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.

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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. For more information on the history of Alum Creek refer to the Lower Alum Creek Watershed Plan that was completed by the Friends of the Alum Creek and Tributaries in February 2005. The Lower Alum Creek is divided into two HUC-12 watershed units, the Westerville – Alum Creek (HUC 050600011601) and Bliss Run – Alum Creek (HUC 050600011602). Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 is the northernmost subwatershed within the Lower Alum Creek and drains an area stretching from the foot of the Alum Creek dam southward to Schrock Road in the city of Westerville. It is in central Ohio, flowing through portions of Delaware and Franklin Counties. The Westerville – Alum Creek HUC area includes parts of Orange and Genoa Townships in Delaware County and small portions of Sharon and Blendon Townships in Franklin County. This 9-element Implementation Strategy is limited to the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 that drains 24.71 square miles and a land area of 15,815 acres immediately downstream of Alum Creek dam.

1.3 Public Participation and Involvement The draft 9-element plan was shared with multiple stakeholders throughout the watershed and their input was solicited and received. Watershed partners who participated in this review and comment process included Orange Township, Genoa Township, Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT), the city of Westerville and the Delaware Soil & Water Conservation District.

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Preservation Parks staff attended an Orange Township Trustee meeting on December 3rd, 2018 and provided a presentation on the 9-element watershed implementation plan to the Trustees. PPDC’s Executive Director Tom Curtin described the purpose of the plan and discussed in some detail the two critical areas that are identified within the draft plan. The trustees asked several questions about Critical Area #2 and potential timing for the stream and floodplain restoration project that is linked to that critical area. The trustees were pleased with the direction of the project and supportive of its implementation. This was a public meeting that was attended by 15 members of the general public in addition to the trustees and township staff.

On December 4th, Preservation Parks staff attended a Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT) meeting to present the plan to the FACT board. Deputy Director Mary Van Haaften presented an overview of the plan and the proposed critical areas. FACT Board Members were pleased and supportive of the plan and expressed their interest in coordinating with other watershed partners to create a similar plan for the HUC watershed unit immediately downstream from the subject of this 9-element plan. The southern HUC unit is Bliss Run-Alum Creek 050600011602. They also requested that we revise the recommended setback that is included in this draft plan to “the upper outer bank slope for the 125-foot set back” on each side of the Alum Creek mainstem. Additional comments received by FACT on January 13th, 2019 were incorporated into the final draft of this plan. As the local watershed group affiliated with Alum Creek, FACT was very supportive of the 9-element plan for Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12.

Preservation Parks provided the draft 9-element plan to Genoa Township and following their review by a trustee, Genoa Township had no additional comments or concerns.

Preservation Parks staff discussed the 9-element planning process with the city of Westerville Parks and Recreation staff and forwarded the draft plan to Westerville for their review and comment. They had only one comment and that was to add additional city parks to the Alum Creek HUC Recreational features -Figure 2.3. Their suggestion was added to the final draft of the plan.

The Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District is an important stakeholder in the Alum Creek watershed. Preservation Parks provided the draft plan to Delaware SWCD in early December 2019. We received word back from the district on January 14th, 2019 that they are supportive of the planning effort but had no further suggestions for revision.

It is clear from the feedback and input that we received from watershed stakeholders that there is strong support for the 9-element plan that we have prepared for the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 and that the goals and objectives for each of the critical areas align with stakeholder interests.

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Section Two

Watershed Characterization and Assessment Summary

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Chapter Two: Summary of HUC-12 Watershed Characterization 2.1 Physical and Natural Features The Alum Creek watershed flows 58 miles from its source in Morrow County through Delaware and Franklin counties before joining with Big Walnut Creek in Bexley, Ohio. The watershed is located almost exclusively within the Loamy High Lime Till Plains of the Eastern Cornbelt Ecoregion. This subecoregion is characterized by till plains of level to rolling terrain with low gradient streams, ground moraines, end moraines and glacial outwash features. Northern areas of the watershed are dominated by agriculture while most of the lower reaches of the watershed are dominated by residential and urban land use. Located in the geographic “center” of the watershed is Alum Creek Lake, a ten-and-a-half-mile long flood control reservoir that was constructed in 1974 and is an important raw water supply for the city of Columbus and surrounding communities. The reservoir covers nearly 3400 acres and serves to divide the watershed into an upper section and Lower Alum Creek. Upper Alum Creek is comprised of four HUC-12’s draining approximately 122 square miles and about 100,000 acres as it flows through Morrow and northern sections of Delaware counties. The lower Alum Creek watershed, which flows through Delaware and Franklin counties starting at the base of Alum Creek dam, is comprised of two HUC-12 units and drains a little more than 77 square miles and 49,681 acres. Elevation falls only 4 feet per mile from the mouth of Alum Creek Dam (upstream most reach of this HUC 12) to the confluence of the Alum Creek with Big Walnut Creek (downstream most boundary of the HUC-12). Table 2.1 includes a listing of the HUC-12 units within the Alum Creek watershed. Table 2-1 Alum Creek Watershed HUC-12 Units and Drainage Areas

Alum Creek Watershed Drainage Area Acres 050600011401 West Branch Alum Creek 29.47 miles2 18,863.80 050600011402 Headwaters Alum Creek 35.5 miles2 22,749.43 050600011403 Big Run – Alum Creek 37.17 miles2 23,785.79 050600011404 Alum Creek Dam – Alum Creek 20.27 miles2 12,973.69 050600011601 Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek 24.71 miles2 15,815.20 050600011602 Bliss Run – Alum Creek 52.92 miles2 33,866.32

The lower Alum Creek watershed has two HUC-12 units. The first HUC-12 is the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek (HUC 050600011601) and is the focus of this 9-element Implementation Strategy. The Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 is located within Orange and Genoa townships in Delaware County, Ohio and flows south from Alum Creek Dam for 6.9 miles to Schrock Road near Westerville, Ohio. The second HUC-12 is

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Bliss Run – Alum Creek (HUC 050600011602) which flows from Westerville through Columbus to its confluence with Big Walnut Creek in Bexley, Ohio. The Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 05060001601 has 13 small tributary streams joining the mainstem of Alum Creek. Only four of the 13 tributaries are named streams and none are longer than 6.1 miles in length. About half are less than 2 miles in length. None of these streams have a Designated Aquatic Life Use (ALU) assigned by Ohio EPA. Table 2.2 provides general locational information about each of the tributaries within this HUC-12 subwatershed: Table 2-2 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Tributary Streams and Drainage Areas

Tributary River Mile Alum Stream Watershed Nearest Road Flows Name Creek Length Size (miles2) Crossing from (miles) Unnamed 26.13 1.23 miles 0.6 Interstate 71 West Unnamed 25.95 3.92 1.6 Interstate 71 West Unnamed 25.50 2.80 2.1 Worthington Rd East Unnamed 25.08 3.01 0.7 Bale-Kenyon West Unnamed 24.35 1.25 0.4 Worthington Rd East Unnamed 24.12 1.50 0.6 Worthington Rd West Indian Run 23.47 1.50 0.6 Polaris Parkway East Unnamed 23.34 1.29 0.4 Cleveland Ave. East Unnamed 22.97 2.42 1.0 Cleveland Ave. West Unnamed 22.42 3.55 1.3 Cleveland Ave. West County Line Run 21.50 1.60 0.8 Main Street East Alkire Run County Line Run Trib 1.8 1.0 Main Street East Noble Run 20.34 6.11 3.9 Schrock Road West

Geological Setting and Soils Bedrock throughout the Alum Creek Watershed is comprised mostly of limestone and shale that was formed under seas of the Paleozoic era. The entire Alum Creek watershed was covered by glaciers during the Wisconsinian and Illinoian eras. The influence of these geologic events is observed today with the relatively flat landscape, level hills and the soils within the watershed. The materials left behind by the ice sheets consist of clay, sand, gravel and boulders in various types of deposits such as ground and end moraines, outwash, kames and eskers. The origin of substrates found in Alum Creek is from the two periods when glaciers covered the region. In areas of slow flow and pools, the substrates are mostly silt and sand. In areas of the watershed with moderate to higher flow velocity, larger cobbles and gravel are prominent. The lower Alum Creek watershed is within the Loamy High Lime Till Plains subecoregion of Eastern Corn Belt Plains ecoregion. This region contains soils that developed from glacial

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depositions of Wisconsinian age. Soils in the lower portions of the watershed have better natural drainage characteristics than the soils of the High Lime Till Plain Region that lies to the north of the reservoir throughout upper reaches of the watershed. Alluvial soils found along the Alum Creek mainstem are predominately Medway, Genessee and Sloan. These soils have high permeability and high-water holding capacity. Medway is an occasionally-flooded silt loam that is underlain at depth by silty/clay/gravelly loams. Genessee is a silty loam that is nearly level and underlain by silty/clay/gravelly loams. It is well-suited to trees and other vegetation. Sloan soils are also frequently flooded, level, deep and poorly drained silty loam that is found near the water’s edge. Soils in upland regions of the watershed are primarily Bennington and Pewamo, both of which are poorly drained. The slow permeability rates associated with Pewamo soils often find wetlands associated with this soil type. Bennington soils are mottled, firm silty clay loam that are underlain by firm clay loam glacial till. Increased runoff and erosion are known problems associated with Bennington soils. The Bennington soils have the highest K values (susceptibility of erosion) within the entire Alum Creek watershed and are especially vulnerable within Delaware and Franklin counties in which the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12 is located. Additional information about soils within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC-12 may be found in the Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan completed by the Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT) in 2005. General Habitat Conditions Physical habitat conditions throughout the Alum Creek watershed range from very good to quite poor in urban and other areas where alterations such as channelization, armoring of stream banks and riparian zones and removal of riparian vegetation have occurred. Areas of high-quality in- stream habitat include in-stream riffles, runs and pools with other important habitat features such as woody debris, boulders and rock slabs. These areas also often include riparian areas that are well forested with intact riparian buffer areas. This diversity of habitat in high quality areas provides for the diversity of life within a stream. In the Westerville Reservoir - Alum Creek sub- watershed this is particularly evident when we look at regions immediately below Alum Creek Dam where streamside forests are relatively intact, and in-stream and near-stream habitat is diverse. In these areas, biological diversity and an abundance of life is evident. Areas that have been modified such as the urban and suburban areas of the HUC-12 near Schrock Road in the city of Westerville (RM 19.8), biological communities are suppressed and/or not very diverse. According to Ohio EPA’s 2016 Integrated Report, there are four primary nonpoint source causes of impairment in the Alum Creek watershed. These include hydromodification, habitat alteration, sediment and silt, and organic enrichment. All are having impacts on biological communities. Nutrients are also elevated throughout the HUC-12 and are the primary cause of recreational use impairments within the watershed. Hydromodification includes activities that directly modify streams such as channel straightening, channel relocation, dam construction,

