Upper Swatara Creek Watershed Implementation Plan Update
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Upper Swatara Creek Watershed Implementation Plan Update Plan Sponsor: Schuylkill Conservation District Report Prepared by: January 2021 Contents Figures ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Tables .......................................................................................................................................................... iv Acronyms and Abbreviations .................................................................................................................... v Units of Measure ......................................................................................................................................... v 1. Introduction and Project Background ......................................................................................... 1 2. Watershed Description.................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Land use ....................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Soils .............................................................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Topography and Drainage ............................................................................................................ 7 2.4 Population and Jurisdiction .......................................................................................................... 9 3. Water Quality .................................................................................................................................. 9 3.1 Water Quality Standards and Assessment Status ........................................................................ 9 3.2 Total Maximum Daily Loads ....................................................................................................... 13 3.2.1 Upper Swatara Creek Watershed TMDL for AMD Affected Segments (DEP 1999) .......... 13 3.2.2 Lower Little Swatara Creek Subwatershed TMDL (DEP 2011) ......................................... 15 3.3 Water Quality Data..................................................................................................................... 16 3.3.1 Department of Environmental Protection ....................................................................... 16 3.3.2 Schuylkill Conservation District ........................................................................................ 18 3.3.3 U.S. Geological Survey ...................................................................................................... 21 3.3.4 Susquehanna River Basin Commission ............................................................................. 22 3.3.5 Trout Unlimited ................................................................................................................ 22 4. Pollutant Sources and Critical Areas ........................................................................................ 23 4.1 Sources of Metals and Changes in pH due to AMD in Abandoned Mine Lands ........................ 24 4.2 Sources of Sediment ................................................................................................................... 25 4.3 Sources of Phosphorus ............................................................................................................... 27 4.4 Source Assessment by TMDL Watershed ................................................................................... 30 4.4.1 Lorberry Creek Watershed ............................................................................................... 30 4.4.2 Lower Rausch Creek ......................................................................................................... 30 4.4.3 Good Spring Creek Watershed ......................................................................................... 30 4.4.4 Coal Run Watershed ......................................................................................................... 31 4.4.5 Middle Creek (Mainstem) ................................................................................................. 31 4.4.6 Swatara Creek (Mainstem) ............................................................................................... 31 4.4.7 Lower Little Swatara Creek Impairments ......................................................................... 31 4.5 Critical Areas for the Upper Swatara Creek WIP Update ........................................................... 31 5. Previous Water Quality Improvement Practices ...................................................................... 33 6. Management Measures to Meet TMDL Load Reductions ........................................................ 34 6.1 General Remediation Strategies for AMD .................................................................................. 35 6.1.1 Elimination of the Sources of Discharge ........................................................................... 35 6.1.2 Passive Treatment of Collected Flows .............................................................................. 35 6.1.3 Active Treatment of Collected Flows ............................................................................... 39 i 6.1.4 Land Reclamation ............................................................................................................. 39 6.2 Recommended Management Measures .................................................................................... 40 6.2.1 Headwaters Upper Swatara Critical Area ......................................................................... 41 6.2.2 Upper Middle Creek Critical Area ..................................................................................... 42 6.2.3 Lower Little Swatara ......................................................................................................... 45 6.2.4 Tier-2 Critical Areas .......................................................................................................... 46 7. Funding and Technical Resources ............................................................................................ 49 7.1 Partners ...................................................................................................................................... 49 7.2 Estimated Costs .......................................................................................................................... 50 7.2.1 Headwaters Swatara Creek Tier-1 Critical Area ............................................................... 50 7.2.2 Upper Middle Creek Tier-1 Critical Area .......................................................................... 51 7.2.3 Lower Little Swatara Creek Tier-1 Critical Area ................................................................ 52 7.3 Funding ....................................................................................................................................... 53 8. Education and Outreach ............................................................................................................. 58 8.1 Existing Education and Outreach ............................................................................................... 58 8.2 Additional Education and Outreach Needs ................................................................................ 58 9. Schedule and Milestones ............................................................................................................ 59 10. Evaluating Progress and Adaptive Management ..................................................................... 62 11. Monitoring Plan ............................................................................................................................ 65 12. References ................................................................................................................................... 70 Appendices................................................................................................................................................ 72 Appendix A. ATTAINS Impairment Listings ........................................................................................... 73 Appendix B. Schuylkill County Water Quality and Flow Data.............................................................. 80 Swatara Creek ...................................................................................................................................... 80 Middle Creek ........................................................................................................................................ 84 Upper Middle Creek Discharges ........................................................................................................... 89 Good Spring Creek ............................................................................................................................... 94 Appendix C. Trout Unlimited Biological Assessment of the Upper Swatara Creek .......................... 99 Appendix D. Model My Watershed Results .......................................................................................... 127 Appendix E. AMD Treat Results ............................................................................................................ 140 Appendix F. Good Spring Creek Watershed Restoration Plan .........................................................