Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601
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Preservation Parks of Delaware County, Ohio 2656 Hogback Road, Sunbury, OH 43074 Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 9-Element Implementation Strategy Published by: Preservation Parks of Delaware County Coldwater Consulting, LLC. 46 West Columbus Street January 22, 2019 P.O. Box 146 Approved March 12, 2019 Galena, OH 43021 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Page 1 SECTION ONE: Introduction Page 3 Section 1.1: Report Background Page 3 Section 1.2: Watershed Profile Page 3 Section 1.3 Public Participation Page 5 SECTION TWO: Summary of Watershed Characterization Page 7 Section 2.1: Physical and Natural Features Page 8 Geological Setting and Soils Page 9 General Habitat Conditions Page 10 Wetlands Page 11 Biology Page 11 Fish Page 12 Macroinvertebrates Page 13 Freshwater Mussels Page 14 Amphibians Page 15 Reptiles Page 16 Mammals Page 17 Birds Page 19 Invasive Species Page 20 Section 2.1.2: Land Use and Protection Page 21 Landmarks and Facilities Page 24 Section 2.2: Summary of HUC-12 Biological Trends Page 27 Section 2.3: Summary of HUC-12 NPS Pollution Causes & Sources Page 29 Section 2.4: Additional Information for Determining Critical Areas Page 29 SECTION THREE: Critical Areas and Restoration Strategies Page 31 Section 3.1: Overview of Critical Areas Page 32 Critical Area #1: Alum Creek Mainstem Page 32 Critical Area #2: Unnamed Tributary #1 at River Mile 25.08 Page 34 Section 3.2: Critical Area #1 Page 35 Detailed Characterization, Conditions, Goals and Objectives Page 35 Detailed Biological Conditions Page 37 Detailed Causes and Associated Sources Page 37 Goals and Objectives for Critical Area #1 Page 38 Section 3.3: Critical Area #2 Page 39 Detailed Characterization, Conditions, Goals and Objectives Page 39 Detailed Biological Conditions Page 39 Detailed Causes and Associated Sources Page 41 Goals and Objectives for Critical Area #2 Page 42 SECTION FOUR: Project and Implementation Strategy Overview Page 43 Project Overview Table for the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12 Page 44 Project Summary Sheet for Alum Creek HUC-050600011601 Page 45 Project Site Photographs—Current Conditions Page 49 REFERENCES CITED Page 53 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Tables and Figures Table 2-1 Alum Creek Watershed HUC-12 Units and Drainage Area Page 8 Table 2-2 Tributary Streams and Drainage Areas Page 9 Table 2-3 Fish Community Collected in the Watershed Page 12 Table 2-4 Macroinvertebrates Collected in the Watershed Page 13 Table 2-5 Freshwater Mussels Collected in the Watershed Page 15 Table 2-6 Amphibians Collected in the Watershed Page 16 Table 2-7 Reptiles Collected in the Watershed Page 17 Table 2-8 Mammals observed within the Watershed Page 18 Table 2-9 Bird Species common to the Watershed Page 19 Table 2-10 Land Use and Cover within the Watershed Page 21 Table 2-11 Population Growth Trends within Delaware County Page 23 Table 2-12 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results 1999-2003 Page 27 Table 2-13 Nonpoint Source Causes and Sources of Pollution Page 29 Table 3-1 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results 1999-2003 Page 36 Table 3-2 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results 1999-2003 Page 41 Table 4-1 Project Overview Table Page 45 Figure 1-1 Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek Watershed Page 4 Figure 2-1 Land Use within the Watershed Page 22 Figure 2-2 Landmarks and Features within the Watershed Page 25 Figure 2-3 Recreational Features within the Watershed Page 26 Figure 2-4 Ohio EPA Monitoring Stations Page 28 Figure 3.0 Map of Critical Areas within the HUC-12 Page 33 Figure 3-1 Critical Area #1 Map Page 35 Figure 3-2 Critical Area #2 Map Page 40 Acknowledgments Preservation Parks of Delaware County extends our gratitude to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for developing the template for 9-element planning in the state of Ohio. We particularly wish to acknowledge Rick Wilson, Cherie Blair and Greg Nageotte for their commitment to helping local governments, park districts such as ours, and other watershed groups better understand the process for meeting federal Environmental Protection Agency 9- element requirements. The template prepared by these individuals provides a clear path for successfully completing a 9-element watershed implementation strategy that meets the requirements of both state and federal agencies. We also wish to acknowledge the important contributions of the Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT) for their ongoing contributions to improving conditions within the lower Alum Creek watershed. The Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan completed on February 28, 2005 was an extremely valuable reference while completing this 9-element Implementation Strategy. FACT’s ongoing advocacy and public engagement insures that water quality improvement will continue to be an important goal for all who live within the Alum Creek watershed. 