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dredging, and in-stream mining. Habitat alteration activities include removal of riparian forests/trees, suburban development, floodplain development and others. Sediments and silts are by far the most common nonpoint source pollutant and are currently contributing to aquatic life use impairments within the watershed. Soil loss is measured in tons/year and in many areas of the watershed soil loss is excessive. One small tributary stream at RM 25.08 has eroded its stream banks so severely that the channel is now 7-8 feet below the surface of the floodplain. As a result, this small perennial stream no longer has access to a functional floodplain and is a disproportionate contributor of sediment to the mainstem of Alum Creek. Sediment loads from this stream pose a direct and ongoing threat to downstream biological communities and water quality. Silt and sediment can bury fish spawning areas, embed substrates such that macroinvertebrate populations decline and potentially clog the gills of fish and aquatic salamander and insect larvae. Nutrients can cause nuisance algal blooms which cause oxygen levels to seriously decline in aquatic settings. Fortunately, nutrient related issues such as harmful algal blooms (HAB) have not yet been identified as significant concerns within the Alum Creek watershed. Wetlands Ohio has lost more than 90% of its natural wetlands, drained, filled or converted to agricultural, residential, commercial or other types of uses. Naturally occurring wetlands in the Alum Creek watershed have suffered similar fates and now represent a very small component of the landscape. Small (< 1-3 acres) forested, scrub-shrub and emergent wetlands pepper the landscape in the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 subwatershed. In the city of Westerville, there is a rather large forested wetland system that can be found in the 100- year floodplain of the lower reaches of this subwatershed. This wetland is protected as part of the city of Westerville’s Heritage Park. The wetland was created as a result of clay extraction at the turn of the century and has formed a high-quality wetland with large sycamore trees and buttonbush. Restoration of existing degraded wetlands should be a high priority within the watershed. Biology Alum Creek within the bounds of the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 maintains a relatively healthy and diverse community of fish, macroinvertebrates and upland animals such as birds and mammals. In recent years, state threatened Bald Eagles have established nests immediately upstream in the Alum Creek State Park and can frequently be observed within this subwatershed. Fish The Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 has a relatively healthy fish community within the mainstem of Alum Creek. Biological monitoring conducted by Otterbein College in 1997 collected 39 species of fish from four sampling locations. Ohio EPA monitoring completed within the same general area in 2003 collected 29 species. The results of these two surveys identified 41 different species of fish living in the general area of the Westerville 11 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601. Historically, as many as 79 different species were observed within the watershed but sediment and habitat alteration from suburban development within the watershed have contributed to this significant decline in fish diversity over time. Results from Ohio EPA’s most recent sampling in 2003 indicate that biological communities within upper reaches of the HUC-12 subwatershed met WWH criteria. A listing of the 41 different species of fish collected in collected in 1997 by Otterbein University and also in 2003 by Ohio EPA is included in Table 2-3. Table 2-3 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Fish Community within Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601

Common Name Scientific Name

Common Carp Cyprinus carpio Northern Creek Chub Semotilus atromaculatus atromaculatus Suckermouth Minnow Phenacobious mirabilis Silver Shiner Notropis photgenis Striped Shiner Luxilus chryocephalus chrocephalus Spotfin Shiner Cyprinella spilopterus Northern Flathead Minnow Pimephales promelas promelas Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus Stoneroller Minnow Campostoma anomalum anomalum Silver Redhorse Moxostoma anisurum Black Redhorse Moxostoma duquesnel Golden Redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum Northern Hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans White Sucker Catostomus commersoni commersoni Spotted Sucker Minytream melanops Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Yellow Bullhead Amerleurus natalis Brindled Madtom Noturus miurus Trout-perch Percopsis omiscomaycus White Bass Morone Chrsops White Crappie Pomoxis annularis Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus Rock Bass Amblopiltes rupestris rupestris Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieul dolomieul Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides salmoides Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus Bluegill Sunfish Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus Longear Sunfish Lepomis megalotis megalotis Pumpkinseed Sunfish Lepomis gibbosus Saugeye Stizostedion canadense x vitreum Yellow Perch Perca flavenscans Blackside Darter Percina maculate Logperch Darter Percina caprodes caprodes Johnny Darter Etheostoma nigrum nigrum Greenside Darter Etheostoma blenniodes blenniodes Banded Darter Etheostoma zonale zonale Rainbow Darter Etheostoma caeruleum

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Common Name Scientific Name

Barred Fantail Darter Etheostoma flabellare flabellare Tippecanoe Darter Etheostoma tippecanoe Mottled Sculpin Cottus bairdi bairdi Longnose Gar Lepisosteus osseus Freshwater Drum Aplodinotus grunniens Muskellunge Esox masquinongy ohioensis

Macroinvertebrates Macroinvertebrates such as crayfish and larval insects are important food sources for fish, birds and other animals that live along or near Alum Creek. They are also very good indicators of water quality since several species spend up to two years in their aquatic nymph stage. The presence of pollution sensitive macroinvertebrates such as mayflies, stoneflies and dobsonfly larva are good indicators that water quality has been stable and of high quality. Biological surveys that have been completed within the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek watershed found that insect species dominated the macroinvertebrate communities. Table 2-5 is a representative list of macroinvertebrates that were identified and collected within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 by Ohio EPA in 2002 and Dr. Hogarth of Otterbein College in 1997. Table 2-4 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Macroinvertebrates Collected in the Watershed

Scientific Name Common Name

Spongilla sp. Freshwater sponge Ephydatia sp Freshwater sponge Euncapius sp. Freshwater sponge Planaria Dugusia sp.. Flatworm Oligochaeta Aquatic earth worm Hirudinea Leech Nermeta Ribbon worm Plumatella sp. Moss animal Urnatella sp. Endoprocts Physella integra Ashy physa Elimia livescens River snail Ferrissia rivularis River limpet Stagnicola elodes Pond snail Corbicula fluminea Asiatic snail Musulium transversum Fingernail clam Pisidium compressum Pea clam Dreissena polymorpha Zebra mussel Gamarus sp. Scud Orconectes sanbornii Sanborn’s Crayfish

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Table 2-4 (continued) Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Macroinvertebrates Collected in the Watershed

Scientific Name Common Name Oronectes rusticus Rusty crayfish Cambarus sciotensis Scioto crayfish Baetis sp. Mayfly Baet5isca sp. Mayfly Ephemera sp. Mayfly Ephemera sp. Mayfly Caenis sp. Mayfly Steonema sp. Mayfly Argia sp. Damselfly Enallagma sp. Damselfly Calopteryx sp. Damselfly Macromia sp. Dragonfly Dromogomphus sp. Dragonfly Boyeria sp. Dragonfly Isoperla sp. Stonefly Gerris gerris Water strider Corrixidae Water boatman Ranatra sp. Water scorpion Hydropsyche sp. Caddisfly Helicophysyche sp. Caddisfly Limnephilidae Caddisfly Megaloptera corydalus sp. Dobsonfly Dineutus sp. Whirlygig beetle Gyrinus sp. Whirlygig beetle Peltodytees sp. Crawling water beetle Laccophilus sp. Diving beetle Psephemus sp. Water penny beetle Macronychus sp. Riffle beetle Chironomidae Midge fly Tipullidae Crane fly Simulidae Black fly Tabanidae Deer fly

Freshwater Mussels Mussel surveys completed within the HUC-12 identified and collected 17 different species of freshwater mussels including the dead shell of endangered rayed bean (Villosa fabalis) and the threatened species snuffbox (Epioblasma tirqetra). Because there were no living specimens of these two species of mussels collected, it is possible that both of these species are no longer living within the HUC-12 planning area. Both are silt and sediment intolerant and are also likely victims of the increased siltation and sedimentation that has been ongoing in the watershed. Additional survey work is necessary to confirm their disappearance. Live specimens of two

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species of special interest were collected in the stream including the creek heelsplitter (Lasmigona compressa) and the round pigtoe (Pleurobema sintoxia). As long as stream conditions and water quality do not deteriorate too severely it is expected that both of these freshwater mussel species will continue to live within this segment of Alum Creek. Recent surveys are showing an increase in non-native mussel species such as the Zebra Mussel (Driessena polymorpha) which was likely introduced into Alum Creek Reservoir by boaters. Table 2-5 includes a representative listing of freshwater mussel species that were collected and identified within HUC 050600011601. Table 2-5 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Freshwater Mussels collected within the watershed

Scientific Name Common Name Status Amblema plicata plicata Three ridge Common Elliptio dilatate Spike Common Epiboblasma trigquetra Snuffbox (dead shell) Federally Threatened Fusconaia flava Wabash pigtoe Lampsilis radiata luteola Fat mucket Lampsilis ventricosa Plain pocketbook Lasmigona complanate White heelsplitter Lasmigona compressa Creek heelsplitter State Special Interest Lasmigona costata Fluted-shell Obovaria subrotunda Round hickorynut Pleurobema sintoxia Round pigtoe State Special Interest Ptchobranchus fasciolaris Kidney shell Pyganodon grandis Giant floater Utterbackia imbecillus Paper pondshell Villosa fabalis Rayed bean (dead shells) Federally Endangered Stophitus undulates Creeper Villosa iris irs Rainbow Dreissena polymorpha Zebra Mussel Invasive Species

Amphibians Amphibian species living within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum subwatershed of Alum Creek are those common to central Ohio. Amphibians are more often heard than seen, identified and confirmed by their breeding songs in wetlands and vernal pools during early spring months. Frogs and toads are most often found along the edges of the stream and nearby upland areas. Others like the gray treefrog are strictly arboreal, living among the mature trees in forested areas of the watershed.

