the development of this NPS-IS for the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12. Cover photo: the Auglaize River; courtesy of Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. ii Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District CEC Project 185-495 Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy Acronyms and Abbreviations The acronyms and abbreviations below are commonly used by organizations working to restore Ohio’s watersheds and are found throughout this NPS-IS document. Numbers §319 Section 319 of the Clean Water Act A ALU Aquatic Life Use B BMP Best Management Practice BOD Biological Oxygen Demand C CAFF Confined Animal Feeding Facility CREP Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program CSA Critical Sewage Area D DAP Domestic Action Plan DO Dissolved Oxygen E eDMR Electronic Discharge Monitoring Report EPT Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera and Plecoptera – sensitive macroinvertebrate species EQIP Environmental Quality Incentives Program E. coli Escherichia coli F FLS Federally Listed Species G GLC Great Lakes Commission GLRI Great Lakes Restoration Initiative GLWQA Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement H H2Ohio H2Ohio Initiative (Ohio state funding mechanism for water quality improvement) HAB Harmful Algal Bloom HELP Huron-Erie Lake Plains Ecoregion HSTS Home Sewage Treatment System HUC Hydrologic Unit Code I IBI Index of Biotic Integrity ICI Invertebrate Community Index IJC International Joint Commission Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. iii Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District CEC Project 185-495 Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy L LRAU Large River Assessment Unit LRW Limited Resource Waterway M MIwb Modified Index of Well Being MTA Metric Tons per Annum MWH Modified Warmwater Habitat N NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NPS Nonpoint Source NPS-IS Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service O O&M Operations and Maintenance ODA Ohio Department of Agriculture ODNR Ohio Department of Natural Resources OEPA Ohio Environmental Protection Agency OLEC Ohio Lake Erie Commission P PAD-US Protected Areas Database of the United States PCHD Putnam County Health Department Q QHEI Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index R RM River Mile S SRW State Resource Waterway STEPL Spreadsheet Tool for Estimating Pollutant Loads SWCD Soil and Water Conservation District T TMACOG Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load TSD Technical Support Document TSS Total Suspended Solids U USDA United States Department of Agriculture USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. iv Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District CEC Project 185-495 Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy V VNMP Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan VRT Variable Rate Technology W WAP Watershed Action Plan WLEB Western Lake Erie Basin WQS Water Quality Standards (Ohio Administrative Code 3745-1) WWH Warmwater Habitat Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. v Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District CEC Project 185-495 Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy Table of Contents Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................. i Acronyms and Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. ii Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Report Background .......................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Watershed Profile & History ............................................................................................ 3 1.3 Public Participation and Involvement .............................................................................. 5 Chapter 2: HUC-12 Watershed Characterization and Assessment Summary ........................................ 7 2.1 Summary of HUC-12 Watershed Characterization .......................................................... 7 2.2 Summary of HUC-12 Biological Trends .......................................................................... 12 2.3 Summary of HUC-12 Pollution Causes and Associated Sources .................................... 15 2.4 Additional Information for Determining Critical Areas and Developing Implementation Strategies ....................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 3: Critical Area Conditions & Restoration Strategies ............................................................ 17 3.1 Overview of Critical Areas ............................................................................................. 17 3.2 Critical Area #1: Conditions, Goals & Objectives for Nutrient Reduction in Prioritized Agricultural Lands .......................................................................................................... 18 3.3 Critical Area #2: Conditions, Goals & Objectives for Nutrient Reduction from HSTS ... 24 Chapter 4: Projects and Implementation Strategy ............................................................................ 29 4.1 Critical Area #1 Project and Implementation Strategy Overview Table ........................ 30 4.2 Critical Area #2 Project and Implementation Strategy Overview Table ........................ 40 Chapter 5: Works Cited ................................................................................................................... 41 Table of Figures Figure 1: Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 Overview ............................................................................ 1 Figure 2: Western Lake Erie Basin Watershed ......................................................................................... 3 Figure 3: Location of the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 ................................................................... 4 Figure 4: Historic Great Black Swamp ...................................................................................................... 5 Figure 5: Soils Classified by Particle Size .................................................................................................. 8 Figure 6: Wetlands within the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 ........................................................... 9 Figure 7: Land Use in the Jennings Creek-Auglaize River HUC-10 .......................................................... 11 Figure 8: Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 Critical Area Overview ...................................................... 17 Figure 9: Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 Critical Area #1 ................................................................. 18 Figure 10: Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 Critical Area #2 ................................................................. 25 Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. vi Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District CEC Project 185-495 Nonpoint Source-Implementation Strategy Table of Tables Table 1: Putnam County Health Department Home Sewage Treatment System Operation and Maintenance Program Rating System ..................................................................................... 10 Table 2: Estimated Animal Counts in the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 ....................................... 10 Table 3: Land Use Classifications in the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 ......................................... 11 Table 4: Threatened and Endangered Species in Putnam .................................................................... 12 Table 5: Biological Indices Scores for Sites in Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 ................................ 13 Table 6: Water Quality Standards for the Huron-Erie Lake Plains Ecoregion ....................................... 13 Table 7: QHEI Matrix with WWH and MWH Attribute Totals for Sites in the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize River HUC-12 .................................................................................................................................... 15 Table 8: Causes and Sources of Impairments for Sampling Locations in the Lapp Ditch-Auglaize