Warwoman WMP Final
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Warwoman Creek Watershed Management Plan Warwoman Creek at Earl’s Ford The preparation of this report was fi nanced in part through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, State of Georgia, under the Provisions of Section 319(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended. Grant Fiscal Year: 2017 EPD Contract Number: 751-170143 Contract Recipient: Chattooga Conservancy Report Prepared By: Chattooga Conservancy Date of Report: October 2018 2 Warwoman Creek Watershed Management Plan Contents S F, T, A I............................................................ 3 Fig. 1 Warwoman Creek Watershed / Rabun Co. / GA.. 8 • Purpose • Goals to Attain • Water Quality Standards • Fig. 2 Warwoman Watershed, Impaired Stream Segments......................................................................... 9 S......................................................................... 4 Fig. 3 Precipitation and Temperature, 1981-2010 .......... 11 • Geographic Range • Temporal Range • Issues of Fig. 4 Land Cover, Warwoman Creek Watershed........... 14 Concern • Characterization of Issues’ Impacts • Planning Fig. 5 Soil Types, Warwoman Creek Watershed............. 15 Approach • Fig. 6 Map of Warwoman Creek Watershed Bacterial E 1 S S............................... 8 Sampling Locations.......................................................... 36 Fig. 7 Map of Warwoman Creek Watershed, Bacterial E 2 W A C...... 10 Sampling Locations, Bacterial Severity............................ 37 E 3 S A........................... 11 Fig. 8 Map of Warwoman Creek Watershed, Turbidity • Population • Physiography • Climate • Groundwater Sampling Locations, Sediment Severity........................... 38 Recharge Areas • Hydrology- Wetlands & Impoundments Fig. 9 Priority Sites for Corrective Action/Upper • Land Use & Habitat • Soils • Flood Plain Management Warwoman....................................................................... 40 History • Onsite Sewage Disposal Systems • Identifying Fig. 10 Priority Sites for Corrective Action/Lower Data Gaps • Source Loads and Load Reductions Needed • Warwoman....................................................................... 41 Environmental Indicators of Water Pollution • Fig. 11 Priority Sites for Corrective Action/West Fork..... 42 Fig. 12 Priority Sites for Corrective Action/Headwaters E 4 A C West Fork........................................................................ 43 C C .............................................. 19 • Warwoman Creek Watershed Overview • Warwoman Table 1 Hydrology - Wetlands & Impoundments in the Creek• Upper Warwoman Creek Subwatershed • Upper Warwoman Creek Watershed.......................................... 12 Warwoman Creek • Becky Branch • Martin/Finney Table 2 Land Use in the Warwoman Creek Watershed.. 12 Creek • Roach Mill Branch • Tuckaluge Creek • Walnut Table 3 Key to Soil Types............................................... 15 Fork • Lower Warwoman Creek Subwatershed • Lower Table 4 Stream Segments Not Supporting Designated Warwoman Creek • Sarah’s Creek • Morsingills Creek Uses in the Warwoman Watershed................................. 18 • Pounding Mill Creek • West Fork Chattooga River Table 5 Land cover, Upper Warwoman Subwatershed.. 20 Subwatershed • West Fork of the Chattooga River • Law Table 6 Land cover, Lower Warwoman Subwatershed.. 26 Ground Creek • Reed Mill Creek • Headwaters of the West Table 7 Land cover, West Fork Subwatershed............... 30 Fork Chattooga River Subwatershed • Holcomb Creek • Table 8 Land cover, Headwaters West Fork Overfl ow Creek • Big Creek • Review of Existing Data • Subwatershed................................................................. 32 Monitoring • Water Quality Monitoring Plan • Table 9 Management Measures (MM) for Agriculture.... 45 Table 10 MM for Forestry................................................ 46 E 5 R M Table 11 MM for Urban Stormwater Runoff .................... 49 M ................................................................. 39 Table 12 MM for Septic Systems ................................. 51 • Overview • Method • Goals • Initial Steps to Prioritize Table 13 MM for Paved Roads....................................... 51 BMPs • Expected Load Reductions • Management Table 14 MM for Gravel/Dirt Roads................................ 52 Measures For: Agriculture; Forestry; Urban/Residential • Table 15 MM for Pollution Prevention............................. 54 E 6 P O................................. 53 Table 16 WWMP BMP Implementation Schedule .......... 56 • Public Education Resources • Public Education Activities Table 17 Criteria to Measure Success............................ 