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Jefferson Salamander Bullfrog Ambystoma jeffersonianum Lithobates catesbeianus

Table 2-7 provides a representative listing of the amphibians commonly found within the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek subwatershed.

Table 2-6 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Amphibians collected within the Watershed

Scientific Name Common Name

Necturus maculosus Mudpuppy Eurycea bislineata Northern two-lined Salamander Ambystoma maculatum Spotted Salamander Ambystoma tigrinum Eastern Tiger Salamander Ambystoma jeffersonianum Jefferson Salamander Ambystoma texanum Small mouthed Salamander Desmognathus fuscus Northern Dusky Salamander Eurycea longicanda Long-tailed salamander Plethodon cinereus Eastern Red-backed Salamander Notophthalmus viriescens Red Spotted Newt Pseudacris crusifer Spring peeper Lithobates clamitans Green frog Litobates pipiens Northern Leopard frog Lithobates catesbeianus Bullfrog Lithobates palustris Pickerel frog Hyla versicolor Gray Treefrog Psuedacris triseriata Mountain Chorus frog Bufo americanus American Toad Anaxyxus fowleri Fowlers Toad

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Reptiles

Reptiles such as turtles and snakes in and along Alum Creek may often be observed sunning themselves on rocks and boulders in the stream, along the riverbanks, or in the case of snakes, slithering in the overhanging limbs of streamside trees. Snakes are usually quite secretive, often hiding among wood piles and other debris. There are no venomous snakes residing in the watershed. Turtles are the most commonly observed reptiles within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek subwatershed. All are aquatic based except for the occasional Eastern Box Turtle that is a terrestrial species. Table 2-8 includes a listing of reptiles commonly found within the sub watershed. Table 2-7 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Reptiles collected within the Watershed

Scientific Name Common Name

Chelydra serpentina Snapping Turtle Chrysemys picta marginata Midland Painted Turtle Apalone s. spinfera Eastern Spiny Softshell Sternotherus ordoratus Common Musk Turtle Terrapene Carolina carolina Eastern Box Turtle Neroida sipedon Common Watersnake Regina septemvittata Queensnake Coluber constrictus Black Racer Sotreia dekayi dekayi Dekays Brown Snake Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis Eastern Garter Snake Pantherophis alleghaniansis Black Rat Snake Lampropeltis triangulum Eastern Fox Snake Plestiodon fasciatus Five-lined Skink

Mammals

Gray Squirrel Raccoon White-tailed Deer

Wildlife populations within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC-12 subwatershed are those that are common to central Ohio. However, it is also somewhat likely that the watershed may be home to limited numbers of federally endangered Indiana Bats (Myotis sodalist). Most 17 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19 mammals inhabiting the watershed tend to be nocturnal and are not often observed. For example, the Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys Volans) is the most common squirrel species living in Ohio. Due to its nocturnal nature however, it is not often observed. Table 2-9 provides a representative listing of the wildlife species inhabiting the watershed. Table 2-8 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Mammals observed within Watershed

Common Name Scientific Name

Virginia Opossum Didelphis virginiana Eastern Mole Scalopus aquaticus Northern short tail Shrew Blarina brevicauda North American least Shrew Cyptotis parva Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Eastern Red Bat Lasiurus borealis Little Brown Bat Myotis lucifugus Indiana Bat (endangered) Myotis sodalist Evening Bat Nycticeius humeralis Silver haired bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Red Fox Vulpes vulpes Gray Fox Canis lupus Coyote Canis latrans Eastern Cottontail Sylvilagus flordanus Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger American Red Squirrel Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Southern flying squirrel Glaucomys Volans Eastern Chipmunk Tamias stratus Groundhog Marmota monax Thirteen lined Ground Ictidomys tridecemlineatus Squirrel North American Beaver Castor canadensis House Mouse Mus musculus North American Deer Mouse Peromyscus leucopus White footed Mouse Peromyscus leucopus Meadow Vole Microtus pennsylvanicus Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus Striped Skunk Mephitus mephitus Raccoon Procyon lotor Short-tailed Weasel Mustela erminea Long tailed Weasel Mustela frenata Least Weasel Mustela nivalus American Mink Neovision vision North American River Otter Lontra canadensis White tailed Deer Odocoileus virgianus

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Bird Community The well forested riparian zones along the mainstem of the Alum Creek as it flows through this area provides excellent habitat for a wide variety of birds. As with all rivers and streams, the riparian forests provide critical migratory pathways for migrating songbirds such as warblers and others. For example, during spring and fall months riparian forests are alive with many different warbler species migrating from much further north. Alum Creek is no exception and serves as an important pathway for migrating songbirds. Table 2-10 includes a representative listing of bird species that are commonly observed within the Delaware and Franklin County areas, including the geographic area of the HUC-12.

Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird (f) Barred Owl

Table 2-9 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Common Birds observed within the Watershed

Common Name Scientific Name Common Name Scientific Name Wood Duck Aix sponsa Mallard Anas platyrhychos Blue wing Teal Anas discors American Black Duck Anas rubripes Canada Goose Branta canadensis Black Duck Anas rubripes Goldeneye Buckephala clangula Gadwall Mareca strepera Widgeon Anas Americana Bufflehead Bucephala albeola Northern Pintail Anas acuta Norther Shoveler Spatula clypeata Redhead Aythya americana Canvasback Aythya valisineria Lesser Scaup Aythya affins Greater Scaup Aythya marila Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cuculattus Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator Common Merganser Mergus merganser Common Loon Gavia immer Horned Grebe Podilymbus cornutus Pied billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps American Coot Fulica americana Black Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Great Blue Heron Ardea Herodias Great Egret Casmerodius albus Green Heron Butorides striatus Chimney Swift Chaeitura pelagica Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor Killdeer Charcdrius vociferous Belted Kingfisher Ceryle torquata American Kestrel Falco sparverieus Coopers Hawk Accipiter cooperii Redd-Tailed Hawk Bueteo jamaicensis Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Red-Shoulder Hawk Buteo lineatus Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

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Common Name Scientific Name Common Name Scientific Name American Goldfinch Carduleis tristis American Robin Turdus migratorius Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus Dark eyed Junco Junco hyemalis Blue Jay Cyannocitta cristata Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum Brown Headed Cowbird Molothrus ater Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis Eastern Kingbird Tyannus verticalis House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Northern Mocking bird Mimus polyglottos Northern Oriole Icterus galbula White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carlinensis Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis Brown Creeper Certhia americana Purple Martin Progne subis Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus Rufous-sided Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus Rose-breasted Grossbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerine Field Sparrow Spizella pusila Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum House Sparrow Passer domesticus Song Sparrow Melospiza meoldia Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Cliff Swallow Hirundo Pyrrhonota Rough winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor Wood Thrush Hyocichla mustlina Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus Tufted Titmouse Parus bicolor Red-eyed vireo Vireo olivacues Solitary Vireo Vireo solitarius Blackburnian Warbler Dendrocia fusca Blue winged Warbler Vermivora pinus Bresters Warbler Hybrid Cerulean Warbler Denroica cerulea Hooded Warbler Wilsonia citrina Yellow Warbler Denroic petechia Carolina Wren Thrythorus ludovicanus House Wren Troglodytes aedon Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker Dendrocopos villosus Northern Flicker Colaptes aurotus Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes Wild Turkey Melegris gallopavo erythrocephalus Common Barn Owl Tyto alba Great Horned Owl Bub virginianus Screech Owl Otus asio American Woodcock Philohela minor Common Snipe Capeela gallingo Bald Eagle Haliaeetus luecocephalus Eastern Meadowlark Strnella magna Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe Blue-Gray Gnatchatcher Polioptila caerulea Catbird Dumetella carolinensis Boblink Dolichonyx oryzivorous Osprey Pandion Halaetus Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

Invasive Species Like many areas of Ohio, the Westerville – Alum Creek subwatershed has been invaded by plant and (some) animal species that are not native to the state. Many invasive plant species were introduced to the area as landscape plants that escaped into the countryside. Other invasive species, such as the zebra mussel were native to Eastern Europe but brought to the United States by seagoing vessels and introduced into the Great Lakes when ballast tanks of ship were emptied. In turn, zebra mussels were introduced to Alum Creek via boaters coming from Lake Erie and boating on the reservoir. Another common non-native animal to the watershed is the Coyote, an animal that is showing incredible adaptive skills and thriving in the Ohio landscape.