1 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19 Chapter One: Introduction The Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 watershed is located within Orange and Genoa townships in Delaware County, Ohio. This HUC-12 flows south from Alum Creek Dam to Schrock Road near Westerville, Ohio. The Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12 watershed drains 24.71 square miles and covers a land area of 15,815 acres. Land use within the watershed area is in transition with agricultural and open spaces quickly being converted to residential housing and commercial development. The Westerville City reservoir is within the HUC-12 boundaries and is an important drinking water supply to the city of Westerville. Recent land acquisition and protection within the watershed by the Preservation Parks of Delaware County have spurred interests in developing a 9-element watershed implementation strategy to help identify and address critical areas of disproportionate nonpoint causes of impairment and/or those areas needing further protection or restoration that are important to improving water quality. This implementation strategy will help to inform PPDC Park planning staff and other land managers with information and recommendations for needed actions to restore critical areas of impairment and to protect water quality. Figure 1-1 provides an overview of the boundaries of the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-050600011601 subwatershed. 1.1 Report Background The Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek 9-element implementation strategy is an update to prior watershed planning efforts such as the state endorsed Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan1 and the Total Maximum Load Study for the Big Walnut Creek (TMDL) that was completed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and later approved by US EPA in 2005. Planning at the smaller HUC-12 scale provides a more refined assessment of problems and potential solutions. 1.2 Watershed Profile and History Alum Creek is 58 miles long flowing from north to south draining approximately 200 square miles through portions of Morrow, Delaware and Franklin Counties. The watershed is located within the Eastern Cornbelt Ecoregion and is separated by Alum Creek Lake into two distinct sections. Upstream of the lake, upper sections of Alum Creek flows from north to south through approximately 100 square miles of land that is predominately used for agriculture and row crop production. Downstream from Alum Creek Dam the lower Alum Creek flows south through suburban and urban areas such as the cities of Westerville and Columbus, to its confluence with Big Walnut Creek in southeastern Franklin County. Alum Creek headwaters and upper reaches begin at an elevation of 1120 feet above sea level and drop an average of 7.4 feet per mile to an elevation of 714 feet above sea level at its mouth. Lower Alum Creek falls only on average of about 4 feet per mile between the reservoir and its mouth. (ODNR, 2001). 1 Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan, Friends of Alum Creek & Tributaries, February 28, 2005. 3 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19 LEGEND Alum Creek Road Centerline Lake Open Water 23 Watershed Boundary U.S. Route- U.S. State Route-315 State Interstate-71 ate Route-3 State Route-750 St Hoover Reservoir DELAWARE COUNTY FRANKLIN COUNTY Interstate-270 State Route-710 OGRIP OCTOBER 2018 WESTERVILLE RESERVOIR - ALUM CREEK HUC 050600011601 LOCATION FIGURE 1-1 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet The Alum Creek valley was first inhabited by the native Adena people more than 2,000 years ago. The Adena are noted for their mound building and seven of their mounds were constructed along Alum Creek. In later years the Lenape (Delaware) Indian tribe also established many settlements in the region. The first known European settler was Colonel Moses Byxbe who settled along the creek in 1805, two years after Ohio’s statehood. During the War of 1812, settlers along Alum Creek constructed Fort Cheshire. A 2-story log structure that could provide suitable defenses in the event of need. Fort Cheshire eventually was converted into a schoolhouse that was used as such until the commencement of the Civil War. Alum Creek was also noted for its role as a stop along the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad’s Sycamore Trail ran adjacent to Alum Creek. Africa Road, an important road within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600001601 is so named due to the settlement of 30 freed slaves from North Carolina who settled in the region. Remnants of the rich history of the Alum Creek Valley may be found in the form of pottery shards, arrowheads, and other native artifacts. Sprinkled throughout the watershed are historic placards, such as the one found where Fort Cheshire once stood, that provide peeks into the fascinating history of Alum Creek. Unfortunately, a significant amount of history lies buried under the waters of the 10.5-mile-long Alum Creek Reservoir that inundated the creek valley when it was constructed in 1974.