State of Environmental Protection Agency

June 2009 Stillwater River Watershed Draft TMDL Report

What are the essential facts? • Ohio EPA studied the Stillwater River watershed in 1999 and found water quality problems at multiple locations. • Ohio EPA completed a TMDL in 2004; this report revisits that analysis. • You may review the work to date. • The watershed can make progress towards restoration with practical, economical actions. • Improving the streams depends on the participation of the watershed’s residents.

What is the significance of this report? The Stillwater River Watershed TMDL Report is a tool to help improve and maintain water quality and habitat in the watershed.

What is a watershed? A watershed is the land area from which surface runoff drains into a specific body of water.

Where is the Stillwater River the 66,000 people who live in the Why revisit the 2004 TMDL? watershed? watershed. Ohio EPA decided to The Stillwater River water- Wasn’t there already a TMDL recompile the 2004 Stillwater shed drains 673 square miles in for the Stillwater? River TMDL watershed model to western Ohio (including 32 ensure an accurate model to square miles in ) mostly in Yes. Ohio EPA completed a support the Miami Conservancy Darke, Montgomery, and Miami TMDL in 2004 to address District nutrient trading program counties. The Stillwater River impairments of the aquatic life and to address concerns raised flows into the use. This report revisits the total by some point source dischargers in Dayton. phosphorus loading analysis in in the watershed. the 2004 TMDL. What does the watershed look like?

The lower Stillwater River is a State Scenic River, its banks lined with trees. In the upper watershed many of the smaller streams have been physically modified to facilitate drainage for row crop agriculture. More than 80 percent of the land is used for agriculture. Darke County, located in the upper watershed, has the second highest concentration of animal feeding operations in Ohio.

Downstream from the village of West Milton, the river lies above an aquifer that supplies drinking water for three-fourths of The Stillwater River, downstream of Webster, Darke County

Division of Surface Water, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio 43216-1049 (614) 644-2001 www.epa.state.oh.us

Stillwater River Watershed Draft TMDL Report By incorporating a finer resolution, more sophisticated techniques and more robust data, the revised model is a more accurate representation of the watershed. Thus, it provides a more reliable tool for predicting how much pollution the watershed can handle and still maintain water quality standards.

Are there any major changes in the new analysis?

Compared to the 2004 analysis, total phosphorus loads are lower for four point sources and higher for one. Permit limits for total phosphorus are no longer recommended for five facilities. A few small communities will be encouraged to connect to larger wastewater systems; these larger wastewater systems will be encouraged to allow the connection. Several specific areas need to eliminate or repair home sewage treatment systems.

Among nonpoint sources, the TMDL results suggest that the farm community is most responsible for phosphorus reductions given the high loads of organic (manure) and synthetic varying steam flows during the Most of the sites in the fertilizer applied to the watershed. winter and spring to support the watershed that did not meet or load reduction models. partially met water quality goals How does Ohio EPA measure were impaired because of water quality? The watershed’s conditions physical changes to the land. An were compared with state water overabundance of nutrients from Ohio measures the health of quality goals to determine which various sources also contributed its streams by examining the stream segments were impaired to problems. number and types of fish and and how much needed to be aquatic insects in the water. An done to restore good stream Stream channelization and abundance of fish and insects habitat and water quality. loss of floodplains and stream- that tolerate pollution is an side vegetation have degraded indicator of an unhealthy stream. What is the condition of the the creeks. When streams are A large number of insects and Stillwater River watershed? widened and deepened for fish that are sensitive to pollution agricultural drainage, they indicate a healthy stream. Ohio EPA’s study of the contribute excess soil to the watershed showed that bio- stream, which destroys habitat for In 1999, comprehensive logical problems are focused in fish and other aquatic life. biological, chemical, and physical the upper portions of the data were collected by Ohio EPA watershed. and When trees along the stream scientists. Additional water the lower portion of the Stillwater banks are removed, the lack of chemistry data were collected in River mainstem are in good to shade allows the water 2000 at selected locations and at excellent condition. temperature to increase, which