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The following is a representative listing of the invasive plant and animal species that are commonly observed within the HUC 05060001601 subwatershed: Multiflora Rose Wintercreeper Vine Burning Bush Japanese Barberry Japanese Knotweed Privets Asiatic Bittersweet Glossy Buckthorn Common Buckthorn Autumn Olive Tree of Heaven Phragmites Purple Loosestrife Garlic Mustard Honeysuckle Common Carp Zebra Mussel Coyote

2.2 Land Use and Protection Land use within the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12 unit is a mix of residential and commercial development along with some agriculture and green spaces. The watershed is undergoing widespread changes in land use driven in part by a rapidly increasing population. See Table 2-11 for population figures for two of the fastest growing townships within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601. Agricultural land use continues to decline as more and more farm acres are being converted to residential uses. Currently, agricultural land use has declined to only 10% of the surface acres in the HUC-12. Continued development and growth pressure occurring with the watershed makes restoring aquatic and riparian habitat and protecting high quality lands throughout the watershed essential for protecting water quality within Alum Creek. Table 2-10 provides a breakdown of land use by percentage of acres within the watershed.

Table 2-10 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Land Use and Cover in percentage of HUC-12 subwatershed

% of Land Use Activities Watershed Open Water 0.72% Developed Open Space 27.4% Developed Low Intensity 26.9% Developed Medium Intensity 15.2% Developed High Intensity 6.10% Barren Land (Rock, Sand and Clay) 0.02% Deciduous Forest 12.7% Evergreen Forest 0.02% Grassland Herbaceous 0.66% Pasture/Hay 6.75% Cultivated Crops 3.30% Woody Wetlands 0.01%

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LEGEND

Road Centerline

Open Water (0.72%)

Developed, Open Space (27.4%)

Developed, Low Intensity (26.9%)

Developed, Medium Intensity (15.2%)

Developed, High Intensity (6.10%)

Barren Land (Rock/Sand/Clay) (0.02%)

Deciduous Forest (12.7%)

Evergreen Forest (0.02%)

Shrub/Scrub (0.21%)

Grassland/Herbaceous (0.66%)

Pasture/Hay (6.75%)

Cultivated Crops (3.30%)

Woody Wetlands (0.01%)

Watershed Boundary

Data Set Used: National Land Cover Database 2011 (NLCD 2011) OGRIP

OCTOBER 2018 WESTERVILLE RESERVOIR - ALUM CREEK HUC 050600011601 LAND USE FIGURE 2-1 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet Genoa and Orange Townships are the two largest townships within the Westerville Reservoir- Alum Creek HUC unit. For example, Genoa and Orange Townships in Delaware County portions of the watershed have experienced population growth rates of 104% and 90% respectively since 2000. In response to rapid conversion of agricultural and green space lands to residential developments, both townships recently completed updated Comprehensive Land Use Plans. Within these plans, streams are recognized as critical resources to be protected. For example, the Genoa Township plan states that “even though the major tributaries may or may not be flood prone, buffer zones to encroaching development should be maintained”. Table 2-11 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Population Growth Trends in Delaware County portions of the Watershed

Township 1980 1990 2000 2010 % Growth Population Population Population Population 2000-2010 Genoa Twp. 3,678 5,043 11,293 23,093, 104.46% Orange Twp. 1,941 3,789 12,464 26,269 90.65% -Source: Delaware County Planning Commission

One of the most significant impacts of development within a watershed is the increase in impervious surfaces such as roadways and rooftops. These impervious surfaces concentrate stormwater runoff and dramatically speed the rate and amount of runoff flushing from the landscape as it makes its way to a stream. Such has been the case with the Alum Creek watershed generally and especially the 13 small tributary streams within the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC-12. The rapid rate with which stormwater flows across the land surfaces and underground storm sewers causes severe erosion and sediment loadings to the stream. Evidence of this is abundant in areas of the subwatershed where small tributary streams are severely incised and outer bends on the streambanks are left unstable, contributing massive sediment loads to the mainstem of Alum Creek. Current land use protections along rivers and streams in Ohio vary greatly from watershed to watershed. Some watersheds such as the Chagrin Scenic River in northeastern Ohio rely upon land acquisition and protection of riparian areas using tools such as easements, fee simple acquisition and setback ordinances. Within the Westerville Reservoir - Alum Creek HUC 12-unit, township zoning ordinances govern appropriate development activity within the floodplain and riparian zones. Floodplain ordinances limit floodplain development but have done little to mitigate the impacts of impervious surfaces such as roadways and the roofs of buildings and homes. There currently is no specific zoning ordinance that requires riparian setbacks, though floodplain management regulations prohibit development within some areas of the floodplain of Alum Creek and tributaries. It is recommended by this author that setbacks of 120 linear feet from Alum Creek’s mainstem be established that prohibits activities such as developments and/or agriculture. This is the canopy width of two mature trees and similar ordinances are in place in other watersheds such as the Chagrin River in northeastern Ohio. 23 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

Landmarks and Facilities within the Watershed Specific landmarks and features such as recreational or cultural facilities located within (or adjacent to) this watershed include the following: • Alum Creek Dam Recreational Area – United States Army Corps of Engineers • Westerville Reservoir – City of Westerville, Ohio • Sharon Woods Metropark – Columbus and Franklin County Metropark District • City of Westerville • Alum Creek State Park • The Lakes Golf Club • Polaris Shopping and Entertainment Complex • Ohio to Erie Trail • Char Mar Park – Preservation Parks of Delaware County (outside HUC boundaries) • Paul S. Metzger Park-City of Westerville Parks and Recreation • Olde Towne Park—City of Westerville Parks and Recreation • Walker Woods Park—Orange Township Parks and Recreation • Jacox Road Park—Genoa Township • Freeman Road Park—Genos Township • Mount Royal Park—Genoa Township • Hilmar Park—Genoa Township • Center Green Parks—Genoa Township • Genoa Community Gardens—Genoa Township • Everal Barn and Homestead – City of Westerville • Heritage Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation • Alum Creek Park North – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation • Hoff Woods Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation • Otterbein College

These landmarks and recreational facilities are important community resources that help to provide opportunities to increase public access and use of the diversity of the Alum Creek valley. Fortunately, there is an abundance of active and passive recreational facilities as well as natural areas and greenspace. Greenspace is of extremely high value in a rapidly developing watershed such as Alum Creek. Protecting greenspace is a high priority within the watershed and the city of Westerville continues to do their part in protecting greenspace and ultimately water quality. Preservation Parks of Delaware County (PPDC) has also begun acquiring land parcels for future park development within the Alum Creek valley. PPDC’s acquisitions will further enhance future recreational opportunities for residents within the HUC-12 watershed area. Figure 2-2 and Figure 2-3 illustrate relative locations of these facilities within the watershed.

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Alum Creek State Park LEGEND

Alum Creek Dam Alum Creek Ohio to Erie Trail Lake Road Centerline

Park Boundary U.S. Route-23 U.S. !( !( Facility Boundary

Open Water

Alum Creek Dam Recreational Area - City of Westerville United States Army Corps of Engineers Interstate-71 Watershed Boundary

The Lakes Golf Club State Route-315 State Westerville Reservoir -

State Route-3 City of Westerville, Ohio

State Route-750 Hoover Reservoir

Polaris Shopping and Entertainment Complex

Otterbein College

Westerville Community Center - City of Westerville !(

Everal Barn and Homestead - City of Westerville

Interstate-270

Otterbein Lake - Westerville Senior Center - City of Westerville City of Westerville, Ohio State Route-710

OGRIP

DECEMBER 2018 WESTERVILLE RESERVOIR - ALUM CREEK HUC 050600011601 LANDMARKS & FEATURES FIGURE 2-2 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet Alum Creek State Park LEGEND

Alum Creek Road Centerline Lake Char Mar Ridge Park – Park Boundary Preservation Parks

of Delaware County Open Water U.S. Route-23 U.S. !( Watershed Boundary

Alum Creek Dam Recreational Area – Genoa Community Gardens – Genoa Township United States Army Corps of Engineers Interstate-71

McNamara Park – Genoa Township State Route-315 State Bale-Kenyon Land – Preservation Parks of Delaware County Jacox Road Park – Hoover Genoa Township Reservoir

Walker Woods Park – Orange oute-3 Freeman Road Park – Genoa Township Township Parks and Recreation State Route-750 e R

at

St Hilmar Park – Genoa Township

Center Green Park – Genoa Township Westerville Sports Complex – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation

Hoff Woods Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Heritage Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Olde Towne Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation

Astronauts Grove – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Paul S. Metzger Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation !( Alum Creek Park North – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation

Hanby Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Everal Barn and Homestead – City of Westerville

Community Tennis Court – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation First Responders Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Interstate-270 Hannah Mayne Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation

Cherrington Park – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation Sharon Woods Metro Park – Columbus and Franklin County Metro Park District State Route-710 Alum Creek Park South – City of Westerville Parks and Recreation OGRIP

DECEMBER 2018 WESTERVILLE RESERVOIR - ALUM CREEK HUC 050600011601 RECREATIONAL FACILITIES FIGURE 2-3 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet 2.2 Summary of HUC-12 Biological Trends Ohio’s biological water quality indicators are driven by measures of fish, bugs and habitat. Ohio EPA conducted biological sampling within the lower Alum Creek watershed in 1999 and again in 2003 as part of the Total Maximum Daily Load Study (TMDL) that was completed and approved by U.S. EPA in 2005. Within the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12 subwatershed, 3 sampling stations were monitored. In 1999, all three sites met warmwater habitat criteria at all three sites. In 2003, two of the 3 sites within the subwatershed were found to be meeting warmwater habitat criteria, with the third site (RM 19.8) slipping considerably. Figure 2-4 illustrates the sampling sites that were evaluated by Ohio EPA’s Division of Surface Water and Table 2-13 shows the sampling results.

