Watershed Strategy and Action Plan
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Upper Cullasaja River Watershed Strategy and Action Plan Upper Cullasaja Watershed Association Final 2004 FINAL Table of Contents Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................i List of Tables .........................................................................................................................ii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ii Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................iii 1.0 Introduction to the Upper Cullasaja River Watershed ...............................................1 2.0 Watershed Characterization .......................................................................................2 2.1 Hydrology ......................................................................................................2 2.2 Geography ......................................................................................................2 2.3 Meteorology/Weather ....................................................................................4 2.4 Soils................................................................................................................4 2.5 Land Use ........................................................................................................4 2.6 Population ......................................................................................................6 2.7 Water Supply .................................................................................................6 2.8 Watershed and Stream Background ...............................................................7 2.8.1 Upper Cullasaja River ........................................................................9 2.8.2 Mill Creek ..........................................................................................9 2.8.3 Monger Creek ....................................................................................9 2.8.4 Big Creek ...........................................................................................9 2.9 Fisheries .........................................................................................................10 3.0 Watershed Strategy ...................................................................................................10 3.1 Overview ........................................................................................................10 3.2 The Water Quality Goal .................................................................................11 3.3 The Strategic Plan ..........................................................................................12 4.0 Strategy Implementation ............................................................................................13 4.1 Watershed-Wide Initiatives ...........................................................................14 4.1.1 Erosion and Sedimentation Control ...................................................14 4.1.2 Stormwater .........................................................................................17 4.1.3 Stream Habitat ...................................................................................17 4.1.4 Biological and Chemical Monitoring.................................................18 4.1.5 Nutrients Management Plan ...............................................................21 4.1.6 Local Regulations ..............................................................................21 Table of Contents i FINAL 4.1.7 Public Education Initiatives ...............................................................22 4.1.8 Preservation........................................................................................23 4.2 Sub-Watershed Recommendations ................................................................24 4.2.1 Cullasaja River ...................................................................................24 4.2.2 Mill Creek ..........................................................................................27 4.2.3 Monger Creek ....................................................................................30 4.2.4 Big Creek ...........................................................................................31 5.0 Future Goals and Milestones .....................................................................................32 Appendix A ………............................................................................................................…. Appendix B ………............................................................................................................…. Appendix C ………............................................................................................................…. List of Tables Table 1. Summary of area, total stream miles and slope by subwatershed ..........................8 List of Figures Figure 1. Upper Cullasaja River Watershed Basin ...............................................................1 Figure 2. Number of Building Permits For New Construction Issued by the Town of Highlands, 1985-2002 with 2003 Estimated ................................5 Figure 3. Upper Cullasaja River Sub-Watersheds ................................................................8 Figure 4. Sediment plume in Mirror Lake, June 2003 ..........................................................14 Table of Contents ii FINAL Executive Summary As part of a Regional Geographic Initiative grant from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Upper Cullasaja Watershed Association (UCWA) of Highlands, NC, has been contacting citizens, businesses, and organizations to determine the stakeholder concerns and issues in the watershed and to define possible solutions. The result is this watershed strategy and action plan. The upper Cullasaja River watershed is a headwaters watershed in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. The watershed is part of the Little Tennessee River Basin and is located in Macon County. The 14.4 square mile watershed crowns a high elevation area defined by the Tennessee Valley Divide on three sides. This area is identified as the ―Highlands Plateau‖, an area with unique climate, ecosystems, geology, and geography that sets it apart from other areas in the Southern Appalachians. The watershed has highly erodable soils, and sand is a dominant substrate in many streams on the plateau. The steep slopes common throughout the watershed exacerbate the erosive characteristics of the local soils. The watershed is approximately 50% forested or undeveloped and 50% residential, commercial or industrial. Much of the land adjacent to the Cullasaja River and it tributaries has been cleared of riparian vegetation by development in the watershed. The watershed continues to experience rapid growth and development due to increasing popularity as a retirement and vacation community. Only 13% of the watershed is in the National Forest. The majority of the acreage in the watershed is privately owned, and 40% of the watershed is located within the town limits of Highlands, NC. The watershed begins at the headwaters of four main streams – the Cullasaja River, Mill Creek, Big Creek and Monger Creek - and ends at the dam on Lake Sequoyah. The Cullasaja River and Mill Creek are included on the North Carolina 303(d) List of impaired streams. Although small in total acreage, the watershed has different issues on several of the stream basins, making it difficult to generalize the watershed conditions and solutions to problems. To deal with this factor, the Upper Cullasaja River Watershed Strategy and Action Plan divides the watershed into four subbasins based on the four main tributaries and their drainage areas. Subbasin Name Drainage Area Stream Miles Upper Cullasaja River 5.4 sq. miles 10.3 Mill Creek 1.7 sq. miles 3.0 Monger Creek 2.0 sq. miles 3.7 Big Creek 5.3 sq. miles 10.0 Total 14.4 sq. miles 27.0 Although all of the streams in the upper Cullasaja River watershed are classified as ―Trout Waters‖ by the state, there are few supporting populations of native trout in the watershed today. Executive Summary iii FINAL The Town of Highlands uses Big Creek as a drinking water source. The remainder of the watershed is served by groundwater sources supporting private and community well systems. A recent water quality assessment by the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Division of Water Quality (DWQ) focused on benthic studies and the biological health of macroinvertebrate populations in the two impaired streams, Cullasaja River and Mill Creek. While this study and its recommendations are viewed as important inputs to the stakeholders, it is clear that other issues of vital importance to the stakeholders were not completely addressed by this report. Examples of other stakeholder issues include preventative sediment trapping and remediation of watershed lakes damaged by legacy sediments accumulation. A comprehensive watershed strategy for the upper Cullasaja River watershed takes into account the unique environment and topography of this mountain headwaters watershed which makes it both an attractive location for retirees and seasonal residents and a place worth our efforts to preserve for future generations. This watershed strategy defines the local water quality issues and priorities established by UCWA and other watershed