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Stillwater River Watershed Draft TMDL Report decreases the amount of dissolved oxygen available for What are the three most important “fixes” in the aquatic organisms. Increased watershed? sunlight also can lead to algal blooms, which use up more • Agricultural practice improvements dissolved oxygen when they die o Establish comprehensive nutrient management plans for and decompose. all animal feeding operations Encourage the use of best demonstrated technologies for Organic enrichment can also o decrease the amount of dissolved managing animal waste oxygen available to aquatic o Increase the number and width of vegetated filter strips on organisms, and at extreme levels, maintained ditches can cause fish kills and large o Increase the number of agricultural acres in no-till or algae blooms. Its sources are conservation tillage manure runoff and untreated • Restore stream habitat in agricultural areas sewage flowing from failing home o Establish and protect riparian buffers septic systems and small o Construct over-wide ditches, restore eroding stream banks communities without any and reconnect streams to the floodplains wastewater collection or treatment. o Apply natural channel design where appropriate • Reduce phosphorus loads from point sources in the Lack of water in small upper watershed. headwater streams, especially in the summer, makes it hard for numeric goals for total water quality and aquatic pollutants to be absorbed and phosphorus. biological communities. The treated by the natural stream basic principles of providing ecology. Agricultural drainage Ohio EPA can address some floodplain connectivity, stable practices such as tiling and of the Stillwater River problems stream morphology and routine dredging contribute to through regulatory actions, such watershed hydrology that uneven and unsustainable water as permits for wastewater and approximates natural conditions flow in these small streams, storm water dischargers. Other are applicable to all areas of the making it difficult to support good actions, such as committing to watershed. Likewise, stream aquatic life communities. proper manure management and buffers are appropriate for all reduced home sewage system land use types in the watershed. How will water quality get failures, will depend on local Other actions include: better? residents. ¾ All animal feeding opera-tions The Stillwater River What actions are needed to should adopt compre-hensive watershed is included on Ohio’s improve water quality? nutrient management plans. list of impaired waters. Under the Clean Water Act, a cleanup plan Because there are several ¾ Home sewage treatment is required for each impaired reasons why streams in the system (HSTS) inspection watershed. This cleanup plan, Stillwater River watershed fail to programs should be maintained known as a total maximum daily meet water quality goals, several by county health departments to load (TMDL) report, calculates types of actions are required to reduce organic and nutrient the maximum amount of improve the current condition and enrichment from HSTS failures. pollutants a water body can protect the watershed in the receive and still meet standards future. The recommendations ¾ Phosphorus effluent limits are (goals). should focus on reducing needed for several waste-water pollutant loads and/or increasing treatment plants in the upper The TMDL report specifies the capacity of the streams to watershed. how much pollution must be handle the remaining pollutant reduced from various sources loads. ¾ Local agencies should and recommends specific actions encourage the use of best to achieve these reductions. This Maintaining a natural flow demonstrated technologies for TMDL report provides specific regime is important for protecting managing animal waste and its

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Stillwater River Watershed Draft TMDL Report application to crop fields. Increasing the number and width of conservations buffers will help to remove animal waste in runoff before it reaches streams.

¾ Nutrient loading from agricultural fertilizers would be abated by conservation and management practices pro- moted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service. For example, adopting phosphorus index strategies would address the phosphorus concentration buildup on agricultural land in the watershed.

¾ Residential, commercial and Echeman conservation demonstration site in Darke County other urban areas can reduce overland loading of nutrients by with 69% going directly to land the only reason the lower practicing better timing and rate owners for BMP installation Stillwater River fails to meet of fertilizer application. and/or conservation easements. water quality goals. While the results have been Are any actions already noticeable in both land underway? management and water quality, Who is responsible for taking much remains to be action? The Stillwater Watershed accomplished. The endorsed Project has been implementing watershed action plan provides a Implementation of this best management practices roadmap for future action. report’s recommendations will be (BMPs) for the control of erosion accomplished by state and local and nutrient runoff, purchase of In addition to these grants, partners, including the voluntary conservation easements, and Ohio EPA has established a efforts of landowners. The education within the watershed. linked deposit low interest loan Stillwater Watershed Project, This effort has been funded program for agricultural founded in 1990, has made through a combination of grants equipment and practices within progress in improving water from Ohio EPA, Ohio Depart- the watershed. quality in the watershed and will ment of Natural Resources, and continue to be a partner with local U.S. Department of Agriculture. Finally, removal of the stakeholders. The watershed lowhead dam at Englewood coordinator is also a local More than $2 million have should be complete in 2009. The advocate for water quality been spent within the water-shed, impoundment behind this dam is improvement.

Where can I learn more? The Ohio EPA report containing the findings of the watershed survey and general information on TMDLs, water quality standards, 208 planning, permitting and other Ohio EPA programs, is available at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/index.html.

How can I comment on the draft report? The draft Stillwater River TMDL report will be available for public review from June 9 through July 10, 2009, at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/index.html. Comments should be mailed to Dale White, Ohio EPA, Division of Surface Water, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, Ohio, 43216, or e-mailed to [email protected]. After considering comments, Ohio EPA will submit a final document to U.S. EPA for approval.

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