ril 2012 p Total Maximum Daily Loads for A the Moxahala Creek Watershed Final Report April 4, 2012 John R. Kasich, Governor Mary Taylor, Lt. Governor Scott J. Nally, Director Photo caption: Jonathan Creek at Crock Road near White Cottage. Moxahala Creek Watershed TMDLs Table of Contents 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Clean Water Act Requirement to Address Impaired Waters .......................... 1 1.2 Public Involvement ................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Organization of Report .......................................................................................... 4 2 Characteristics and Expectations of the Watershed ................................................... 5 2.1 Watershed Characteristics .................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Population and Distribution ........................................................................ 5 2.1.2 Land Use ................................................................................................... 6 2.1.3 Point Source Discharges ........................................................................... 7 2.1.4 Public Drinking Water Supplies ................................................................. 8 2.2 Water Quality Standards ....................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Aquatic Life Use......................................................................................... 9 2.2.2 Recreation Use ........................................................................................ 11 2.2.3 Public Drinking Water Supply Use ........................................................... 13 2.2.4 Human Health (Fish Contaminants) Use ................................................. 13 3 Water Quality Conditions in the Watershed ............................................................... 15 3.1 Jonathan Creek (05040004 04) ........................................................................... 16 3.1.1 Buckeye Fork (05040004 04 04) ............................................................. 21 3.2 Moxahala Creek (05040004 05) .......................................................................... 22 4 Methods to Calculate Load Reductions ...................................................................... 27 4.1 Load Duration Curves ......................................................................................... 28 4.1.1 Justification .............................................................................................. 28 4.1.2 Sources of Data ....................................................................................... 29 4.1.3 Target(s) .................................................................................................. 29 4.1.4 Validation of Hydrology ............................................................................ 29 4.1.5 Allowance for Future Growth ................................................................... 29 4.1.6 Seasonality and Critical Conditions ......................................................... 30 4.2 Paired Site Analysis: Temperature ...................................................................... 30 4.2.1 Justification and Target............................................................................ 30 4.2.2 Sources of Data ....................................................................................... 30 4.2.3 Allowance for Future Growth ................................................................... 31 4.2.4 Seasonality and Critical Conditions ......................................................... 31 4.3 Acid Mine Drainage: Moxahala AMDAT .............................................................. 31 4.3.1 Justification .............................................................................................. 31 4.3.2 Sources of Data ....................................................................................... 32 4.3.3 Target(s) .................................................................................................. 32 4.3.4 Method Uncertainty .................................................................................. 33 4.3.5 Allowance for Future Growth ................................................................... 33 4.3.6 Seasonality and Critical Conditions ......................................................... 33 4.4 Margin of Safety .................................................................................................. 33 5 Load Reduction Results ............................................................................................... 35 5.1 Valley Run (05040004 04 01) .............................................................................. 35 5.2 Valley Run (05040004 04 01), Headwaters Jonathan Creek (04 02), Turkey Run (04 03), Painter Creek-Jonathan Creek (04 07) ........................................... 35 5.3 Kent Run (05040004 04 05), Thompson Run (04 06), Painter Creek- Jonathan Creek (04 07) ....................................................................................... 36 5.3.1 E. coli TMDLs .......................................................................................... 36 5.3.2 Temperature Range TMDL ...................................................................... 37 i Moxahala Creek Watershed TMDLs 5.4 Black Fork (05040004 05 01) .............................................................................. 37 5.4.1 E. coli TMDLs .......................................................................................... 37 5.4.2 Acidity/alkalinity TMDLs ........................................................................... 38 5.5 Upper Moxahala Creek (05040004 05 02) .......................................................... 39 5.6 Black Fork (05040004 05 01), Middle Moxahala Creek (05 03), Lower Moxahala Creek (05 04) ...................................................................................... 40 5.6.1 E. coli TMDLs .......................................................................................... 40 5.6.2 Acidity/alkalinity TMDLs ........................................................................... 40 6 Water Quality Improvement Strategy .......................................................................... 42 6.1 Regulatory Recommendations ............................................................................ 45 6.2 Jonathan Creek (05040004 04) ........................................................................... 46 6.3 Moxahala Creek (05040004 05) .......................................................................... 50 6.4 Reasonable Assurances ..................................................................................... 55 6.4.1 Local Watershed Groups ......................................................................... 56 6.4.2 Other Sources of Funding and Special Projects ...................................... 56 6.4.3 Past and Ongoing Water Resource Evaluation ....................................... 56 6.4.4 Potential and Future Evaluation ............................................................... 56 6.4.5 Revision to the Improvement Strategy ..................................................... 56 7 References ..................................................................................................................... 57 Appendix A NPDES Permitted Discharges Appendix B Status of Water Quality Appendix C Water Quality Standards in Ohio Appendix D Loading Analysis Information Appendix E Implementation and Reasonable Assurances Appendix F Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Plan for the Moxahala Creek Watershed (prepared by the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development) List of Tables Table 1-1. Summary of impairments in the Moxahala Creek watershed and methods used to address impairments. ............................................................................................. 2 Table 2-1. Biological criteria applicable in the Moxahala Creek watershed. .............................. 11 Table 2-2. Recreation use criteria in Ohio. ................................................................................ 12 Table 3-1. Number of impaired sites, organized by use and nested subwatershed, in the Jonathan Creek subwatershed. ............................................................................... 20 Table 3-2. Number of impaired sites, organized by use and nested subwatershed, in the Moxahala Creek subwatershed. ............................................................................... 25 Table 4-1. Summary of causes of impairment and actions taken to address them in assessment units within the 05040004 04 and 05040004 05 ten-digit hydrologic units. ....................................................................................................... 28 Table 5-1. TMDL table for site on Valley Run @ Laurel Hill Rd. ................................................ 35 Table 5-2. TMDL table for site on Jonathan Creek near White Cottage @ Crock Rd. .............. 36 Table 5-3. TMDL table for site on Jonathan Ck DST SR-93 dam pool @ Powell Rd. ............... 36 Table 5-4. TMDL table for site on Ogg Ck S. of Deavertown @ SR-555. .................................. 38 Table 5-5. TMDL table for site on Black Fk Moxahala Ck adj.