Probabilistic Monitoring of Streams Below Small Impoundments in Tennessee
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PROBABILISTIC MONITORING OF STREAMS BELOW SMALL IMPOUNDMENTS IN TENNESSEE Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Water Pollution Control 7th Floor L&C Annex 401 Church Street Nashville, TN 37243-1534 PROBABILISTIC MONITORING OF STREAMS BELOW SMALL IMPOUNDMENTS IN TENNESSEE By Deborah H. Arnwine Kimberly J. Sparks Rebecca R. James September 2006 Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Division of Water Pollution Control 7th Floor L&C Annex 401 Church Street Nashville, TN 37243-1534 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY… ………………………………………………….. 2 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………….… 5 2. DISTRIBUTION OF SMALL IMPOUNDMENTS IN TENNESSEE…. 7 3. DATA COLLECTION……………………………………………………. 15 3.1 Site Selection and Reconnaissance…………...……………………….. 15 3.2 Distribution of Randomly Selected Subsample…………………….... 18 3.3 Characterization of Study Sites…………………………………….… 21 3.4 Reference Sites………………………………………………………… 28 3.5 Methodology and Quality Assurance for Sample Collection, Stream Monitoring and Sample Analyses……………………………………. 28 4. MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES BELOW IMPOUNDMENTS………………………………………………………... 30 5 FLOW BELOW IMPOUNDMENTS ……………………………………. 45 6 GEOMORPHOLOGY BELOW IMPOUNDMENTS…………………... 58 6.1 Ecoregion 65e Southeastern Plains and Hills……………………… 63 6.2 Ecoregion 66d Southern Igneous Ridges and Mountains……….… 65 6.3 Ecoregion 66e Southern Sedimentary Ridges……………………… 65 6.4 Ecoregion 66g Southern Metasedimentary Mountains…………… 66 6.5 Ecoregion 67g Southern Shale Valleys…………………………….. 67 6.6 Ecoregion 67h Southern Sandstone Ridges……………………….. 69 6.7 Ecoregion 67i Southern Dissected Ridges and Knobs…………….. 69 6.8 Ecoregion 68a Cumberland Plateau……………………………….. 69 6.9 Ecoregion 68c Plateau Escarpment………………………………… 72 6.10 Ecoregion 71f Western Highland Rim…………………………… 72 6.11 Ecoregion 71g Eastern Highland Rim……………………………. 74 6.12 Ecoregion 71h Outer Nashville Basin………………………………. 75 6.13 Ecoregion 74a Bluff Hills………………………………………….. 75 6.14 Ecoregion 74b Loess Plains……………………………………….. 76 iii 7. HABITAT BELOW IMPOUNDMENTS…………………………….…... 76 8. WATER QUALITY BELOW IMPOUNDMENTS……………………... 81 8.1 Dissolved Oxygen…………………………………………………….. 82 8.2 Water Temperature…………………………………………………. 88 8.3 pH……………………………………………………………………… 94 8.4 Total Suspended Solids………………………………………………. 98 8.5 Metals…………………………………………………………………. 101 8.6 Nutrients……………………………………………………………… 108 9. PERIPHYTON DENSITY BELOW IMPOUNDMENTS………………. 123 9.1 Macroalgae……………………………………………………………. 131 9.2 Microalgae…………………………………………………………….. 134 9.3 Periphyton at Streams with Multiple Stations……………………... 137 9.4 Periphtyton and Macroinvertebrates……………………………….. 140 10. HISTORIC DATA…………………………………………………………. 144 11. IMPOUNDED TEST STREAMS WITH ADDITIONAL MONITORING STATIONS……………………………………………… 146 12. CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………………………… 149 LITERATURE CITED…………………………………………..……………… 155 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Percent of documented small impoundments by county in 12 Tennessee……………………………………………………… Table 2 Percent of documented small impoundments by watershed in 13 Tennessee……………………………………………………… Table 3 Percent of documented small impoundments by ecoregion in Tennessee……………………………………………………… 14 Table 4 Distribution of impounded streams in the total study population and randomly selected subsample in order of frequency……………………………………………………… 19 Table 5 Land use for drainage area upstream of impounded study sites. 22 Table 6 Impounded test sites located on stream segments that have violated water quality criteria based on the 2004 303(d) list….. 27 Table 7 Comparison of biometric scores downstream of impoundment to upstream and regional reference sites………………………. 32 Table 8 Dominant taxon at study sites below impoundments…………. 38 Table 9 Quality of stream flow downstream of impoundments grouped by discharge design………………………………….………… 45 iv Table 10 Comparison of flow upstream and downstream of an impoundment on a first order tributary to Sinking Creek in Cocke County, ecoregion 67g, Southern Shale Valleys………. 48 Table 11 Dominant particle size of substrate in reference and impounded streams……………………………………………. 62 Table 12 Seasonal temperature ranges at ecoregion and first order reference sites………………………………………………….. 89 Table 13 Number of impounded test sites in each ecoregion with water temperature above the 90th or below the 10th percentile of seasonal reference data………………………………………... 90 Table 14 Minimum and maximum pH recorded at reference sites and impounded test sites…………………………………………… 94 Table 15 Seasonal pH at impounded test sites that did not meet pH criterion………………………………………………………. 97 Table 16 90th percentile of reference total suspended solids data in 14 ecoregions……………………………………………………... 