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Biological and Water Quality Study of the Stillwater River Basin

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Biological and Water Quality Study of the Stillwater River Basin Biological and Water Quality Study of the Stillwater River Basin Darke, Miami and Montgomery Counties OHIO EPA Technical Report EAS/2014‐10‐08 Division of Surface Water Ecological Assessment Section April 2, 2015 EAS/2014‐10‐08 Stillwater River Basin April 2, 2015 Biological and Water Quality Study of the Stillwater River Basin Darke, Miami, and Montgomery Counties, Ohio 2013 Ohio EPA Technical Report EAS/2014‐10‐08 April 2, 2015 Prepared by State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Surface Water Lazarus Government Center 50 West Town Street, Suite 700 Southwest District Office 401 East Fifth Street Dayton, Ohio 45402 Ecological Assessment Section Groveport Field Office 4675 Homer Ohio Lane Groveport, Ohio 43125 Mail to: P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216‐1049 Division of Surface Water Lazarus Government Center 50 West Town Street, Suite 700 Columbus, Ohio 43215 John R. Kasich Governor, State of Ohio Craig W. Butler Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency i EAS/2014‐10‐08 Stillwater River Basin April 2, 2015 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... xii Notice to Users ............................................................................................................................................ xiii Forward ........................................................................................................................................................ xv Executive Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Stillwater River .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Ludlow Creek, Brush Creek and Tributary to Ludlow Creek @ RM 11.8 ...................................................... 4 Painter Creek, Little Painter Creek and Heller Ditch ..................................................................................... 5 Greenville Creek ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Tributaries to Greenville Creek ..................................................................................................................... 5 Harris Creek and Ballinger Run ..................................................................................................................... 6 Swamp Creek, Indian Creek, and Tributary to Swamp Creek at RM 3.54..................................................... 6 Boyd Creek .................................................................................................................................................... 7 North Fork Stillwater River ........................................................................................................................... 7 Woodington Run ........................................................................................................................................... 7 South Fork Stillwater River and Tributary to S. Fk. Stillwater at RM 0.94 .................................................... 8 Methods ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Pollutant Loadings Summaries of Evaluated Permitted Dischargers ........................................................................................ 24 Surface Water Quality Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 47 Stillwater River ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Greenville Creek .......................................................................................................................................... 54 Dismal Creek ............................................................................................................................................... 54 Painter Creek ............................................................................................................................................... 54 Swamp Creek .............................................................................................................................................. 59 Harris Creek and Ballinger Run ................................................................................................................... 60 Other Tributaries ......................................................................................................................................... 60 Water Column Organic Contaminants ........................................................................................................ 61 Water Quality Trends .................................................................................................................................. 62 Observations from Autamated Water Quality Loggers .............................................................................. 64 Sediment Chemistry .................................................................................................................................... 71 Recreational Use Assessment ..................................................................................................................... 73 Physical Habitat Quality for Aquatic Life Stillwater River ............................................................................................................................................ 78 Greenville Creek .......................................................................................................................................... 79 Other Tributaries ........................................................................................................................................ 80 Biological Quality – Fish Assemblages Overview ..................................................................................................................................................... 87 Stillwater River ............................................................................................................................................ 92 The Watershed Upstream from Greenville Creek ...................................................................................... 92 Tributaries Downstream from Greenville Creek ......................................................................................... 92 Greenville Creek .......................................................................................................................................... 95 ii EAS/2014‐10‐08 Stillwater River Basin April 2, 2015 Biological Quality – Macroinvertebrates Overview ................................................................................................................................................... 102 Stillwater River .......................................................................................................................................... 108 Greenville Creek ........................................................................................................................................ 109 Swamp Creek ............................................................................................................................................ 110 Painter Creek ............................................................................................................................................. 111 Harris Creek and Ballinger Run ................................................................................................................. 112 Tributaries Upstream from Greenville Creek ............................................................................................ 112 Tributaries Downstream from Greenville Creek ....................................................................................... 112 Fish Tissue Contamination ....................................................................................................................... 121 References ................................................................................................................................................ 126 iii EAS/2014‐10‐08 Stillwater River Basin April 2, 2015 List of Tables Table 1. Median biotic index scoresǂ for macroinvertebrate and fish assemblages stratified by location and year. Upper watershed tributaries comprise the catchment upstream from Greenville Creek, lower watershed tributaries include all other waters exclusive of the Stillwater River mainstem and Greenville Creek. Dark shaded cells show highly significant (p<0.01) differences between years, light shaded cells show marginally significant differences (p >0.01<0.05) ..................................................................................................................................................
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