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Benthic Macroinvertebrate Study Report

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Benthic Macroinvertebrate Study Report BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE STUDY REPORT BLALOCK HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC NO. 14338 Prepared for: Spartanburg Water System Spartanburg, South Carolina Prepared by: Lexington, South Carolina www.KleinschmidtGroup.com January 2016 BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE STUDY REPORT BLALOCK HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC NO. 14338 Prepared for: Spartanburg Water System Spartanburg, South Carolina Prepared by: Lexington, South Carolina www.KleinschmidtGroup.com January 2016 BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE STUDY REPORT BLALOCK HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC NO. 14338 SPARTANBURG WATER SYSTEM TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 2.0 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ..............................................................................................3 3.0 OBJECTIVE 1 – DEVELOPMENT OF BMI SCORES .....................................................3 3.1 METHODS .................................................................................................................3 3.2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................4 4.0 OBJECTIVE 2 ‒ FRESHWATER MUSSELS ...................................................................6 4.1 METHODS .................................................................................................................6 4.2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................................7 5.0 OBJECTIVE 3 – BROAD RIVER SPINY CRAYFISH .....................................................8 5.1 METHODS .................................................................................................................8 5.2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................................................10 6.0 LITERTURE CITED .........................................................................................................10 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1-1 BLALOCK HYDRO PROJECT LOCATION MAP .............................................................2 FIGURE 3-1 BMI SAMPLING LOCATIONS IN PACOLET RIVER .......................................................5 FIGURE 4-1 SAMPLING LOCATIONS OF PHASE I MUSSEL SURVEY ...............................................7 FIGURE 5-1 SAMPLING LOCATIONS FOR BROAD RIVER SPINY CRAYFISH ....................................9 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 3-1 RESULTS OF BMI ASSESSMENT ................................................................................6 LIST OF APPENDICES APPENDIX A CARNAGEY BIOLOGICAL BMI REPORT APPENDIX B PHASE I MUSSEL MEMO APPENDIX C THREE OAKS ENGINEERING MUSSEL REPORT (Report is forthcoming from Three Oaks Engineering by the end of January 2016.) J:\1755\011\Docs\Study Reports\Final Draft Reports to Client - 1-5-16\01-18-2016 Final reports\Blalock BMI\Draft Blalock BMI.docx JANUARY 2016 - i - BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE STUDY REPORT BLALOCK HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC NO. 14338 SPARTANBURG WATER SYSTEM 1.0 INTRODUCTION Spartanburg Water System (SWS) is seeking a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the proposed Blalock Hydroelectric Project (Project), FERC Project No. 14338. The proposed Project will use the existing Lake Blalock dam and reservoir, which are located on the Pacolet River in northwestern South Carolina approximately five miles north of the city of Spartanburg near the town of Cowpens (Figure 1-1). SWS proposes to construct a powerhouse, penstock, substation, and transmission tie to complete the necessary elements for the Project. SWS is seeking an original license for the Project, which involves cooperation and collaboration between SWS, as licensee, and a variety of stakeholders including state and federal resource agencies, state and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and interested individuals. Collaboration and cooperation among these stakeholders is essential for identifying and evaluating operational, economic, and environmental issues associated with construction and operation of a new Project. SWS has established the Spartanburg Water System Licensing Group (SWSLG), composed of interested stakeholders, with the objective of achieving consensus regarding the identification and proper treatment of these issues in the context of an original license. In comments issued on the Pre-Application Document (PAD), several SWSLG members, including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and American Rivers requested an assessment of the benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) assemblage, including the Broad River spiny crayfish (Cambarus spicatus), at the proposed Project location prior to development. In addition to the request for a general assessment of the BMI community, the USFWS, SCDNR, and American Rivers requested that surveys be conducted for freshwater mussels. JANUARY 2016 - 1 - FIGURE 1-1 BLALOCK HYDRO PROJECT LOCATION MAP JANUARY 2016 - 2 - 2.0 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to characterize the benthic community of Lake Blalock and the Lake Blalock tailrace prior to developing hydropower at the site. Specific objectives included: 1. develop baseline BMI scores for the Lake Blalock tailrace in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers (Barbour et al. 1999); 2. determine whether native freshwater mussels are present in Lake Blalock or in the Lake Blalock dam tailrace, and if so, gather data describing the diversity, physical habitat, and relative abundance of mussel species inhabiting the area; and 3. evaluate Lake Blalock and the tailrace area in the Pacolet River for the presence of Broad River spiny crayfish, and if present, identify habitat associations. Development of BMI scores (objective 1) and execution of freshwater mussel surveys (objective 2) required that Kleinschmidt retain outside experts with specific expertise in Broad River Basin macroinvertebrate fauna. As such, each of the above-listed objectives was completed as a separate study component. Methods and result of each study component are summarized below. 3.0 OBJECTIVE 1 – DEVELOPMENT OF BMI SCORES 3.1 METHODS Carnagey Biological Services, LLC (SCDHEC #32572), was retained to conduct BMI sampling in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers (Barbour et al. 1999). A Kleinschmidt technician accompanied Mr. Dan Carnagey on September 2, 2015 to collect benthic macroinvertebrates from the Lake Blalock dam tailrace in the Pacolet River at two sites (Figure 3-1). Habitats at each of the two sites were sampled in proportion to their availability within each site using a D-frame aquatic dip net, a kicknet, a U.S. Standard No. 10 sieve, and by hand picking organisms from substrates with forceps. For each station, collections from all habitat types were JANUARY 2016 - 3 - pooled to form one aggregate sample, preserved in the field with 95% ethanol, and transported to the laboratory for processing. In the laboratory, macroinvertebrates were separated from debris with the aid of a stereo microscope, identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level, and enumerated using appropriate techniques and taxonomic keys. 3.2 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results of the BMI assessment indicate that macroinvertebrate communities in the Pacolet River are stressed at both sites sampled (Table 3-1). The upstream location (Site 1) had an Ephemeroptera Plecoptera Trichoptera Index (EPT Index) of 8, or “Fair.” Site 1 also had a North Carolina Biotic Index (NCBI) of 6.34, or “Good-fair,” and a South Carolina Bioclassification score of 2.3; “Fair.” The EPT Index of the downstream site (Site 2) was 11, or “Fair.” Site 2 had an NCBI of 6.04, “Good,” and a SC Bioclassification score of 2.5, “Good-fair.” Both sites were similar in taxa richness, total abundance, and number of Chironomidae taxa. The results indicate that these sites are only partially supporting aquatic life. Additional detail is provided in the final report from Carnagey Biological Services, LLC, which is included as Appendix A. JANUARY 2016 - 4 - FIGURE 3-1 BMI SAMPLING LOCATIONS IN PACOLET RIVER JANUARY 2016 - 5 - TABLE 3-1 RESULTS OF BMI ASSESSMENT SITE 1 SITE 2 Ephemeroptera Plecoptera 8 11 Trichoptera (EPT) Index Fair Fair North Carolina Biotic Index 6.34 6.04 Water Quality Good-Fair Good SC Bioclassification Score 2.3 2.5 Fair Good-Fair 4.0 OBJECTIVE 2 ‒ FRESHWATER MUSSELS 4.1 METHODS The freshwater mussel survey was conducted in two phases. Phase I was completed on May 28, 2015. The objective of Phase I was to document the presence or absence of mussels in the study area. Staff from Kleinschmidt and the USFWS inspected 21 sites within Lake Blalock for presence/absence of freshwater mussel fauna (Figure 1-1). The presence of one native freshwater mussel species, paper pondshell (Utterbackia imbecillis), was confirmed during the Phase I surveys, thus triggering Phase II surveys. Three Oaks Engineering (TOE) was retained to perform the Phase II mussel surveys in Lake Blalock and the downstream reach. The objective of Phase II was provide more detailed information regarding the diversity, physical habitat and relative abundance of freshwater mussels inhabiting the study area. Malacologists from TOE with expertise in Broad River Basin mussel fauna sampled 17 sites within Lake Blalock and three
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