During More Than 50% of Sampling Events in Flint Creek at County Road 400 West, County Road 700 South, and Turner Road
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Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan 10 May 2011 during more than 50% of sampling events in Flint Creek at County Road 400 West, County Road 700 South, and Turner Road. Concentrations measured as high as 3,500 colonies/100 mL. Undersaturated conditions were observed in Flint Creek at County Road 700 South and at County Road 375 West. Dissolved oxygen saturations measured between 45 and 55% at both sites during multiple sampling events. Turbidity routinely measured higher than the target concentration at all sites where observations occur. This suggests that Flint Creek may contain a high background suspended sediment concentration or that the high sinuosity and prevalence of easily erodible soils results in elevated suspended sediment concentrations on a routine basis. Figure 135. Water quality impairments in the Flint Creek subwatershed. Data used to create this map are detailed in Appendix A. Habitat Volunteer monitors assessed habitat at nine sites within the Flint Creek subwatershed using the Citizen’s Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (CQHEI). As previously detailed, the CQHEI scores sites based on the presence or absence of specific natural characteristics within a stream reach. Although a comparison scale for the CQHEI has not yet been developed, Hoosier Riverwatch indicates that scores greater than 60 rate as habitat conducive to supporting warm-water biota (IDNR, 2004). Scores ranged from 40.5 at County Road 700 South (west of SR 25) to 75.5 at County Road 700 South (SR 25). Volunteer assessments of Flint Creek at County Road 700 South (west of SR 25), County Road 375 West, and County Road 700 South (west of CR 700 West) indicate that habitat rated poorer than the level at which habitat is conducive to supporting warm-water biota. These reaches received low scores for fish habitat and for riffle-run development. Wabash River Enhancement Corporation Page 213 ARN #305-9-54 Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan 10 May 2011 The Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) was used to evaluate habitat at one site during the 1999 fish community assessment. As previously detailed and similarly to the CQHEI, the QHEI scores habitat within a reach based on the presence or absence of specific characteristics. Streams with QHEI scores greater than 51 are considered to be fully supporting of their aquatic life use designation. The score (53) indicates good quality habitat that is fully in support of the streams designated aquatic life use. Poor substrate, instream habitat, and pool-riffle complex development scores indicate that habitat could be improved. Three Purdue field personnel conducted QHEI assessments during the June 2010 fish sampling, and the mean of those scores was calculated to assign a QHEI score for the surveyed site. Flint Creek at County Road 510 South had a mean QHEI score of 61.5 which indicates that the stream meets its aquatic life use. Improving instream cover (8) and adjacent riparian (5.5) would increase the QHEI scores. Fish The IDEM assessed the fish community once during 1999 at County Road 600 South, while Curry and Spacie (1972) and Fisher et al. (1994) assessed two and three sites, respectively. IDEM data indicate that the fish community in Flint Creek rates as good scoring 36 using the IBI. At the time of the assessment, the community was limited by the number of minnow and sensitive species with low density and diversity of fish species. Purdue field personnel sampled the fish community on multiple occasions in 2009 and 2010. Sampling methods followed Simon (1991). A fish IBI score was calculated for each sampling event. In 2009, sample collection occurred as follows: Sample I - June 18; Sample II – July 22; Sample III – September 23; and Sample IV – November 5. The 2010 samples were collected as follows: Sample V – March 20; Sample VI – June 18; Sample VII – August 11; and Sample VIII – October 31. The mean IBI score for 2009-2010 was 45. The June 2010 sample (36) was considerably lower than any of the other samples (50, 48, 46, 52, 40, 48, and 46). The dominant species included central stonerollers (1150), mottled sculpin (425), western blacknose dace (236), and rainbow darters (200) present within Flint Creek. Macroinvertebrates Flint Creek at County Road 510 South was sampled four times in 2009 and four times in 2010. Mean mIBI and mean HBI scores for Flint Creek were 5.3 and 4.1, respectively. The mIBI score ranged between 3.4 during the November 2009 assessment and 6.4 during the October 2010 assessment indicating that the site is slightly impaired. Flint Creek rated the highest quality macroinvertebrate community monitored. The HBI score supports this and was the lowest of all 10 sites sampled in the 2009-2010 sampling. Dominant taxa at Flint Creek include Hydropsychidae (1828 total individuals), Baetidae (1114), Chironomidae (834), Isonychiidae (494), and Heptageniidae (412). Abundances of aquatic macroinvertebrates were relatively high and 5 of the 7 most abundant species are considered Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa. Mussels Myers-Kinzie assessed the mussel community at three locations within the Flint Creek subwatershed. During the surveys, two species were identified at one site. Both species, the cylindrical papershell (Alasmindonta viridis) and slippershell (Anodontoides ferussacianus) were weathered dead shells. Both species are headwaters species typical of small streams and rivers. 