Lower Elkhorn River Basin Water Quality Management Plan (The Plan)
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EPA Accepted 3-11-2019 Water Quality Management Plan LOWER ELKHORN RIVER BASIN January 2019 This page intentionally left blank. i Acknowledgements The following plan was developed, in part, with Section 319 Nonpoint Source Management Program funding administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District served as the project sponsor, and provided funding, staff support, technical input, and project coordination. This plan is a result of a collaborative effort carried out by representatives from state and federal resource agencies, as well as officials representing community and county interests. Throughout the process, comment and input from the general public allowed for a balanced perspective on resource issues and management approaches. Project Consultants LakeTech consulting staff served as the principal investigators and authors. Olsson Associates provided engineering and groundwater expertise. LakeTech, Inc. Olsson Associates Jonathan Mohr Carter Hubbard, PE, CEM Michael Wilmot, PhD Caitlin Thomas Paul Brakhage Project Steering Committee Mike Sousek, LENRD General Manager Brad Albers, Pierce Co. Board of Ken Berney, LENRD Assistant General Commissioners Manager Chad Anderson, Pierce City Administrator Brian Bruckner, LENRD Water Resource Robin Sutherland, NRCS District Manager Conservationist Rick Wozniak, LENRD Water Conservation Tom Goulette, West Point City Administrator Specialist Ron Schmidt, Madison Co. Board of Kristie Olmer, LENRD Grant Coordinator Commissioners Julie Wragge, LENRD Information & Education Lowell Johnson, Wayne City Administrator Specialist Bill Kranz, UNL Extension Marty Link, NDEQ Associate Director, Water Mark Dolechek, Norfolk City Engineer Division Shane Weidner, Norfolk City Administrator Carla McCullough, NDEQ Nonpoint Source Dennis Shultz, LENRD Board Member Program Coordinator Jay Meier, General Public Elbert Traylor, NDEQ Environmental Specialist Aaron Zimmerman, General Public Jeff Schuckman, NGPC Northeast Fisheries Dave Shelton, General Public (former Board Manager member) Lower Elkhorn NRD Board Members Chad Korth, Sub-district 1 Mike Krueger, Sub-district 1 Jill Bar, Sub-district 2 Mark Hall, Sub-district 2 Robert Huntley, Sub-district 3 Scott McHenry, Sub-district 3 Bob Noonan, Sub-district 4 David Kathol, Sub-district 4 Jerry Allemann, Sub-district 5 Kurt Janke, Sub-district 5 Matt Steffen, Sub-district 6 Dennis Schulz, Sub-district 6 Roger Gustafson, Sub-district 7 Gary Loftis, Sub-district 7 Joel Hansen, Director-at-large Cover page photography provided by Julie Wragge (LENRD) and Debbie Livingston (Norfolk). ii Executive Summary The Lower Elkhorn River Basin (basin) is located in northeast Nebraska and covers more than 2.5 million acres. The basin subsumes Cuming, Pierce, Stanton, and Wayne counties, as well as portions of Antelope, Burt, Cedar, Colfax, Dakota, Dixon, Dodge, Knox, Madison, Platte, and Thurston counties. The basin contains 50 communities, most of which are relatively small. Among them, 37 have less than 1,000 inhabitants. The city of Norfolk has the largest population, with 24,366 residents. Background: The basin contains 1,212 total stream miles and 1,135 acres of public access lakes. Results of water quality assessments indicated that 688 of these stream miles (71%) and 1,072 lake acres (84%) were found to be impaired. In response to these impairments, in 2015, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) began work on the Lower Elkhorn River Basin Water Quality Management Plan (the Plan). The Plan serves two primary purposes. First, for the LENRD to be eligible for Section 319 project funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the EPA requires a plan to be in place that addresses nine key planning elements. The Plan was specifically developed to address these elements. Second, the Plan provides guidance for the LENRD. To do so, it identifies specific water quality issues, pollutant loads and reduction targets, monitoring strategies, costs and funding avenues, and education and outreach efforts. Information was then used to design a coordinated strategy for addressing nonpoint source pollution in priority areas within the legal jurisdiction of the LENRD. Thus, the Plan helps LENRD staff to direct financial resources toward the most effective and efficient resource management activities, projects, and programs. Pollutants and Sources: The major pollutants responsible for water quality degradation in the basin are nitrogen, phosphorus, bacteria, and sediment. These pollutants have both natural and anthropogenic sources. Although natural sources are notable, anthropogenic activities, specifically those associated with crop and livestock production, are the primary sources of nonpoint source pollutants. Corn and soybeans represent the major crops in the basin, with an increased focus on wheat, pasture, and rangeland as one moves from east to west. As for livestock production, cow-calf operations predominate in the west, with feedlots becoming more prevalent in the east. Altogether, more than 1,800 large permitted livestock operations exist throughout the basin. Numerous small-to-medium size operations are also present, but their precise numbers are currently undocumented. Commercial fertilizer application to crops has contributed to stream and lake degradation in the basin, as well as to groundwater contamination in vulnerable areas. Moreover, livestock access to flowing streams has resulted in increased streambank erosion, habitat degradation, and nutrient and bacteria loading. In- and near-stream disturbances from field encroachment or livestock are extensive in streams that have documented impairment. However, a host of practices for reducing pollutant introduction, mobilization, and transport to surface water are available. The Plan recommends several practices to mitigate water quality degradation in the basin due to soil erosion, fertilizer, and livestock waste. The Plan: Overall, the Plan provides targeted approaches to addressing water quality concerns in a cost- effective manner. To identify target areas and priorities, a Steering Committee was formed from the general public, relevant agencies, LENRD Board of Directors and staff, community representatives, and county officials. Based on Committee input and feedback, it was determined that initial implementation priorities would focus on Willow Creek Reservoir, Maskenthine Reservoir, Maple Creek Reservoir, Rock Creek, and all wellhead protection areas. However, Willow Creek Reservoir and the Bazile Groundwater Management Area were the only priority area and special priority area designations. Future revisions of this plan will allow for additional priority areas to be addressed. The Plan outlines recommended management practices, monitoring and data collection strategies, communication and outreach approaches, schedules, milestones, and plan implementation costs. iii Contents 1 INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 PLAN PURPOSE ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PLAN AREA ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 BASIN OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.4 PLANNING PROCESS SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 4 1.5 BASIN PLANNING WATERSHEDS ........................................................................................................ 6 2 GOALS.................................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND TASKS ...................................................................................................... 8 3 BASIN CHARACTERISTICS.......................................................................................................... 11 3.1 POPULATION ..................................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 BASIC CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................................................. 12 3.3 WATER RESOURCES ......................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 GROUNDWATER ................................................................................................................................ 25 3.5 OVERALL RESOURCE CONDITION .................................................................................................... 31 4 MONITORING AND EVALUATION ............................................................................................ 33 4.1 PURPOSE OF MONITORING ................................................................................................................ 33 4.2 DATA NEEDS AND USES ................................................................................................................... 35 4.3 CURRENT MONITORING NETWORKS ................................................................................................ 36 4.4 SUMMARY