98 Table 17 90th percentile of reference manganese data in 14 ecoregions… 105 Table 18 90th percentile of reference ammonia data in 14 ecoregions…... 109 Table 19 90th percentile of reference TKN data in 14 ecoregions………. 116 Table 20 Periphyton density at impounded test sites by ecoregion……... 128 Table 21 Surveys with macroalgae density above reference condition…. 132 Table 22 Surveys with microalgae density above reference condition…. 136 Table 23 Periphyton survey results for sites upstream and downstream of Bryant Reservoir on an unnamed tributary to Sinking Creek in the Southern Shale Valleys (67g)…………………………... 138 Table 24 Macroinvertebrate and periphyton data downstream of impounded streams with elevated microalgae Fall 2003……... 141 Table 25 Macroinvertebrate and periphyton data downstream of impounded streams with elevated macroalgae Fall 2003……... 142 Table 26 Comparison of biological samples from multiple stations on 10 impounded streams………………………………………… 147 Table 27 Comparison of stream conditions at two sites on Dry Branch (DRY004.1BN) 50 yards downstream of Cedar Lake………… 148 Table 28 Lowest and highest median concentration for water quality parameters by season at impounded test sites…………………. 152 Table 29 Percent difference between reference condition and test sites for seven parameters divided by dam discharge type…………. 153 Table 30 Correlation between dissolved oxygen, nutrients and metals in 75 impounded test sites………..……………………………… 153 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Location of small impoundments included in the study design.. 8 Figure 2 Ecoregions in Tennessee………………………………………. 9 Figure 3 Ecoregion distribution of small impoundments included in the study design…………………………………………………… 10 v Figure 4 Comparison of the percentage of documented small impoundments by the percent of stream miles in 24 Tennessee ecoregions……………………………………………………... 11 Figure 5 Number of documented impoundments less than 250 acres constructed in Tennessee by decade…………………………… 15 Figure 6 Results of reconnaissance in August and September 2003 at 200 randomly selected impounded streams in Tennessee…….. 17 Figure 7 Location of 75 randomly selected test sites for the Tennessee impounded stream study………………………………………. 20 Figure 8 Distribution of randomly selected impoundments less than 250 acres constructed in Tennessee by decade…………………….. 21 Figure 9 Dominant land use of drainage area upstream of 75 study sites. 24 Figure 10 Overall land use upstream of 75 study sites…………………… 24 Figure 11 Location of impounded test sites showing comparison to biocriteria……………………………………………………… 33 Figure 12 Percent of streams below impoundments failing to meet biocriteria by season…………………………………………... 35 Figure 13 Percent of samples failing to meet regional biometric guidelines when compared to first order reference or regional biocriteria for larger streams…………………………………... 36 Figure 14 Dominant taxa groups downstream of 75 impoundments…….. 38 Figure 15 Comparison of EPT and intolerant taxa in riffle habitat before and after impoundment………………………………………... 41 Figure 16 Percent abundance of EPT above and below four east Tennessee impoundments, May 2004…………………………. 42 Figure 17 Percent abundance of nutrient tolerant taxa above and below four east Tennessee impoundments, May 2004……………... 43 Figure 18 Abundance of worms and midges (%OC) in response to impoundment of Black Branch in Maury County……………... 44 Figure 19 Comparison of stream flow below 75 randomly selected impoundments to regional expectations for maintenance of a healthy macroinvertebrate community………………………... 46 Figure 20 Location of impounded test sites without flow or with inadequate flow to sustain aquatic life at least one season……. 47 Figure 21 Number of impoundments with no discharge in at least one season grouped by stream size………………………………… 48 Figure 22 Proximity of reconnaissance sites to weather stations………… 50 Figure 23 Monthly precipitation at the Bristol Airport 1978 – 2004…….. 51 Figure 24 Monthly precipitation at the Knoxville Airport 1978 – 2004…. 52 Figure 25 Monthly precipitation at the Chattanooga Airport 1978 – 2004. 53 Figure 26 Monthly precipitation at the Monterey Weather Station 1978 – 2004……………………………………………………………. 54 Figure 27 Monthly precipitation at the Nashville Airport 1978 – 2004….. 55 Figure 28 Monthly precipitation at the Huntsville Airport 1978 – 2004… 56 Figure 29 Monthly precipitation at the Jackson Experimental Station 1978 – 2004……………………………………………………. 57 vi Figure 30 Monthly precipitation at the Memphis Airport 1978 – 2004….. 58 Figure 31 Geomorphic changes in streams below small impoundments... 61 Figure 32 Cross-section and view of unnamed tributary to Sinking Creek upstream of reservoir………………………………………….. 68 Figure 33 Cross-section and view of unnamed tributary to Sinking Creek 20 yds downstream of impoundment…………………………. 68 Figure 34 Cross-section and view