Table 2-12 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results 1999 - 2003

River Mile Attainment IBI MiWb ICI QHEI COMMENTS Fish Invert. Status 26.3 26.2 40 8.6 44 75 FULL Lewis Center Rd 25.5 Trib 52 N/A 63 FULL Africa Road 23.8 24.0 42 8.3 40 58 FULL Wothington-Galena Rd 23.47 Trib 40 N/A 64 FULL Africa Road 22.1 22.4 43 8.0 46 70.5 FULL Adj. Cleveland Ave. 19.8 19.8 45 8.9 42 77.5 FULL Schrock Road 19.8 19.8 42 8.2 28 79.5 PARTIAL Schrock Road Key: Yellow 2003 Results – Light Green 1999 Results – Pink Tributary Sampling Sites

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LEGEND

Alum Creek 0.00 River Mile Label Lake ?! Lake Monitoring Station

! River/Stream Monitoring Station U.S. Route-23 U.S. A 7# Sewage Facility Monitoring Station 26.29 A! 0.40 Road Centerline 0.20 A! A! 0.30 ! Watershed Boundary A 0.20 Interstate-71A! Open Water

State Route-315 State 2.55 0.60 A! State Route-3 ?! 2.06 0.10A! ?!

1.40 State Route-750 ?! Hoover Reservoir 0.80 23.78 A! A! 2.50 1.00 ! ! Westerville Reservoir - A 2.20 A City of Westerville, Ohio A!

21.60 Alum Creek Alum A! A! 22.10

7#20.95 0.45 A!

Interstate-270 19.85 A!

State Route-710

OGRIP

OCTOBER 2018 WESTERVILLE RESERVOIR - ALUM CREEK HUC 050600011601 OHIO EPA MONITORING STATIONS FIGURE 2-4 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet 2.3 Summary of HUC-12 NPS Pollution Causes and Associated Sources for Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 12 A consistent theme while developing this 9-element Implementation Plan for the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek was the adverse impacts that hydromodification, habitat alteration and sediments were having on the watershed. Further, the rapidly transitioning land use, urban stormwater and altered flows of tributaries were identified as probable sources. Following is a table of causes and sources impairment in the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12 as identified in the Ohio EPA Integrated Report, 2018.

Table 2-13 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Nonpoint Source Causes and Sources of Impairment

Causes of Impairment Sources of Impairment

Direct habitat alteration Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers Flow Alteration/Hydromodification Land Development/Suburbanization Siltation/Sedimentation Channelization Organic Enrichment/Dissolved Oxygen Impoundment

2.4 Additional Information for Determining Critical Areas and Developing Implementation Strategies for Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 12050600011601 Three previously completed water quality assessments and/or watershed planning documents were referred extensively when determining critical areas within the HUC watershed unit. They are the Lower Alum Creek Watershed Plan (February 2005) that was completed by the Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT). Two documents completed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water were also reviewed extensively. They are the biological and Water Quality Study of the Big Walnut Creek Basin that was completed in 2000 and the Total Maximum Daily Loads for the Big Walnut Creek Watershed that was completed and approved in 2005. 1. Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan (2005) The Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan was completed by the Friends of Alum Creek and Tributaries (FACT) on February 26th, 2005 with funding that was provided by the Ohio Watershed Coordinator Program. The plan covers the entire lower reaches of Alum Creek from the base of the Alum Creek Dam to its confluence with Big Walnut Creek in Columbus, Ohio.

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2. Biological and Water Quality of the Big Walnut Creek Basin (2003) The technical support document that was completed by Ohio EPA in 2003 documents a comprehensive water quality assessment that was completed basin-wide for Big Walnut Creek including the entire Alum Creek watershed. This document was used to understand the detailed biological conditions within the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 12 and helped to focus on the critical areas and causes and sources of aquatic life use impairment. 3. Total Maximum Daily Loads for Big Walnut Creek (2005) The Big Walnut TMDL study included valuable information about biological and water quality conditions within the Alum Creek watershed and was very helpful in identifying critical areas and sources of disproportionate nonpoint source aquatic life use impairments.

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Section 3 – Critical Areas

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Section Three: Critical Area Conditions & Restoration Strategies Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) are established for Alum Creek for phosphorus, pathogens, sediment and habitat. Recommended solutions included riparian and in-stream habitat improvements, point source controls, stream restoration and repairing and/or replacing home septic systems. The 9-element planning process is designed to build upon the TMDL process by helping to identify those critical areas that are either disproportionately contributing nonpoint source pollutants or are areas of relatively high-quality habitat that need protected (or enhanced). By focusing on the smaller HUC-12 scale the 9-element process provides a more refined focus to help improve (or protect) water quality and habitat conditions. Ohio’s Nonpoint Source Management Plan Update approved by US EPA in 2014 identifies four specific areas of focus for developing and implementing strategies to reduce the impacts of nonpoint source high magnitude causes of aquatic life use impairment. These strategic areas of nonpoint source focus are: • Urban sediment and nutrient reduction • Altered stream and habitat restoration • Nonpoint source reduction • High quality water protection At this time, the 9-element planning process identified two specific critical areas within this HUC-12 segment of Alum Creek. Figure 3.0 on the following page depicts the location and extent of both critical areas. Additional critical areas will quite certainly be identified using the adaptive management process as this 9-element strategic implementation plan is implemented and evaluated. The current focus is on the critical areas detailed below: Critical Area #1: Alum Creek Mainstem (HUC 050600011601) Critical area #1 is the segment of the Alum Creek mainstem that flows from the base of Alum Creek Dam downstream to Sharon Woods Metroparks and Schrock Road in Westerville, Ohio. This area is currently dominated by suburban residential land use and the streamflow itself is largely governed by Alum Creek Dam releases and the additional flows of several small tributaries. Discharges from the reservoir tend to help to stabilize biological communities and general water quality conditions within this section of the creek. The reservoir behind Alum Creek Dam also helps by serving as a sediment trap. Focusing habitat restoration and sediment reduction activities more intensely in identified critical areas in the Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC-12 area should be expected to exhibit success due to the moderating influence of the reservoir on upstream sources. The protection, restoration (where needed) and enhancement of habitat conditions within the HUC-12 should also be effective at protecting and improving the quality and overall health of biological communities. Biological communities in the mainstem of Alum Creek in this HUC-12 were sampled as part of the Big Walnut TMDL study that was approved by US EPA in 2005. At that time fish, bug and habitat scores were shown to fully meet warmwater habitat expectations for the IBI (fish score) and ICI (macroinvertebrate score) and QHEI (habitat score). However, fish communities, as 32 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

LEGEND Alum Creek Stream Lake Road Centerline

Watershed Boundary

Open Water U.S. Route-23 U.S. Interstate-71

Critical Area #2 State Route-315 State

Critical Area #1

State Route-750 State Route-3 Hoover

Reservoir Alum Creek Alum

Interstate-270

State Route-710

OSIP Imagery

JANUARY 2019 ALUM CREEK CRITICAL AREA #1 AND BALE-KENYON LAND CRITICAL AREA #2 FIGURE 3-0 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet measured by the Modified Index of Well-being (MiWb)2 were only marginally meeting the criteria for warmwater habitat (target MiWb score = 8.0). Protecting and where necessary, restoring the riparian corridor along the mainstem of Alum Creek is important to improve biological communities and water quality within Critical Area #1. It is also important to help improve downstream conditions outside of this HUC-12 area as Alum Creek flows through the cities of Columbus and Bexley before joining Big Walnut Creek at its confluence. Critical Area #2: Unnamed Tributary #1 to Alum Creek at River Mile 25.08 The second critical area is a small tributary stream flowing through property owned by Preservation Parks of Delaware County before entering the Alum Creek mainstem at River Mile 25.08. Many years ago, this tributary was relocated, channelized and ditched to accommodate construction and drainage from Bale Kenyon Road. Slightly more than 3 acres is drained by this tributary and the small stream has a bankfull width of only 10-12 feet. However, the stream channel is severely incised, in some cases by as much as 7 feet deep. The associated floodplain is not accessible by the stream and is nonfunctioning. Silt and sediment loadings from severely eroding streambanks in this tributary are disproportionate and severe due to the stream’s flashiness during storm and high flow events. Re-naturalizing the stream channel and restoring in-stream habitat and streambank restoration activities within this area will help to reduce sediment and silt loadings to Alum Creek. Doing so also should improve biological performance by fish and macroinvertebrate communities. Biological monitoring in this tributary has not been completed however there are fish and macroinvertebrates evident within this small tributary. In reaches upstream of Bale-Kenyon Road there are indicators of high-quality headwater species (mottled sculpin, Cottus bairdii, and two-lined salamanders, Eurycea bislineata) that have been observed and collected. Restoring the tributary in Critical Area #2 and renaturalizing flow conditions and restoring access to a fully functional floodplain will improve water quality and habitat conditions within the tributary stream and will contribute to improvements further downstream in Alum Creek. There is a second much smaller intermittent tributary to the unnamed tributary to Critical Area #1 that is located on the same parcel of land. This tributary is located immediately to the south and has also been moved and ditched to facilitate drainage from nearby Bale Kenyon Road in Orange Township, Ohio. During storm events this small tributary’s flow increases and contributes sediment to the already high levels being transported to the Alum Creek mainstem through the unnamed tributary in Critical Area #2. Restoring this small stream to a more natural channel and allowing its drainage to settle and flow through a small wetland area will also help to reduce sediment loading to Alum Creek.

