A Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan for the Duck Creek Watershed A Collaboration of Partners of the Duck Creek Watershed Committee and the residents of the Duck Creek Watershed February 2005 The mission and vision of the project are as follows: Mission Statement: To restore and protect the long term health and sustainability of the Duck Creek Watershed through the wise management of its water resources and land uses. Vision: Our vision is to develop a watershed management plan that addresses the problems we face within the Duck Creek Watershed in addition to providing adequate funding and implementation mechanisms to solve these problems. Prepared by: The Duck Creek Watershed Partnership 21330 St. Rt. 676 Ste. E Marietta, OH. 45750 740-373-4857 www.washingtonswcd.org This publication was financed in part by a Watershed Coordinators Grant from the Ohio EPA, U.S. EPA, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Washington Soil and Water Conservation District, and Noble Soil and Water Conservation District ACRONYM REFERENCE LIST AFRRI-Appalachian Flood Risk NRCS-Natural Resources Conservation Reduction Initiative Service Al-Aluminum ODNR-Ohio Department of Natural Resources AMD-Acid Mine Drainage OEPA-Ohio Environmental Protection AML-Abandoned Mine Land Agency BMPs-Best Management Practices FSA-Farm Service Agency BOD-Biological Oxygen Demand RAMP-Rural Abandoned Mineland Program CSS-Combined Sewage Systems QHEI-Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index DBH-Diameter Breast Height RC&D-Resource Conservation & Development DO-Dissolved Oxygen RM-River Mile EWH-Exceptional Warm Water Habitat MWCD-Muskingum Watershed Fe-Iron Conservancy District SWCD-Soil & Water Conservation District FEMA-Federal Emergency Management Agency TSS-Total Suspended Solids GIS-Geographic Information Systems TMDL-Total Maximum Daily Load IBI-Index of Biological Integrity USDA-United States Department of Agriculture ICI-Invertebrate Community Index USFWS-United States Fish & Wildlife ILGARD-Institute for Local Government Service & Rural Development WWH-Warm Water Habitat Mn-Manganese MRM-Mineral Resource Management LEAP-Livestock Environmental Assurance Program NPDES-National Pollution Discharge Elimination System CRP-Conservation Reserve Program NPS-Non-point Source Pollution EQIP-Environmental Quality Incentives Program TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I. Page Introduction, Defining the Watershed................................................................9 Location Statistics.......................................................................9 Districts.......................................................................................9 Land Use.....................................................................................9 Demographics........................................................................................10 General Watershed Information.............................................................13 Previous and Current Water Quality Efforts..............................13 SECTION II. Watershed Plan Development............................................................................16 Watershed Partners.................................................................................16 Structure, Organization and Administration...........................................19 Project Responsibility.................................................................19 Project Background....................................................................20 Public Involvement, Education and Outreach....................................................21 Public Meetings......................................................................................21 Newsletter...............................................................................................22 Survey.....................................................................................................23 Media, Field Days & Tours, Kroger Wetland, ......................................25-26 Endorsement and Adoption of Plan........................................................27 Educational Philosophy & Future Areas of Emphasis...........................28 SECTION III. Watershed Inventory: Description of the Watershed..........................................30 Geology...................................................................................................30 Topography and Soils.................................................................30 Glacial History............................................................................35 Biological Features.................................................................................35 Rare, threatened, endangered, invasive and nonatives...............35-37 ODNR & Non ODNR Managed Areas......................................38-39 Water Resources.....................................................................................39 Climate & Precipitation..............................................................39 Surface Water.............................................................................39-41 100-year floodplain & flooding..................................................42-44 Sinuosity, Entrenchment & Floodplain Connectivity.................45 Ohio Water Quality Standards....................................................45 Duck Creek’s use designation.....................................................48 Lakes & reservoirs......................................................................49 Ground Water: flow, SWAP, DRASIC......................................50-51 Public Water................................................................................51 Land Use/Land Cover.............................................................................52 Wooded.......................................................................................54 Agriculture..................................................................................54 Urban & Impervious: public sewage treatment, HSTSs.............55-56 Industry.......................................................................................56 Water, Barren & Protected Lands...............................................57 Status and Trends: historic, current and projected landuses.......58 Historical and Cultural Resources...........................................................59 Physical Attributes of Streams & Floodplain Areas................................63 Early Settlement Conditions........................................................63 Channel & floodplain condition & Hydromodification...............64 Forested riparian corridor assessment..........................................64 Permanent Protection...................................................................65 Dams............................................................................................65 Streams with Unrestricted Livestock Access..............................66 Eroding banks, levees, entrenchment, status & trends................66-68 Water Resource Quality..........................................................................68 Duck Creek’s Use Designation...................................................68 Aquatic Life Use Attainment Status...........................................68 Water Quality Monitoring Program............................................69 Sampling Sites.............................................................................74 Locally Referenced Use Designation/Use Attainment................74 Causes, Sources and Threats of Impairment................................75 Point Source Pollution..................................................................75 NPDES.........................................................................................76 Non Point Sources........................................................................78 SECTION IV. Impairments, Problem Statements & Project Goals............................................83 Priority and Timeline..............................................................................83 Headwaters West Fork............................................................................84-97 Headwaters East Fork.............................................................................98-104 East Fork below Middle Fork...............................................................105-112 Lower Duck Creek................................................................................113-121 East Fork above Middle Fork................................................................122-129 Middle Fork Duck Creek.......................................................................130-138 Upper Duck Creek.................................................................................139-145 West Fork Duck Creek..........................................................................146-154 Paw Paw Creek.....................................................................................155-160 SECTION V. References.........................................................................................................160-161 SECTION VI. Appendix...........................................................................................................162-206 SECTION VII. Maps.....................................................................................................................207 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1: Most Important Concerns in Duck Creek............................24 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Land Use distribution