Biological and Water Quality Study of the Rocky River and Select Tributaries Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, and Medina Counties
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Biological and Water Quality Study of the Rocky River and Select Tributaries Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, and Medina Counties Division of Surface Water August 2020 TMDL DEVELOPMENT | AMS/2014‐ROCKY‐2 Rocky River Watershed 2014‐15 August 2020 Biological and Water Quality Study of the Rocky River and Select Tributaries Sampling Years 2014‐2015 Cuyahoga, Summit, Lorain, and Medina Counties Prepared by State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Surface Water Lazarus Government Center 50 West Town Street, Suite 700 P.O. Box 1049 Columbus, Ohio 43216‐1049 Ecological Assessment Section 4675 Homer Ohio Lane Groveport, Ohio 43125 Northeast District Office 2110 East Aurora Road Twinsburg, Ohio 44087 Mike DeWine, Governor Laurie A. Stevenson, Director State of Ohio Ohio Environmental Protection Agency AMS/2014‐ROCKY‐2 Rocky River Watershed 2014‐15 August 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ vi List of Appendices (Separate Companion Document) ............................................................................... viii Executive summary ....................................................................................................................................... 9 Synopsis ...................................................................................................................................................... 12 Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Aquatic Life Use Status ........................................................................................................................... 11 Other Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 14 Future Monitoing .................................................................................................................................... 15 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 18 Study Area Description ............................................................................................................................... 23 NPDES Permitted Facilities .......................................................................................................................... 35 Surface Water Chemistry ............................................................................................................................ 47 Sediment chemistry .................................................................................................................................... 70 Recreation Use ............................................................................................................................................ 76 Physical Habitat For Aquatic Life ................................................................................................................ 82 Fish Community Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 91 Fish Community Trends: 1981‐2014 ......................................................................................................... 108 Macroinvertebrate Community ................................................................................................................ 118 Macrobenthos Community Trends ........................................................................................................... 132 Fish Tissue Contamination ........................................................................................................................ 133 Public Drinking Water Supplies ................................................................................................................. 143 Lake Sampling ........................................................................................................................................... 145 Inland Lake Program ......................................................................................................................... 145 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................... 156 References ................................................................................................................................................ 157 i AMS/2014‐ROCKY‐2 Rocky River Watershed 2014‐15 August 2020 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Cumulative aquatic life use attainment for all waters assessed as part of the Rocky River study area, 2014. ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 2. Rocky River study, showing political boundaries, locations of major and important minor NPDES permitees, and stream traces color‐coded to ALU status, 2014‐2015. ......................................... 14 Figure 3. ALU status Rocky River, 1981‐2014. Upper figures (pie graphs) are based upon the percentage of assessed stream miles common to each basin survey year. Waters so described includes the entire length of the Rocky River and East and West Branches, and portions of Abram Creek, Baldwin Creek, and Plum Creek (W. Br. tributary). Color‐coded stream traces (lower figures) represents ALU status for all waters assessed for over the past 33 years. Given their similarity, results from 1992 and 1997 basin surveys were combined into a single figure to ease communication of gross trends. .............................................................................................................................................. 6 Figure 4. Location of the Rocky River study area within the political boundaries of Ohio. ........................ 18 Figure 5. Principal rivers and streams, municipalities, and watershed boundary, Rocky River study area, 2014‐15. ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 6. Thirteen, 12‐digit Hydrologic Units (HUCs) that comprise the Rocky River watershed. .............. 24 Figure 7. Monitoring stations and sample type Rocky River watershed, 2014‐15. Note: station numbers correspond to those itemized in Table 4. ...................................................................................... 30 Figure 8. Soil series of the Rocky River watershed. .................................................................................... 32 Figure 9. Land use in the Rocky River watershed from National Land Cover Dataset, 2011. ..................... 34 Figure 11. Major and minor NPDES permitted facilities, Rocky River study area, 2014‐15. ...................... 37 Figure 12. Annual third‐quarter loadings of total phosphorus and ammonia for the North Olmsted WWTP in the Rocky River watershed study area, 1980‐2015. .................................................................. 41 Figure 13. Annual third‐quarter loadings of total flow, nitrate‐nitrite‐N, total phosphorus, ammonia, and total suspended solids for the Strongsville C WWTP in the Baldwin Creek subwatershed, 2005‐ 2015. .............................................................................................................................................. 44 Figure 14. Annual third‐quarter loadings of total flow, nitrate‐nitrite‐N, total phosphorus, ammonia, and total suspended solids for the North Royalton B WWTP in the Baldwin Creek subwatershed, 2005‐ 2015 ............................................................................................................................................... 45 Figure 15. Chemistry sites sampled in the Rocky River by Ohio EPA, 2014. ............................................... 47 Figure 16. Flow conditions in the Rocky River during the 2014 sampling season. ..................................... 48 Figure 17. Longitudinal median concentrations of phosphorus and ammonia, Rocky River, 1992‐2014. 57 Figure 18. Longitudinal median concentrations of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and nitrate‐nitrite‐N, Rocky River, 1992‐2014. ................................................................................................................ 58 Figure 19. Longitudinal median concentrations of ammonia and conductivity from Abram Creek, 1992‐ 2014. .............................................................................................................................................. 59 Figure 20. Longitudinal median concentrations of dissolved oxygen, Abram Creek, 1992‐2014. .............. 60 Figure 21. Logintundinal median concentrations of ammonia and nitrate‐nitrite‐N, West Branch Rocky River, 1992‐2014. ........................................................................................................................... 61 Figure 22.Longitudinal median concentrations of total suspended solids, West Branch Rocky River, 1992‐ 2014. .............................................................................................................................................. 62 Figure 23. Longitudinal