2 The Modified Index of Well-Being is a measure of fish mass and density in a stream and is used by Ohio EPA in their assessment of aquatic life use within a stream. 34 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

Section 3.2 Critical Area #1: Alum Creek Mainstem (HUC 050600011601) 3.2.1 Detailed Characterization, Conditions, Goals and Objectives The lower Alum Creek, including HUC 050600011601, is seriously threatened by ongoing residential development. Southern Delaware County and northern Franklin County (which encompass this HUC 12) are two of the most rapidly developing areas in Ohio. Land use in the watershed is largely suburban (with limited agriculture) in reaches to the north and highly urbanized to the south as it flows through Franklin County and the cities of Westerville and Columbus. There is still a mix of limited agricultural land use and green space in this HUC 12 and some properties have been protected by groups such as Preservation Parks of Delaware County and the Franklin County Metroparks. However, most of the acres in the HUC boundaries are increasingly being converted from agriculture or green space to residential and commercial activities such as housing developments, Polaris Mall and many other smaller shopping complexes.

The mainstem of Alum Creek flowing through this HUC 12 unit is a meandering stream with a flow that is largely influenced by discharges from the Alum Creek Dam. Qualitative Habitat Index (QHEI) scores range from the 70’s in the upper reaches of the HUC to mid-50’s in the southern most sections near Westerville. The riparian corridor is mostly intact but very narrow in some places. Mature trees such as Sycamores and Cottonwoods line the banks as the creek flows through Delaware County. However, there are areas where the riparian corridor is disrupted and/or has been cleared and streambank erosion is occurring. It is evident that the protection of areas of high-quality riparian corridor and the restoration of failing streambanks and bare riparian areas is important to protect and improve water quality in Alum Creek.

Critical Area #1 is the riparian area (120 feet on both sides) of the mainstem of the Alum Creek throughout the length of HUC 050600016011. Ohio’s State Scenic River Program recommends a 120-foot riparian buffer to protect against erosion, unstable streambanks and to provide habitat and sufficient corridor for migrating birds. This depth of riparian buffer is the equivalent of the canopy width of two mature trees. While much of the riparian habitat along the mainstem is of high quality, ongoing residential development continues to threaten the creek. As a result, the primary goal for Critical Area #1 is to protect and restore (where needed) the riparian habitat.

Figure 3-1 illustrates the geographical location of Critical Area #1.

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LEGEND Alum Creek Stream Lake Road Centerline

23 Watershed Boundary

Open Water U.S. Route- U.S.

Interstate-71 State Route-315 State

Alum Creek Critical Area #1 ate Route-3

State Route-750 St Hoover Reservoir

Interstate-270

State Route-710

OGRIP

OCTOBER 2018 ALUM CREEK CRITICAL AREA #1 FIGURE 3-1 4 01,000 2,000 4,000 Feet 3.2.2 Detailed Biological Conditions

Alum Creek (HUC 050600011601) is in attainment of warmwater habitat (WWH) status in northern reaches of the stream below Alum Creek Dam. Biological communities were found to be in full attainment for IBI (fish) and ICI (macroinvertebrates) from the base of the dam downstream for nearly 4 miles. However, the mainstem near Schrock Road (RM 19.8) exhibited a significant decline in the macroinvertebrate community between 1999 and 2003 and is only partially attaining WWH. Table 3-1 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results 1999 - 2003

River Mile Attainment IBI MiWb ICI QHEI COMMENTS Fish Invert. Status 26.3 26.2 40 8.6 44 75 FULL Lewis Center Rd 25.5 Trib 52 N/A 63 FULL Africa Road 23.8 24.0 42 8.3 40 58 FULL Wothington-Galena Rd 23.47 Trib 40 N/A 64 FULL Africa Road 22.1 22.4 43 8.0 46 70.5 FULL Adj. Cleveland Ave. 19.8 19.8 45 8.9 42 77.5 FULL Schrock Road 19.8 19.8 42 8.2 28 79.5 PARTIAL Schrock Road Key: Yellow 2003 Results – Light Green 1999 Results – Pink Tributary Sampling Sites

The significant decline in macroinvertebrate community performance at RM 19.8 and declines in the general health and well-being of the fish community is concerning. Both of these declines are of concern because they are indicative of biological responses to excessive silt and sediment since physical habitat conditions at this sampling site are otherwise very good (QHEI 79.5). Embedded substrates that were widespread in this area are most likely the result of excessive sediment and silt from upstream sources, such as eroding streambanks and altered tributary streams. 3.2.3 Detailed Causes and Associated Sources All but one monitoring station (RM 19.8) have been determined to be in full attainment of the stream’s designated warmwater habitat aquatic life use. However, the last full assessment of Alum Creek was completed in 2003 as part of the development of the Big Walnut Creek Total Maximum Daily Load Study. There have been many changes since 2003 and subsequently there are considerably more stressors within the HUC-12 watershed. The downward trend of biological scores in southern reaches of the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 areas are a result of the surge in development activity that has occurred in recent years. Land use continues to be transitioning within this critical area, especially in southern areas near the Polaris shopping complex and residential development associated with Orange and Genoa

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Townships and the city of Westerville. Northern reaches flow through areas of relatively intact riparian habitat that meet or exceed WWH QHEI target scores. However, southern reaches of Alum Creek flow through residential and urbanized areas with riparian conditions that are of lesser quality. The primary causes of aquatic life use impairment for the lower Alum Creek mainstem are siltation and direct habitat alteration resulting from activities associated with sources such as land development and urban stormwater runoff. Recreational use is impaired and attributed to failing home sewage treatment systems3. As listed in the 2016 Integrated Report, Ohio EPA identified silt, sedimentation and habitat alteration as the highest magnitude causes of impairment to aquatic life use in the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601. Specific projects that directly address improving riparian habitat and reducing sediments should have a positive effect in the QHEI scoring index which in turn should improve ICI scores. 3.2.4 Goals and Objectives for Critical Area #1 The goals for this critical area are to protect high quality riparian habitat through the reduction of sediment and silt loading from eroding streambanks. The overarching goal is to attain full aquatic life use throughout the entirety of the HUC 12 area. Numerically, the goals are to improve QHEI and ICI scores to meet warmwater habitat criteria. Specifically, the following are goals for Critical Area #1 – Alum Creek mainstem: Goal #1.1: Maintain QHEI scores greater than 60 at all sampling locations along the Alum Creek mainstem. This goal is currently being met at all sampling stations (shown in Table 3-1). Goal #1.2: Maintain ICI scores at or above 40 at all sampling stations shown in Table 3-1 except RM 19.8. This goal is currently being met at all sampling stations except RM 19.8. Goal #1.3: Raise ICI score at Alum Creek-Schrock Road sampling station (RM 19.8) to 40 or above. Not Achieved: The ICI score was measure at 28 in the most recent monitoring event (2003) In order to achieve the goal of restoring full attainment to the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 the following objectives designed to protect and/or restore riparian habitat along the Alum Creek mainstem should be completed: Objective# 1.1: Identify, acquire and/or otherwise protect 20 acres of urban riparian lands to establish and maintain a 120-foot wide riparian treed buffer adjacent to the mainstem of Alum Creek. Objective #1.2: Restore and revegetate approximately 1500 linear feet riparian areas that are currently lacking forest cover using native hardwood tree and shrub species. Restoration activities should establish and maintain a 120-foot treed riparian buffer at the upper outer bank slope on each bank. Objective #1.3: Restore at least 250 linear feet of eroding stream bank using bioengineering methods along Alum Creek within the critical area.

3 Ohio EPA Big Walnut Creek Total Maximum Daily Load Study, 2005, page 94 38 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

As assessments of this critical area are completed, these objectives will be adjusted as needed using an adaptive management process. If additional objectives are needed to restore Critical Area #1 they will be added in future versions of this 9-element Implementation Plan. Section 3.3 Critical Area #2: Unnamed Tributary #1 to Alum Creek 3.3.1 Detailed Characterization, Conditions, Goals and Objectives Water quality in Alum Creek is impacted by urban stormwater runoff and sediment that are associated with residential development that is occurring in the area. This unnamed tributary stream in Critical Area #2 has been relocated and ditched to facilitate construction and drainage from Bale Kenyon road and nearby Interstate 71. The stream is a small perennial tributary stream with minimal erosive force when in low flow conditions. After a rain however, runoff from impervious surfaces in a residential development near the tributary’s source and roadways contribute to a flashy and highly erosive “flush” of stormwater into the mainstem of Alum Creek. The erosive nature of high flow conditions caused the stream channel to become deeply incised with little or no access to the stream’s floodplain. Streambanks within this stream are highly unstable and contributing a disproportionate sediment load into Alum Creek. This critical area is a considerable source of the sediment load that is contributing to biological impacts in downstream areas of the mainstem of Alum Creek. Figure 3-2 3.3.2 Detailed Biological Conditions Aquatic life use within the tribuatry stream in Critical Area #2 has not been assessed by Ohio EPA. However, biological sampling was conducted by Ohio EPA in 2003 at two nearby sampling sites at the mouths of another small tributary immediately upstream (RM 25.50) and at a small tributary immediately downstream at (RM 23.47). Both of these tributaries were found to be in full attainment. The northern tributary was supporting an exceptional headwater fish community however is threatened by very high bacterial counts resulting from upstream failing home sewage treatment systems and unrestircted livestock access to the stream. The downstream tributary at RM 23.47 is in full attainment of WWH. Critical Area #2 joins the Alum Creek mainstem at RM 25.08 and while biological survey data for this specific tributary site is unavailable, general observation of conditions within the Critical Area #2 tributary suggests that the stream is significantly impaired due to direct habitat alteration (removal of woody riparian species as part of ditch maintenance practices), hydromodification (channelization) and high levels of silt and sediment resulting from the severely eroding streambanks. Although fish and macroinvertebrates may be observed within the stream, severely embedded substrates further diminish habitat. Segments of this stream about a mile upstrem from Critical Area #2 were casually assessed by Ohio EPA and Preservation Parks of Delaware County. High quality headwater species such as two-lined salamanders and mottled sculpin were collected, indicating that water quality in upper reaches is of high quality. Macroinvertebrates were collected at 4 different stations in 1999 and/or 2003 within the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC-12. Invertebrate Community Index (ICI) scores were in the exceptional range (ICI=46) at River Mile 22.4 adjacent to Cleveland Avenue but declined significantly into the fair range (ICI=28) at River Mile 19.8 at Schrock Road. Figure 3-2 illustrates the geographical location of Critical Area #2. 39 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

