Report 2011–5098
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Prepared in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation A Study of the Effects of Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices and In-Stream Restoration on Suspended Sediment, Stream Habitat, and Benthic Macroinvertebrates at Three Stream Sites in Surry County, North Carolina, 2004–2007—Lessons Learned Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5098 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover photograph. Pauls Creek near Pine Ridge, North Carolina, April 2, 2008 (G.M. Ferrell, U.S. Geological Survey). A Study of the Effects of Implementing Agricultural Best Management Practices and In-Stream Restoration on Suspended Sediment, Stream Habitat, and Benthic Macroinvertebrates at Three Stream Sites in Surry County, North Carolina, 2004–2007—Lessons Learned By Douglas G. Smith, G.M. Ferrell, Douglas A. Harned, and Thomas F. Cuffney Prepared in cooperation with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5098 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2011 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Smith, D.G., Ferrell, G.M., Harned, D.A., and Cuffney, T.F., 2011, A study of the effects of implementing agricultural best management practices and in-stream restoration on suspended sediment, stream habitat, and benthic macro- invertebrates at three stream sites in Surry County, North Carolina, 2004–2007—Lessons learned: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2011–5098, 59 p. + 4 apps. iii Acknowledgments This study was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 319 Program through the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, under the coordination of Julie Henshaw and Jill Slankas. The authors are grateful for assistance from the following people in the completion of this study: Tony Davis, Jamie Tilley, and Wendy Osborne of the Surry County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD); Richard Everhart (retired) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service; Tim Phipps of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality–New River Soil and Water Conservation District; M.A. Pettyjohn of the North Carolina Department of Transportation; area residents Mark Golding, Boyd Wall, Shannon Wall, and Tim Wall. The authors also are grateful for the assistance of Cassandra Pfeifle, Phil Jen, Bobby Ragland, Eric Sadorf, Erik Staub, Scott Caldwell, and Chad Wagner of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). v Contents Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope .............................................................................................................................3 Description of the Study Area ...........................................................................................................6 Methods of Investigation ...........................................................................................................................12 Site Selection ......................................................................................................................................12 Streamflow Data Collection ..............................................................................................................13 Water-Quality Data ............................................................................................................................13 Collection and Analysis of Water-Quality Samples .............................................................13 Calculation of Suspended-Sediment Loads .........................................................................13 Statistical Analysis of Suspended-Sediment Data .............................................................14 Stream Habitat Assessment and Data Analysis ...........................................................................15 Land-Use Analysis .............................................................................................................................15 Benthic Macroinvertebrate Data ....................................................................................................16 Sample Collection and Analysis ..............................................................................................16 Data Processing and Statistical Analysis ..............................................................................16 Results and Discussion ..............................................................................................................................16 Streamflow ..........................................................................................................................................16 Relation of Suspended Sediment to Streamflow ..........................................................................18 Water Quality ......................................................................................................................................18 Physical Properties and Nutrients .........................................................................................26 Suspended-Sediment Yields ...................................................................................................29 Paired-Basin Analysis of Suspended-Sediment Concentrations .....................................32 Stream Habitat Assessment ............................................................................................................37 Land-Use Characterization and Assessment ................................................................................44 Hogan Creek ..............................................................................................................................44 Bull Creek ...................................................................................................................................45 Pauls Creek ................................................................................................................................45 Benthic Invertebrate Assemblages .................................................................................................46 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................................52 Lessons Learned .........................................................................................................................................53 References Cited .........................................................................................................................................54 Appendixes ...................................................................................................................................................60 Figures 1. Map showing locations of Hogan Creek, Bull Creek, and Pauls Creek study basins in Surry County, North Carolina, and Carroll County, Virginia, and selected monitoring sites in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces of North Carolina and Virginia ....................................................................................................4 2. Map showing drainage basin for Hogan Creek at SR 2038 near Siloam, North Carolina, and locations of streamgaging station and agricultural best management practice sites, 2001–2007 ....................................................................................6 vi 3. Map showing drainage basin for Bull Creek at Ash Hill, North Carolina, delineating the portion of the basin downstream from the impoundment, and locations of the streamgaging station and agricultural best management practice sites, 1995–2006 .............................................................................................................7 4. Map showing drainage basin for Pauls Creek above SR 1625 near Pine Ridge, North Carolina, and locations of streamgaging station, agricultural best management practice sites, and in-stream restoration site, 1989–2005 .............................8 5. Graph of timeline for streamgaging station installation, best management practice implementation, habitat assessment, and benthic invertebrate sampling at Hogan Creek near Siloam, North Carolina, 2004–2007 ...........................................................9