60 • Pollution Prevention Activities That Result in Behavioral Table 18 Cost Range Examples for Selected Changes • Management Measures................................................... 61 E 7 I R B Appendix 1 List of WAC M P ......................................... 55 Appendix 2 Bibliography and Literature Review • BMP Implementation Schedule • Criteria to Measure Appendix 3 Historical Data Success • Financial and Technical Resources • Appendix 4 Targeted Water Quality Monitoring Plan for the E 8 D L T M Warwoman Creek Watershed in Rabun County, Georgia P .......................................................................... 65 Appendix 5 Warwoman Creek Watershed Bacteria Sampling Data 5-18_9-18 Final E 9 W M P Appendix 6 Warwoman Creek Watershed, WQM Data I, E, R ............ 66 Table_comprehensive Appendix 7: Warwoman Creek WQM Plots Warwoman Creek Watershed Management Plan 3 Introduction P The purpose of the Warwoman Creek Watershed Management Plan (Warwoman WMP or WWMP) is to provide a context and a road map for how the watershed could be managed to restore and protect its water quality. This plan will provide an analysis of the sources of the Warwoman Creek watershed’s water quality problems and their relative contributions, and then identify management, educational, and fi nancing programs, along with stakeholder resources, that would be committed to remediate these problems. In general, the purpose of watershed planning and implementation is to engage local governments, institutions, and decision-makers in the restoration and protection of watersheds through the following series of steps: Warwoman Creek is a primary tributary to the National Wild Characterize existing conditions & Scenic Chattooga River. Identify and prioritize problems in the Warwoman Creek watershed. Measures will Defi ne management objectives, including estimated be spelled out to mitigate pollution sources that have quantitative values representing water quality contributed to the impairment of Warwoman Creek, one restoration in impaired stream segments of its tributaries (Roach Mill Creek), and one tributary Develop protection or restoration measures of the West Fork of the Chattooga River (Law Ground Implement and adapt selected actions Creek) due to excessive levels of fecal coliform and/ or sediment (sediment impairment is also referenced The Warwoman Creek Watershed Management Plan is as “macroinvertebrate biota” impairment). The focus intended to help ensure that: will be on restoring these streams to “supporting” their Limited resources are directed to priority actions that designated use of fi shing on the State of Georgia’s 2016 will address signifi cant water pollution sources in 305(b)/ 303(d) List of Waters. critical areas of the watershed It is important to note that consequential infl uences to The pace of restoration can be accelerated achieving the goals and objectives of this WMP are: Information is provided to leverage related resources State and local stormwater management codes Feedback mechanisms are established to allow Sewer, water, and onsite wastewater treatment adjustments regulations The Warwoman WMP (or WWMP) project follows the U. Local enforcement of erosion, sedimentation, and fl ood S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) steps for plain protection laws developing a Nine Element Watershed Management Plan. Local comprehensive land use plans In addition, the corrective actions proposed herein will Intergovernmental cooperation carry out portions of the pertinent Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plans (TMDLIP) for Warwoman To move from existing conditions in the Warwoman Creek and its impaired tributaries as specifi ed by the watershed to include watershed-based perspectives, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental protection and restoration of impaired waters will require a Protection Division (GADNR and/or GAEPD). signifi cant shift in local codes, policies, and enforcement, as well as considerable resources. Thus, the Warwoman G A WMP recognizes the success of its implementation will also depend on additional actions and alternatives that The goal of the Warwoman WMP is to facilitate the are complimentary to this WMP, or that are updates to this timely implementation of management strategies and WMP, which may be dependent on political will and the corrective and protective actions to improve water quality availability of more resources. 4 Warwoman Creek Watershed Management Plan Introduction S A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) calculates the maximum amount of a pollutant G R The Warwoman Creek watershed allowed to enter a water body, so that the water body will is an administratively drawn boundary including the meet and continue to meet water