LEGEND

Stream

Road Centerline

Park Boundary

Open Water

Alum Creek

Interstate-71

Bale-Kenyon Land - Preservation Parks of Delaware County

Critical Area #2

Bale Ke

nyo

n Road

OGRIP

OCTOBER 2018 BALE-KENYON LAND - PRESERVATION PARKS OF DELAWARE COUNTY CRITICAL AREA #2 FIGURE 3-2 4 0100 200 400 Feet Following are the most relevant bio-assessment results for the HUC-12 based on the most recent data from Ohio EPA:

Table 3-2 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Ohio EPA Biological Monitoring Results 1999 - 2003

River Mile Attainment IBI MiWb ICI QHEI COMMENTS Fish Invert. Status 26.3 26.2 40 8.6 44 75 FULL Lewis Center Rd 25.5 Trib 52 N/A 63 FULL Africa Road 23.8 24.0 42 8.3 40 58 FULL Wothington-Galena Rd 23.47 Trib 40 N/A 64 FULL Africa Road 22.1 22.4 43 8.0 46 70.5 FULL Adj. Cleveland Ave. 19.8 19.8 45 8.9 42 77.5 FULL Schrock Road 19.8 19.8 42 8.2 28 79.5 PARTIAL Schrock Road Key: Yellow 2003 Results – Light Green 1999 Results – Pink Tributary Sampling Sites

3.3.3 Detailed Causes and Associated Sources

The Alum Creek mainstem as it flows past Critical Area #2 is in full attainment of its designated warmwater habitat aquatic life use designation. A small tributary at RM 25.5 immediately upstream from this critical area is also in full attainment but is threatened by bacteria coming from sources such as failing HSTS units and unrestricted livestock access to the stream. A second tributary immediately downstream from the critical area has also been determined to be in full attainment of its aquatic life use. (see previous Table 3-2) The small unnamed tributary in this critical area lies between these two full attaining streams and has not been assessed by Ohio EPA although the severity of streambank erosion illustrated below is indicative of a serious impairment. The causes and sources of aquatic life use impairment within the unnamed tributary identified as Critical Area #2 are comparable to those that are also threatening water quality within the broader Alum Creek watershed. Ohio EPA’s Big Walnut Creek TMDL identifies silt, sediments and altered habitat as the overlying causes of nonpoint source related impairement in this critical area (and throughout the lower Alum Creek watershed). Sediment loss through streambank erosion and land development activities is being exacerbated by the rapidly increasing suburban stormwater surges that are increasing flows and flashiness in this otherwise small stream. Biological monitoring conducted by OEPA on Alum Creek in 2003 identified high/moderate substrate embededness in riffle areas and heavy silt coverage in lower flow areas on substrates at the southern most reaches of the Westerville Reservoir-Alum HUC-12 unit near Schrock Road in Westerville. Consistent with needed actions throughout the lower Alum Creek, best management practices that restore impaired stream and riparian habitat areas should be conducted to reduce erosion, sediment loss and and improve water quality and habitat should be completed. Renaturalizing the stream’s channel by relocating it away from the road and stabilizing the severely eroding 41 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

streambanks will address the negative impacts that sediment and altered habitat are having on this small tributary stream and downstream areas of the Alum Creek mainstem.

Severe streambank erosion in Critical Area #2

3.3.4 Goals and Objectives for Critical Area #2 The small unnamed tributary flowing through Critical Area #2 is functioning very poorly, has been seriously altered and is contributing large volumes of silt and sediment to the Alum Creek mainstem and downstream areas. The stream has been relocated and channelized to facilitate construction and drainage from both Bale-Kenyon road and to facilitate the crop production that was conducted previously on the critical area site. Following are the overarching goals for Critical Area #2: Goal #2.1: The primary goal in this critical area is to raise water quality metrics to meet warmwater habitat aquatic life use (ALU) criteria as follows: • Restore habitat conditions within the stream to a QHEI score equal to or greater than 60. • Restore IBI (fish) scores equal to or greater than 40; and • Restore ICI (bugs) scores equal to or greater than 36

Not Achieved: This critical area has not been assessed but visual conditions indicate that this stream is not meeting these targets at this time. In order to achieve the goal of restoring full attainment to the Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 the following objectives designed to restore riparian and in-stream habitat along unnamed tributary in Critical Area #2 should be completed: Objective #2.1: To restore 1,200 linear feet of channelized and highly modified (ditched) unnamed tributary stream to Alum Creek.

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Objective #2.2: Reduce 100 tons per year of sediment from this tributary stream by stabilizing and/or redirecting stream flow away from severely eroding and slumping streambanks within the channelized section of this tributary stream These objectives are consistent with recommendations that are included in the Big Walnut Total Maximum Daily Load Study and the Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan. Additionally, activities such as natural channel design stream restoration and bio-engineered streambank stabilization are consistent with Ohio’s Nonpoint Source Management Plan Update that was drafted by members of Ohio EPA’s Nonpoint Source Program staff and approved by U.S. EPA- Region 5 in 2014. Baseline monitoring of Critical Area #2 will be completed prior to implementing the above recommendations. As the objectives listed above are implemented, post-project monitoring activities will be completed to measure progress toward meeting the goals of restoring this Critical Area #2 and helping to restore the Westerville Reservoir-Alum HUC 050600011601 to full attainment of its designated warmwater habitat aquatic life use. As evaluations and assessments are completed, these objectives will be adjusted as needed using an adaptive management process. If additional objectives are needed to restore Critical Area #2 Note on Critical Areas identified in this document The Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 is comprised of multiple small tributary streams that drain directly into the mainstem of the Alum Creek. While Ohio EPA monitoring has identified that many of these tributaries are of high quality and/or meeting their designated aquatic life use, there are no doubt areas and/or small unnamed tributaries within the HUC that have conditions similar to those found in Critical Area #2. We anticipate that completing work to address the concerns in Critical Area #2 will meet the stated goals and objectives listed here. However, that should not be misconstrued to think that we believe doing so will fix all of the water quality problems in the other small tributaries that have been anthropologically impacted. In due time, our hope is that completing this 9-element implementation will encourage the addition of critical areas to address some of the other concerns within the HUC-12.

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Section 4 - Project Summaries

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Table 4-1 Westerville Reservoir – Alum Creek HUC 050600011601 Project Overview Table

Goal Objective Project Project Description Lead Organization Time Estimated Potential/Actual # Frame Costs Funding Sources Urban Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Strategies Goal #1.2 Objective #1.3 1.2 Restore 250 linear feet of Possibly Preservation Parks Mid $50,000 Section 319, local eroding stream bank using of Delaware County or 3-5 Years stakeholders. bioengineering methods along local stakeholders the mainstem of Alum Creek. Goal #1.3 Objective #1.3 1.3 Stabilize approximately 250 Possibly Friends of Alum Mid $75,000 Section 319, local linear feet of eroding stream Creek and Tributaries 3-5 Years stakeholders bank using bioengineering (FACT), Orange methods along Alum Creek Township, Preservation within Critical Area #1. Parks Goal #2.2 Objective #2.2 2.1 Stabilize eroding stream banks Preservation Parks of Short $443,4341 Section 319, and redirect stream flow away Delaware County 1-3 years Orange Township, from eroding stream banks. Preservation Parks of Delaware County. Altered Stream and Habitat Restoration Strategies Goal #2.1 Objective #2.1 2.1 Tributary to Alum Creek Preservation Parks of Short $443,434 Section 319, Stream and Floodplain Delaware County, Orange 1-3 years Orange Township, Restoration. Restore 1200 Township Preservation linear feet of highly modified Parks of Delaware tributary to Alum Creek. County Agricultural Nonpoint Source Reduction Strategies

High Quality Waters Protection Strategies Goal #1.1+ Objective #1 1.1 Acquire or Protect 20 acres of Preservation Parks of Long $50,000 Preservation urban riparian Lands. Delaware County 5+ Years Parks, WRRSP, local stakeholders

1 Project costs are included as part of total costs of Project 2.1. 45 Page FINAL DRAFT – 01/17/19

4.2: Project Summary Sheet for Alum Creek—HUC 050600011601 Critical Area #2 –Tributary Stream to Alum Creek Mainstem at Bale Kenyon Road

9-Element Information Needed Explanation Criteria

n/a Project Title Tributary to Alum Creek Stream and Floodplain Restoration

Preservation Parks of Delaware County Project Lead Criteria D Delaware County Engineer Organization Orange Township

Alum Creek – HUC 050600011601 Criteria C HUC 12 and Critical Area Westerville Reservoir-Alum Creek Critical Area #1

Bale Kenyon Road in Orange Township, Delaware County, Ohio. The project site is in the southeastern quadrant of the HUC-12 at River Mile 25.08. GPS coordinates for this project site are listed Criteria C Location of Project below:

START: 40ₒ10’05.98”N, 82ₒ57’39.71”W END: 40ₒ10’02.79”N, 82ₒ57’23.10”W

Which strategy is being Altered Stream and Habitat Restoration n/a addressed by this project?

