Lick Run-Scioto River HUC 050600020403
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Pickaway County Park District 110 Island Rd Ste E, Circleville, OH 43113 Lick Run-Scioto River HUC 050600020403 9-Element Implementation Strategy Published by: Pickaway County Park District Coldwater Consulting, LLC. 46 West Columbus Street Final Draft P.O. Box 146 Galena, OH 43021 August 2020 Lick Run-Scioto River HUC 050600020403 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Page 1 SECTION ONE: Introduction Page 3 Section 1.1: Report Background Page 4 Section 1.2: Watershed Profile and History Page 4 Section 1.3 Public Participation Page 7 SECTION TWO: Watershed Characterization & Assessment Summary Page 9 Section 2.1.1: Physical and Natural Features Page 11 Geological Setting and Soils Page 11 General Habitat Conditions Page 12 Wetlands Page 13 Biology Page 15 Fish Page 15 Endangered Fish Species Page 16 Macroinvertebrates Page 17 Freshwater Mussels Page 18 Amphibians Page 19 Reptiles Page 21 Mammals Page 22 Birds Page 23 Invasive Species Page 26 Section 2.1.2: Land Use and Protection Page 26 Section 2.2: Summary of HUC-12 Biological Trends Page 30 Section 2.3: Summary of HUC-12 NPS Pollution Causes & Sources Page 31 Section 2.4: Additional Information for Determining Critical Areas Page 32 SECTION THREE: Critical Areas and Restoration Strategies Page 34 Section 3.1: Overview of Critical Areas Page 35 Critical Area #1: Lick Run Subwatershed Page 36 Critical Area #2: Canal Park Page 38 Section 3.2: Critical Area #1 Page 39 Detailed Characterization, Conditions, Goals and Objectives Page 39 Detailed Biological Conditions Page 40 Detailed Causes and Associated Sources Page 43 Goals and Objectives for Critical Area #1 Page 43 Section 3.3: Critical Area #2 Page 45 Detailed Characterization, Conditions, Goals and Objectives Page 45 Detailed Biological Conditions Page 47 Detailed Causes and Associated Sources Page 47 Goals and Objectives for Critical Area #2 Page 48 SECTION FOUR: Project and Implementation Strategy Overview Page 51 Project Overview Table for the Lick Run-Scioto River HUC-12 Page 52 Project Summary Sheet for Canal Park Dam Removal Project Page 54 REFERENCES CITED Page 58 Lick Run-Scioto River HUC 050600020403 Tables and Figures Table 2-1 Fish Community Collected in the Watershed Page 13 Table 2-2 Endangered, Threatened and Fish Species of Concern Page 14 Table 2-3 Macroinvertebrates Collected in the Watershed Page 15 Table 2-4 Endangered, Threatened and Mussel Species of Concern Page 16 Table 2-5 Freshwater Mussels Collected in the Watershed Page 17 Table 2-6 Amphibians Observed in the Watershed Page 18 Table 2-7 Endangered, Threated and Amphibian Species of Concern Page 18 Table 2-8 Reptiles Observed in the Watershed Page 19 Table 2-9 Mammals Observed within the Watershed Page 20 Table 2-10 Endangered, Threatened and Mammal Species of Concern Page 21 Table 2-11 Bird Species Observed in the Watershed Page 21 Table 2-12 Endangered, Threatened and Birds Species of Concern Page 23 Table 2-13 Land Use and Cover within the Watershed Page 25 Table 2-14 Habitat and Biological Community Performance 2011 Page 28 Table 2-15 Nonpoint Source Causes and Sources of Pollution Page 29 Table 3-1 Ecological Biocriteria for the Eastern Cornbelt Region Page 39 Table 3-2 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results-Lick Run 2011 Page 39 Table 3-3 Habitat and Biological Performance in Scioto River Page 44 Table 4-1 Project Overview Table Page 48 Figure 1-1 Lick Run-Scioto River HUC 050300020403 Watershed Page 3 Figure 1-2 Scioto River Mainstem at Canal Park Page 4 Figure 1-3 Lick Run Headwaters and Downstream near Confluence Page 5 Figure 1-4 Luther List Ancient Adena Burial Mound Page 5 Figure 1-5 Remnants of the Ohio Erie Canal Page 6 Figure 2-1 National Wetland Inventory Wetlands in Watershed Page 12 Figure 2-2 Land Use within the Lick Run – Scioto River HUC-12 Page 25 Figure 2-3 Designated Flood Hazard Zones within the Watershed Page 26 Figure 3-0 Map of Critical Areas within the HUC-12 Page 34 Figure 3-1 Critical Area #1 Map Page 41 Figure 3-2 Critical Area #2 Map Page 46 Acknowledgments The Pickaway County Park District extends our gratitude and appreciation to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for developing the template for 9-element planning in the state of Ohio. We particularly wish to acknowledge Rick Wilson, Cherie Blair and Great Nageotte for their commitment to helping local entities such as ours, and other watershed groups to better understand the process for meeting federal Environmental Protection Agency 9-element planning requirements. The template that was prepared by these individuals provides a clear path for successfully completing a 9-element implementation strategy that meets both the state and federal requirements. We also wish to acknowledge the contributions the city of Circleville, the Pickaway Soil and Water Conservation District, Pickaway County Engineer, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Circleville Township, and Jackson Township all of whom were consulted and contributed during the preparation of this Implementation Strategy. We also wish to graciously acknowledge the contribution of the Dupont Corporation for their generous grant that allowed for the completion of this Implementation Strategy. We wish to also acknowledge and recognize the citizens of Pickaway County who call this river valley their home and for their ongoing support for the Pickaway County Park District. 