4.7.6 Flint Creek Subwatershed Summary The Flint Creek subwatershed is dominated by agricultural land uses. These lands lie on relatively flat soils with much of the headwaters covered by hydric soils. The mainstem of Wabash River Enhancement Corporation Page 214 ARN #305-9-54 Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan 10 May 2011 Flint Creek is unique to the watershed with shale and cobble dominating the substrate. The habitat scores reflect the unique conditions present within the streams; however, biological community scores indicate that elevated E. coli, suspended sediments, and nutrients may inhibit conditions within the Flint Creek watershed. As development and urban land uses are not influences on the Flint Creek subwatershed, addressing narrow buffer strips, livestock access, and streambank erosion concerns throughout the watershed is necessary to improve conditions within Flint Creek. 4.8 Little Pine Creek Subwatershed Little Creek forms a portion of the northwestern watershed boundary draining portions of Warren, Benton, and Tippecanoe counties. The Little Pine Creek subwatershed includes two 12-digit HUC watersheds – Otterbein Ditch-Little Pine Creek (HUC 051201080505) and Armstrong Creek-Little Pine Creek (HUC 051201080506; Figure 136). In total, Little Pine Creek drains 33,316 acres or 52.1 square miles. In total, 91.5 miles of stream are present within the Little Pine Creek subwatershed. Of these, approximately six miles from just downstream of Green Hill to Little Pine Creek’s confluence with the Wabash River are considered high quality or outstanding waters. Wabash River Enhancement Corporation Page 215 ARN #305-9-54 Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan 10 May 2011 Figure 136. Little Pine Creek subwatershed. Data used to create this map are detailed in Appendix A. 4.8.1 Soils Soils in the Little Pine Creek subwatershed are dominated by those that are unsuitable for use in septic treatment. Additionally, soils located on steeply sloped, easily erodible areas cover 4.4 square miles while those considered potentially highly erodible cover an additional 7 square miles (Figure 137). In total, nearly 35% of the watershed is considered highly erodible or potentially highly erodible. A majority of highly erodible soils are located along the lower portion of Little Pine Creek in Tippecanoe County, while potentially highly erodible soils border Little Pine Creek within Warren County. An additional 15.8 square miles or 30% of the subwatershed are covered by hydric soils. These soils indicate that much of the headwaters of Little Pine Creek were historically in wetland land. Current estimates indicate that wetlands cover approximately 3.1% of the subwatershed suggesting that less than 10% of historic wetlands are still present within the Little Pine Creek subwatershed. Wabash River Enhancement Corporation Page 216 ARN #305-9-54 Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan 10 May 2011 Figure 137. Properties of soils located in the Little Pine Creek subwatershed. Data used to create this map are detailed in Appendix A. 4.8.2 Land Use Agricultural land uses dominate the Little Pine Creek subwatershed accounting for 84% of land use. Urban land uses including the towns of Otterbein, Green Hill, and Armstrong account for 5.5% of the subwatershed land use. Forest and wetland land uses account for 10% of the subwatershed, while open water in the form of farm ponds covers less than 1% of the Little Pine Creek subwatershed. Continued development is of little concern in the Little Pine Creek subwatershed with no observable development occurring between 1992 and 2002. No observable plans for development were identified during the watershed inventory. Additionally, the Little Pine Creek subwatershed remains relatively undeveloped with only 0.8% of the subwatershed covered by impervious surfaces. Compared to estimates from the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP), this is a low impervious percentage indicating that runoff from hardscape should not be of great concern in the Little Pine Creek subwatershed. A large volume of publicly-owned or publicly-accessible lands are present in the Little Pine Creek Wabash River Enhancement Corporation Page 217 ARN #305-9-54 Region of the Great Bend of the Wabash River Watershed Management Plan 10 May 2011 subwatershed (Figure 138). NICHES Land Trust, Purdue Research Foundation, and Purdue University own land in the Indian Creek subwatershed.