Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan
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Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan Developed by The Lavon Lake Watershed Partnership June 2017 Cover photo of Lavon Lake. Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan Prepared for the Lavon Lake Watershed Partnership by North Texas Municipal Water District Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Service Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board Funding for the development of this Watershed Protection Plan was provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s State Nonpoint Source Grant Program and the North Texas Municipal Water District. Page i Acknowledgements This document and the efforts behind its completion are the result of collaboration and cooperation between many different groups and individuals. These stakeholders have played an important role in the Lavon Lake Watershed Partnership. First and foremost, the Partnership wishes to express thanks to the members of the Steering Committee for their investments of time and energy in participating throughout the process. Without their direction and support, development of this plan would not have been possible. Through the Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan, their efforts serve as an example to all stakeholders of the importance of active stewardship of water resources. The Lavon Lake Watershed Partnership also would like to thank the members of the Technical Advisory Group for their assistance and advice: North Texas Municipal Water Texas Department of Agriculture District Texas State Soil and Water Texas Commission on Conservation Board Environmental Quality U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Texas Farm Bureau Texas Parks & Wildlife Department USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service U.S. Environmental Protection Agency USDA Farm Service Agency Texas A&M AgriLife Research and U.S. Geological Survey Extension Services The Partnership would like to thank Galen Roberts with the North Texas Municipal Water District, Dr. Jake Mowrer with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and Liza Parker and Mitch Conine with the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board for authoring the Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan. The Partnership also expresses thanks to Dr. R. Karthikeyan, Kyna Borel, and Vaishali Swaminathan of the Texas A&M University Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department and David Shoemate and Dr. Raghavan Srinivasan of the Texas A&M University Spatial Sciences Laboratory for their expertise and tremendous assistance in analyzing land use and water quality for this project. The Partnership is especially grateful to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board for technical and financial support of this effort. Funding provided through the TSSWCB enabled the development of this Watershed Protection Plan and established a solid foundation for watershed stewardship in Lavon Lake. Page ii Statement of Purpose Lavon Lake is a vital resource for the area, providing municipal water supply, flood control, wildlife habitat, and opportunities for recreation. Over 1.6 million North Texas residents rely on Lavon Lake as their primary source of drinking water. The land surrounding the lake supports a wide array of agricultural, industrial, and urban uses. Although the majority of the watershed is rural, the southwestern portion of the watershed is one of the most rapidly developing urban areas in the nation. Agriculture remains a vital part of the local economy, but the economic landscape in the watershed is changing as land uses shift from rural to urban. In 2010, two tributaries to Lavon Lake were identified as impaired due to elevated levels of E. coli bacteria. The Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan was developed using a stakeholder process to provide a foundation for addressing these bacteria issues and to protect water quality in Lavon Lake and its tributaries from other pollutants of concern. By identifying key water quality issues and determining their contributing factors, management programs and public outreach efforts can be targeted to protect the vital water resources of this watershed. The Lavon Lake Watershed Protection Plan incorporates analysis of existing water quality data and investigation of potential pollutant sources to develop a strategy for addressing water quality concerns. Stakeholders are any individual or group that may be directly or indirectly affected by activities implemented to protect water quality, such as citizens, civic organizations, businesses, municipalities, county governments, river authorities, soil and water conservation districts, agricultural committees, nonprofit organizations, and state and federal agencies. This Watershed Protection Plan is a means by which stakeholders can become more familiar with the Lavon Lake watershed and help protect the quality and health of their water resources through adoption of voluntary management practices. It helps focus protection efforts and enables financial and technical assistance to facilitate improvements in the Lavon Lake watershed. The plan is intended to be a living document, adjusted to include new data and modified as conditions in the watershed change over time. It will evolve as needs and circumstances dictate and will be guided by stakeholders as they undertake active stewardship of the watershed. Page iii Table of Contents Page List of Figures.. .............................................................................................................................. vi List of Tables.... ............................................................................................................................. ix Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... xi Section 1 - Watershed Management ................................................................................................1 1.1 - Watersheds and Water Quality ......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 - Benefits of a Watershed Approach ................................................................................................... 2 1.3 - Watershed Protection Planning ......................................................................................................... 2 Section 2 - Overview of the Watershed ...........................................................................................3 2.1 - Geography......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 - Physical and Natural Features........................................................................................................... 7 2.3 - Climate ............................................................................................................................................ 13 2.4 - History ............................................................................................................................................ 14 2.5 - Land Uses ....................................................................................................................................... 15 2.6 - Permitted Discharges ...................................................................................................................... 16 2.7 - Water Quality .................................................................................................................................. 19 2.8 - Watershed Selection ....................................................................................................................... 24 Section 3 - The Lavon Lake Partnership ........................................................................................25 3.1 - Partnership Formation .................................................................................................................... 25 3.2 - Partnership Meetings ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.3 - Partnership Structure ...................................................................................................................... 26 Section 4 - Methods of Analysis ....................................................................................................29 4.1 - Land Use Classification .................................................................................................................. 29 4.2 - Determining Sources of Pollution................................................................................................... 32 4.3 - Determining Bacteria Loads ........................................................................................................... 39 4.4 - Determining Sediment Loads ......................................................................................................... 43 4.5 - Determining Nutrient Loads ........................................................................................................... 44 4.6 - Recommended Percent Load Reduction ......................................................................................... 52 4.7 - Annual Loads and Load Reductions ............................................................................................... 53 4.8 - How Variable Flows Influence Trends in Pollutant Loads ............................................................. 54 Section 5 - Pollutant Source Assessment .......................................................................................56