1 | P a g e This page intentionally left blank 2 | P a g e Section One: Introduction The Lick Run – Scioto River HUC 050600020403 watershed is located within portions of Jackson, Wayne and Circleville Townships in Pickaway County, Ohio. Flowing within the HUC 12 are two distinct stream segments. A segment of the Scioto River mainstem flows north to south from the city of Circleville to the border of Pickaway and Ross counties. To the northwest of Circleville, Lick Run flows from its source near London Road to the south where it joins the Scioto River mainstem at River Mile (RM) 93.90 near Westfall. The Lick Run – Scioto River HUC 12 drains 30.30 square miles and covers a land area of 19,389.61 acres. Land use within the watershed area is predominately row crop agriculture (76%), developed area (13%), forest (6%), grass/pasture and other (4.7%). The city of Circleville is the largest community within the HUC 12 area with a population of more than 13,000 residents. Recent land acquisition and protection activities by the Pickaway County Park District, Appalachia Ohio Alliance, the Ohio Land Conservancy, and others have spurred interest in protecting natural areas and water quality within Pickaway County. The Pickaway County Park District (PCPD) received a small grant from the Dupont Corporation to develop a 9-element watershed implementation strategy to begin the process of identifying and addressing critical areas of disproportionate sources of nonpoint pollution and/or those areas needing further protection or restoration. This implementation strategy will help to inform PCPD park planning and other land managers with information and recommendations for needed actions to restore critical areas and to improve water quality within the Lick Run – Scioto River HUC 12. Figure 1.1 provides an overview of the boundaries of the Lick Run – Scioto River HUC 050600020403 subwatershed. Figure 1.1 Lick Run – Scioto River HUC 05060002 04 03 General Boundary and Location Map 3 | P a g e 1.1 Report Background The Lick Run - Scioto River HUC 050600020403 watershed implementation strategy is the first comprehensive watershed plan for this HUC-12 subwatershed. However, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is preparing a Total Maximum Daily Load Study (TMDL) for the Lower Scioto River. The final report has not yet been released and/or approved by US EPA or Ohio EPA. The Technical Support Document that was prepared in advance of the TMDL is serves as a valuable reference for this 9-element plan. Planning activities at the smaller HUC-12 scale such as this implementation strategy, provide a more refined assessment of potential problems and corresponding solutions. 1.2 Watershed Profile and History The Scioto River is the second largest watershed in Ohio draining more than 6,513 square miles and flowing more than 231 miles through all or part of 31 counties prior to joining the Ohio River at its confluence in Portsmouth, Ohio. The Scioto River mainstem originates in south-central Hardin county and flows in a generally south-easterly direction. The lower Scioto River watershed, including the Lick Run – Scioto River HUC 12 flows through Pickaway, Ross, Pike and Scioto counties. The Lick Run - Scioto River HUC drains an area of more than 30 square miles and is located within the Eastern Corn Belt Plains Ecoregion of Ohio starting at the city of Circleville and flowing southward to the Pickaway-Ross County line. The Lick Run – Scioto River HUC is located entirely within southern and central portions of Pickaway County, Ohio. The segment of the Scioto mainstem that flows within this HUC – 12 is a large stream that is in full attainment of its designated warmwater habitat aquatic life use. It has a well-defined and mostly forested riparian corridor which is frequently submerged under seasonal floodwaters. This segment of stream is used for recreational boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. More than 7.5 miles of hiking trails have been developed in and near Pickaway County Park District’s Canal Park with many more miles of trails nearby on rail beds converted to hiking trails. Figure 1.2 is a photo of the Scioto River mainstem within the HUC 050600020403 area. Figure 1-2 Lick Run-Scioto River HUC 05060002 04 03 Scioto River Mainstem at Canal Park Unlike the larger Scioto mainstem, Lick Run is a smaller stream whose source is near Circleville/London Road before flowing 6.6 miles through agricultural and forested areas.