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Biological and Water Quality Study of the Paint Creek Watershed 2006

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Biological and Water Quality Study of the Paint Creek Watershed 2006 State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Surface Water Biological and Water Quality Study of the Paint Creek Watershed 2006 Hydrologic Units 05060003 010, 020, 030, 040, 050, 060, 070, 080, 090, 100. Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Highland, Madison, and Ross Counties OHIO EPA Technical Report EAS/2008-1-2 August 29, 2008 Ted Strickland, Governor, State of Ohio Chris Korleski, Director DSW/EAS/2008-1-2 Paint Creek TSD August 29, 2008 Biological and Water Quality Study of the Paint Creek Watershed 2006 Clinton, Fayette, Greene, Highland, Madison, and Ross Counties August 29, 2008 OHIO EPA Technical Report EAS/2008-1-2 Prepared by: State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Lazarus Government Center 50 West Town Street, Suite 700 Columbus, Ohio 43215 Mailing Address: Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Lazarus Government Center P.O. Box 1049 Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049 Ted Strickland Governor, State of Ohio Chris Korleski Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency i DSW/EAS/2008-1-2 Paint Creek TSD August 29, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Notice To Users .............................................................................................................................xv Acknowledgments....................................................................................................................... xvii Foreword.................................................................................................................................... xviii Introduction......................................................................................................................................1 Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1 Recommendations - Hydrologic Unit 05060003 010 (Paint Creek mainstem and tributaries north of Washington C.H.).............................................................................................................10 Recommendations - Hydrologic Unit 05060003 020 (Sugar Creek and its tributaries)................16 Recommendations - 05060003 030 (Rattlesnake Creek and its tributaries upstream from the confluence with Lees Creek) .........................................................................................................17 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 040 (Lees Creek, Walnut Creek, Hardin Creek, Fall Creek and the Rattlesnake mainstem downstream from Lees Creek).........................18 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 050 Paint Creek mainstem downstream from the East Fork to the confluence with Rocky Fork.................................................................19 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 060 (Rocky Fork, Clear Creek and their tributaries)......................................................................................................................................20 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 070 (Paint Creek from Rocky Fork to the confluence with Lower Twin Creek, Lower Twin Creek, Upper Twin Creek and Buckskin Creek).............................................................................................................................................21 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 080 (North Fork of Paint Creek upstream from the confluence with Compton Creek, Compton Creek)........................................................22 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 090 (North Fork of Paint Creek downstream from Compton Creek, Biers Run, and Little Creek)......................................................................23 Recommendations – Hydrologic Unit 05060003 100 (Paint Creek downstream from the confluence with Lower Twin Creek, Cattail Run, Owl Creek, Plug Run, and Black Run)...........24 Study Area .....................................................................................................................................25 Surface Water Quality – Watershed Overview..............................................................................40 Surface Water Quality – Hydrologic Unit Assessments Paint Creek (headwaters to below East Fork) Assessment Unit (05060003-010).........................43 Sugar Creek Assessment Unit (05060003-020).............................................................................58 Rattlesnake Creek (headwaters to above Lees Creek) Assessment Unit (05060003-030)............64 North Fork Paint Creek (headwaters to below Compton Creek) Assessment Unit (05060003-080)..............................................................................................................................76 Ross, Highland, and Clinton counties - 11 digit HUC 05060003-040, 050, 060, 070, -090, and -100 .........................................................................................................................................82 Lees Creek, Hardin Creek, Fall Creek and Lower Rattlesnake Creek Assessment Unit (05060003-040)..............................................................................................................................88 Paint Creek Mainstem Assessment Unit (05060003-050).............................................................89 Rocky Fork and Clear Creek Assessment Unit (05060003-050)...................................................90 Recreational Use ............................................................................................................................95 Sediment Quality ...........................................................................................................................97 Effluent Discharges......................................................................................................................102 ii DSW/EAS/2008-1-2 Paint Creek TSD August 29, 2008 Physical Habitat Quality for Aquatic Life ...................................................................................116 Habitat Narratives for Individual Streams ...................................................................................119 Biological Quality - Fish Communities .......................................................................................131 Narrative Fish Community Assessments for Individual Streams................................................137 Fish Tissue ...................................................................................................................................153 Biological Quality - Macroinvertebrate Communities ................................................................156 Narrative Macroinvertebrate Community Assessments for Individual Streams .........................161 References....................................................................................................................................195 iii DSW/EAS/2008-1-2 Paint Creek TSD August 29, 2008 List of Figures Figure i. Hierarchy of administrative and environmental indicators which can be used for water quality management activities such as monitoring and assessment, reporting, and the evaluation of overall program effectiveness. This is patterned after a model developed by the U.S. EPA..................................................................................................................................xx Figure 1. Impairment noted during the 2006 Paint Creek survey apportioned by source. ...........10 Figure 2. Left panel: Landuse and land cover in the Paint Creek watershed from 2001 Landsat imagery. The percent of the watershed each class composes is shown to the right of each class. Right panel: Population density in the Paint Creek basin from the 2000 Census............................................................................................................................................26 Figure 3. The Paint Creek watershed subdivided by 11-digit hydrologic units............................27 Figure 4. Ammonia nitrogen concentrations measured in water quality samples collected from the Paint Creek basin during 2006. Yellow and red circles indicate ammonia concentrations that are toxic to aquatic life. Green circles show concentrations that are elevated well-above background concentrations and likely to be toxic to sensitive species. Light blue circles show concentrations elevated above background levels and that may be toxic only to highly intolerant species. Dark blue circles show concentrations typical of background levels. .........................................................................................................................41 Figure 5. Distributions of QHEI scores, total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) concentrations, minimum dissolved oxygen concentrations, and nitrate-nitrite nitrogen concentrations recorded during the Paint Creek survey and plotted by hydrologic unit. Stippled lines in the nitrogen plots correspond to the respective 90th percentile concentrations from a reference population of least impacted streams. The stippled line in the dissolved oxygen plot shows the water quality standard for the protection of aquatic life........................................42 Figure 6. Dissolved oxygen percent saturation (top) and dissolved oxygen concentrations (bottom) in relation to temperature recorded with hourly automated data loggers in Paint Creek near Elm Street, July 25-27, 2006. ......................................................................................44 Figure 7. Longitudinal profiles of selected nutrient water quality parameters for the Paint Creek mainstem. Dashed
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