Biological and Water Quality Study of Big Darby Creek and Selected Tributaries 2001/2002
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State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Surface Water Biological and Water Quality Study of the Big Darby Creek Watershed, 2001/2002 Logan, Champaign, Union, Madison, Franklin and Pickaway Counties Greenside Darter Central Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdi bairdi) (Etheostoma blennioides Clubshell Mussel blennioides) (Pleurobema clava) Spotted Darter Eastern Banded Darter (Etheostoma maculatum) (Etheostoma zonale zonale) Helgrammite (Corydalus cornutus) Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus doloieui dolomieui) stonefly nymph mayfly nymph (Isonychia sp.) Bob Taft, Governor Christopher Jones, Director Biological and Water Quality Study of Big Darby Creek and Selected Tributaries 2001/2002 Logan, Champaign, Union, Madison, Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio June 2004 Ohio EPA Technical Report EAS/2004-6-3 prepared by State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Surface Water Lazarus Government Center 122 South Front St., Columbus OH 43215 Mail to: P.O. Box 1049, Columbus OH 43216-1049 Bob A Taft Governor, State of Ohio Christopher Jones Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency CONTENTS How To Use This Document.................................................. vii Notice to Users.............................................................. viii Acknowledgments .............................................................x Foreword ................................................................... xi Section A. General Study Discussion and Results A.1 Introduction.......................................................... A.1 A.2 Big Darby Creek Study Area Description ................................ A.10 A.2.1 Location / Size ..................................................A.10 A.2.2 Climate .......................................................A.10 A.2.3 Geology .......................................................A.13 A.2.4 Ecoregion ......................................................A.13 A.2.5 Groundwater ...................................................A.16 A.2.6 Soils ..........................................................A.16 A.2.7 Tributaries .....................................................A.19 A.2.8 Prairies / Wetlands ...............................................A.24 A.2.9 Land Use ......................................................A.29 A.2.10 Protected Lands .................................................A.32 A.2.11 Watershed Protection Funding Mechanisms - Non Point Source Pollution ................................................A.34 A.2.12 Local Government Structure - Land Use Planning ......................A.34 A.2.13 Conservation Programs - Practices ..................................A.36 A.3 Study Methods........................................................A.40 A.3.1 Determining Use Attainment Status .................................A.40 A.3.2 Habitat Assessment ..............................................A.41 A.3.3 Macroinvertebrate Community Assessment ...........................A.41 A.3.4 Fish Community Assessment ......................................A.42 A.3.5 Fish Tissue Assessment ...........................................A.42 A.3.6 Causal Associations ..............................................A.43 A.4 Summary of Findings by Data Type......................................A.44 A.4.1 Pollutant Loadings: 2001..........................................A.44 A.4.2 Spills and Wild Animal Kills in the Big Darby Creek Watershed: 1979-2002 ...........................................A.45 A.4.3 Chemical Water Quality ..........................................A.46 A.4.4 Datasonde™ Results .............................................A.53 A.4.5 Sediment Chemistry .............................................A.55 A.4.6 Instream and Riparian Habitat in Support of Aquatic Life ................A.57 i A.4.7 Macroinvertebrate Community .....................................A.66 A.4.7.1 Watershed Assessment ....................................A.66 A.4.7.2 Changes in Biological Community Performance: Macroinvertebrate Communities ............................A.77 A.4.7.3 Drainage Area Comparisons: Macroinvertebrate Communities ...........................................A.80 A.4.7.4 Trends in Unionid Mussel Communities ......................A.82 A.4.8 Fish Community ................................................A.84 A.4.8.1 Watershed Assessment ....................................A.84 A.4.8.2 Drainage Area Relationships ...............................A.93 A.5 Findings: Status of Designated Uses......................................A.96 A.5.1 Aquatic Life Uses ...............................................A.96 A.5.1.1 Understanding Use Attainability ...........................A.104 A.5.1.1.1 Background ..................................A.104 A.5.1.1.2 Requirements .................................A.105 A.5.1.2 Results ...............................................A.106 A.5.1.2.1 General Assigned Use Recommendations ..........A.107 A.5.1.2.2 Dual Assigned Use Recommendations .............A.118 A.5.2 Recreation Uses ................................................A.124 A.6 Findings: Discussion by Subwatershed ...................................A.130 A.7 Conclusions .........................................................A.163 A.8 Recommendations....................................................A.167 A.8.1 Protect Ground Water Sources ....................................A.167 A.8.2 Manage Storm Water ............................................A.167 A.8.3 Reduce Nutrient Enrichment ......................................A.168 A.8.4 Improve Habitat Quality .........................................A.169 A.8.5 Develop a Spill Response Plan ....................................A.170 A.8.6 Reduce Bacteria Levels ..........................................A.170 A.8.7 Monitor Watershed Condition .....................................A.171 A.8.7.1 Investigative Monitoring ..................................A.171 A.8.7.2 Periodic Follow-up Monitoring .............................A.172 A.8.7.3 Compliance Monitoring ...................................A.174 A.9 References ..........................................................A.175 A.10 Reader Assistance ...................................................A.181 A.10.1 Acronyms ....................................................A.181 A.10.2 Glossary ......................................................A.183 A.10.3 Mechanisms for Water Quality Impairment ..........................A.194 ii Section B. Detailed Discussion of Findings by Data Type List of Figures in Section B List of Tables in Section B B.1 Point Source Pollutant Loadings.......................................... B.1.1 B.2 Spills and Wild Animal Kills in the Big Darby Creek Watershed: 1979-2002 ...... B.2.1 B.3 Chemical Water Quality ................................................ B.3.1 B.3.1 Chemical, Physical Water Quality Changes: 1979-2001 ............... B.3.83 B.4 Datasonde Results ..................................................... B.4.1 B.5 Sediment Chemistry................................................... B.5.1 B.6 Instream and Riparian Habitat in Support of Aquatic Life ...................... B.6.1 B.7 Macroinvertebrate Community........................................... B.7.1 B.7.1 Watershed Assessment .......................................... B.7.1 B.7.2 Changes in Biological Community Performance: Macroinvertebrate Communities .................................. B.7.59 B.7.3 Drainage Area Comparisons: Macroinvertebrate Communities .......... B.7.67 B.7.4 Trends in Unionid Mussel Communities ............................ B.7.72 B.8 Fish Community...................................................... B.8.1 B.8.1 Watershed Assessment .......................................... B.8.1 B.8.2 Drainage Area Relationships ..................................... B.8.52 B.8.3 Fish Tissue Samples ........................................... B.8.67 Section C. Appendices List of Figures in Section C List of Tables in Section C C.1 Water Chemistry........................................................C.1 C.2 Physical Habitat ........................................................C.2 C.3 Mussel Species Richness Maps ............................................C.3 iii FIGURES IN SECTION A A.1. Map of the Big Darby Creek watershed ...................................A.12 A.2. Glacial geology in west central Ohio ......................................A.14 A.3. Ecoregions of Ohio with subecoregions...................................A.15 A.4. Glacial groundwater yield in the Big Darby watershed ........................A.17 A.5. Generalized soils map .................................................A.18 A.6. Prairies of the “Virginia Military Lands” ..................................A.26 A.7. Map of some fens and forest seeps on a portion of the Little Darby Creek ........A.27 A.8. Map of some fens and forest seeps on a portion of the Little Darby Creek ........A.28 A.9. 1997 land use in Darby Creek watershed ..................................A.31 A.10. Protected land .......................................................A.33 A.11. The four watershed assessment units of the Big Darby Creek watershed .........A.132 iv TABLES IN SECTION A A.1. Sampling locations in the Big Darby Creek watershed, June - October, 2001 .......A.3 A.2. Sampling locations in the Big Darby Creek watershed, June - October, 2002 .......A.7 A.3. Total monthly precipitation for the years 2000 - 2003, Bellefontaine and Marysville stations ................................................A.11 A.4.