Lamine River Watershed and Inventory Assessment
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Lamine River Watershed and Inventory Assessment Prepared by Danny J. Brown, William M. Turner, Tom Priesendorf, and Ronald J. Dent, West Central Fisheries Region Supervisor Missouri Department of Conservation, West Central Regional Fisheries Staff, 1014 Thompson Blvd. Sedalia, MO 65301 Table of Contents Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Location ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Geology ......................................................................................................................................................... 9 Physiographic Region ............................................................................................................................... 9 Geology ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 Soil Types ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Watershed Characteristics ........................................................................................................................ 9 Channel Gradient ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Land Use ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Historic and Recent Land Use ................................................................................................................ 13 Soil Conservation Projects ...................................................................................................................... 13 Public Areas ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Corps of Engineers 404 Jurisdiction ....................................................................................................... 14 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................................... 18 Precipitation ............................................................................................................................................ 18 USGS Gaging Stations ........................................................................................................................... 18 Permanent/Intermittent Streams ............................................................................................................. 18 Hydrologic Characteristics ..................................................................................................................... 18 Water Quality .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Beneficial Use Attainment ...................................................................................................................... 20 Chemical Quality of Stream Flow, Contaminants and Fish Kills .......................................................... 20 Water Use ............................................................................................................................................... 21 Point Source Pollution ............................................................................................................................ 21 Nonpoint Source Pollution ..................................................................................................................... 21 Habitat Conditions ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Channel Alterations ................................................................................................................................ 23 Unique Habitat ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Stream Habitat Assessment .................................................................................................................... 23 Biotic Communities .................................................................................................................................... 25 Fish Community Data ............................................................................................................................. 25 Ichthyoplankton Collection .................................................................................................................... 27 Aquatic Invertebrates .............................................................................................................................. 27 Threatened and Endangered Species ...................................................................................................... 27 Introductions ........................................................................................................................................... 27 Other Management/Research Efforts ..................................................................................................... 28 2 Management Problems and Opportunities .................................................................................................. 35 Goal I: Maintain or improve water quality in the Lamine River watershed so all streams are capable of supporting native aquatic communities. ................................................................................................. 35 Goal II: Improve aquatic habitat conditions in the Lamine River basin to meet the needs of native aquatic species while accommodating society’s demands for water and agricultural production. ........ 36 Goal III: Maintain diverse and abundant populations of native aquatic species while accommodating angler demands for quality fishing. ........................................................................................................ 37 Goal IV: Improve the public’s appreciation for stream resources and increase recreational use of streams in the Lamine River watershed. ................................................................................................. 37 Angler Guide ............................................................................................................................................... 39 Glossary ...................................................................................................................................................... 41 Literature Cited ........................................................................................................................................... 44 3 Executive Summary The Lamine River Basin is located in West Central Missouri in Benton, Johnson, Morgan, Moniteau, Saline and Cooper counties. The Lamine River originates at the confluence of Richland and Flat Creeks in northern Morgan County, and flows 50 miles northward through Cooper County to its confluence with the Blackwater River. The Lamine River above its confluence with Blackwater River is a sixth order stream with an area of 1080 square miles. The Lamine River Basin is a rural watershed. The largest community in the watershed is Sedalia with a population of about 20,000. The area was settled by European immigrants shortly after the return of the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804. Early descriptions of the basin indicate forests occurred along the stream valleys and steeper slopes leading to prairies on uplands. As the land was changed to agricultural use, sediment became a major pollutant affecting the river's ecosystem. Approximately one half of the watershed is currently being row cropped while the remaining half is divided between forest and pasture. Livestock grazing occurs on approximately 83% of the forested lands in the basin. Nearly 90% of the upland forests are grazed. Stream life and fishing are both threatened by occasional low dissolved oxygen. Major causes include nonpoint runoff from feedlots and pastures; isolated problems exist due to some point source discharges from the Sedalia vicinity into Muddy Creek. Whole-body recreation and boating on the Lamine River are usually safe but high levels of fecal coliform bacteria are sometimes found during high flows. Several stream reaches in the Lamine River Basin have had chronic problems supporting fish populations. Low base flows during the summer contribute to these water quality problems. Point source and non- point sources have been documented to cause fish kills. A major fish kill occurred in November 1989, when sewage effluent from a chicken layer operation polluted Long Branch and Muddy Creek, resulting in high ammonia levels which killed approximately 20,000 fish in 14 miles of Long Branch and Muddy Creeks. Water quality in streams of the Lamine River Basin is not routinely monitored. One extensive study was done on Muddy Creek in 1997 and 1998 by the Missouri Department of Conservation. That study showed agricultural practices provided moderate levels of nutrients to Muddy Creek. However, the greatest source of excess