Criteria F Time Frame Short (Near) Term – Construction 2019-2020

Preservation Parks of Delaware County (PPCD) will restore approximately 1,200 linear feet of channelized and ditched Criteria G Short Description tributary stream to Alum Creek. Successful restoration will use natural channel design methods and reduce sediment loads to the mainstem of Alum Creek.

The objective of the Alum Creek Stream and Floodplain Restoration Project is to restore approximately 1,200 linear feet of perennial but severely altered stream channel and floodplain on an unnamed tributary to Alum Creek in Delaware County, Ohio. Natural channel design and methods will be used to complete restoration of the stream channel and bioengineering methods will be used to stabilize eroding streambanks and reconnect the Criteria G Project Narrative stream to a fully functional floodplain. The project site is immediately adjacent to Bale Kenyon Road and Interstate 71 on 112 acres recently acquired by the Preservation Parks of Delaware County. Land use in the proximity of the project site is threatened by development activities, suburbanization and storm water flows. The project site is less than one mile downstream from Alum Creek Dam. Alum Creek reservoir is also an important raw drinking water supply for the city of Columbus.

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9-Element Information Needed Explanation Criteria The existing stream channel is deeply incised (up to 7 feet deep) with slumping streambanks that continue to severely erode. Soils are high erodible and there is no existing floodplain that the stream can access. The stream is a direct tributary to the mainstem of Alum Creek is a disproportionate contributor of silt and sediment to the mainstem. The upper reaches of the stream on the project site (approximately 600 linear feet) will be diverted from the channelized road side “ditch” and routed through a restored natural channel with a fully functional floodplain constructed using natural channel design and bioengineering methods. There is roughly a 30-foot “fall” as the stream flows through the project site so grade control structures such as rock vanes will be installed to control flow and prevent scouring and any likelihood of head-cutting. The lower 600 linear feet segment will be restored in place to its confluence with the Alum Creek mainstem. This segment will also be restored using natural channel design methods for the stream channel and the associated floodplain restoration. The restored floodplain and riparian areas will be planted with native trees, shrubs and native forbs and grasses. Project goals are to improve habitat conditions within the stream to a QHEI – 60 and to restore fish and bug scores (IBI and ICI) to meet warmwater habitat criteria. The upper reach of this tributary stream (on the eastern side of Interstate 71) are high quality with coldwater and headwater biota such as Two-lined Salamanders and Mottled Sculpin observed during recent site visits by PPCD and Ohio EPA staff. Both species are indicators of high-quality headwater conditions. This project will directly address a significant erosion and siltation problem that is resulting from previous channelization and habitat alteration. The project will also protect downstream conditions within the mainstem of Alum Creek and its Warmwater Habitat Aquatic Life Use designation within the HUC-12 area. Consistent with the implementation recommendations in the Big Walnut Creek Total Maximum Daily Load Study (TMDL), the project will successfully reduce sediment loadings and contribute to meeting the TMDL targets for nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments. Using Region 5 STEPL modeling this project is expected to reduce estimated loads of sediment by 100 tons/year, 230 pounds/year of nitrogen and 115 pounds/year of phosphorus. Improving the stream’s assimilative capacity will also help to address excess bacteria levels which are causing Alum Creek to fail to meet its designated recreational use. Preservation Parks of Delaware County will conduct education and outreach activities to promote the project and to inform park visitors and the general public on the value and benefit of restoring waterways that have been historically altered as well as

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9-Element Information Needed Explanation Criteria those waterways that are threatened with ongoing land development and suburbanization. This project will be a fully collaborative effort involving staff from Preservation Parks of Delaware County and the Delaware County’s Engineer’s Office, and Orange Township.

Preliminary costs estimate includes all regulatory, engineering, and construction costs range between $443,434 and $507,832. A detailed cost sheet is included at the conclusion of this Project Summary. Total detailed project costs are estimated as follow: Site Assessment (Ecological, Geotechnical, Topographic) = $16,536 Permitting (USACE, Cultural, USFWS, ODNR, etc.) = $17,810 Design and Hydrologic/Hydraulic Modeling = $37,820 Construction Oversight = $ 21,440 Mobilization = $8,000 Temporary Construction Entrance = $5,000 Criteria D Estimated Project Costs Temporary Project Construction Signs = $500 Sediment and Erosion Control = $15,000 Stream bypass Pumping = $4,000 Soil stripping, stockpiling, spreading = $45,500 Floodplain excavation = $80,000 Channel excavation and placement = $10,325 Rocks, Boulders, and Bank Rock = $76,100 Cross Vane Structures = $18,000 Riparian and upland Seed Mixtures = $25,150 Live Stakes = $13,164 Erosion Control Fabric 2,890 yards2 @ $4/yd2 = $11,560 Erosion Control Fabric 340 yards2 @$2.50/yd2 = $850 Contingency = $45,629

Probable funding sources include the Delaware County Engineer’s Office and Preservation Parks of Delaware County. It is anticipated Criteria D Possible Funding Source that some project costs may be funded with an FY19 Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water Section 319 grant.

Causes: Siltation, Organic Enrichment/Dissolved Oxygen, Flow Identified Causes and Alteration, Direct Habitat Alterations. Criteria A Sources Sources: Impoundment, Urban Runoff/Storm Sewers, Land Development/Suburbanization, Direct Habitat Alteration.

Part 1: How much Restoring 1,200 linear feet of currently impaired tributary to Alum improvement is needed to Creek will remove the NPS impairment from this particular Critical remove the NPS impairment for the whole Critical Area? Area. Criteria B & H

Part 2: How much of the Successful completion of this project will provide 100% of the improvement for the whole improvement needed for this particular Critical Area. Completion 48 | Page REVISED FINAL DRAFT – 01/22/19

9-Element Information Needed Explanation Criteria Critical Area is estimated to be of this project is not intended to suggest that it will resolve other accomplished by this project? impairments in other tributary streams within the HUC-12 watershed. We expect that additional critical areas may be identified in the future in areas outside the boundary limits of Critical Area #2. This project will address the improvements needed in Critical Area #2 only.

100 tons/year of sediment 230 pounds of nitrogen Part 3: Load Reduced? 115 pounds/year phosphorus

Baseline monitoring of this tributary will take place prior to restoration activities being completed. Environmental How will the improvements will be measured following project completion by effectiveness of this post-construction biological monitoring of the site. Environmental Criteria I project in addressing the monitoring will be completed by PPCD (or their contractor) NPS impairment be including QHEI, IDI and ICI. Additional monitoring will be measured? completed by Ohio EPA’s Division of Surface Water if Section 319 grant funding is used (in whole or in part) to complete this project.

Preservation Parks of Delaware County is an organization with a core mission to helping to expand the public’s understanding and awareness of the importance of a healthy environment. The project site is in the process of being developed into a public park. The restored stream will be a prominent educational and interpretive feature within the publicly accessible area of the park. The district will help broaden public awareness and knowledge Information and about the project by completing the following (at a minimum): Criteria E Education 1. A project-specific fact sheet posted on PPDC’s website 2. PPDC will distribute a project-specific press release 3. Interpretive signs will be installed following completion 4. PPDC staff will present information at a PPCD Board meeting 5. Following project completion, PPCD will conduct a site tour 6. Temporary construction signs will be installed during project 7. Pedestrian footbridge and interpretive signage 8. Conduct public programs featuring the restored stream

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Photos illustrating severe erosion and deeply incised stream channel within Critical Area #2

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Conceptual drawing of conditions within Critical Area #2 AFTER restoration project completion

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Bibliography and References Cited The following publications and/or websites were referenced during the preparation of this 9- element Nonpoint Source Pollution Implementation Strategy: Michael Hoggarth, Ph.D., John Shady, Otterbein Ecology Class, An Ecological Assessment of the Alum Creek Watershed from Alum Creek Dam in Delaware County to Alum Creek Park in Westerville, Franklin Count, Ohio. June 10, 1997. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Biological and Water Quality Study of the Big Walnut Creek Basin 2000, November 26, 2003. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Total Maximum Daily Loads for the Big Walnut Creek Watershed, August 19, 2005. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Ohio 2016 Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report, October 2016. The Friends of Alum Creek & Tributaries, Lower Alum Creek Watershed Action Plan, February 28, 2005. Ohio Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, edited by Randall E. Sanders, A Guide to Ohio Streams, Columbus, Ohio 2002. Russell W. Gibson, An Interpretive Study of the Black River for Inclusion into Ohio’s Scenic Rivers Program, August 29, 1997. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Nonpoint Source Management Plan Update, 2014. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Final Template with Descriptions for Ohio’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Implementation Strategies (NPS-IS). Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Guide to Developing Nine Element Nonpoint Source Implementation Strategies in Ohio, August 30,2016. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, Rick Wilson, Ohio EPA Presentation on 9-Element Development, Water Management Association of Ohio, 2017. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Division of Surface Water, FINAL Template with Descriptions for Ohio’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Implementation Strategies, 2016. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, Ohio Fish Identification Guide, January 2002. Delaware County Regional Planning Commission Website Delaware County Website

Preservation Parks of Delaware County Website

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