A Comprehensive Watershed Management Plan for the Leading Creek Watershed A collaboration of the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District and residents of the Leading Creek Watershed Leading Creek at River Mile 10.3 January 2005 Prepared by Cynthia Bauers Leading Creek Watershed Coordinator 33101 Hiland Road Pomeroy, Ohio 45769 Acknowledgments The Leading Creek Watershed Management Plan would not have been possible without financial and technical assistance from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources- Division of Mineral Resources Management, and Division of Soil and Water. A special thanks to the following people who have spent time researching, writing, collecting and analyzing data, and assisting with public outreach activities: Staff of the Meigs Soil and Water Conservation District Mike Duhl, District Conservationist Opal Dyer, Program Administrator (retired) Jim Freeman, Wildlife Specialist/Watershed Coordinator Mike Gosnell, Watershed Technician Steve Jenkins, Program Administrator Vicki Morrow, Assistant Administrator Jenny Ridenour, Education Coordinator Barb Flowers, Division of Mineral Resources Management Mary Ann Borch, Division of Mineral Resources Management Nancy Seger, Division of Mineral Resources Management Dan Imhoff, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Rob Hamilton, Division of Soil and Water Jerry Iles, Ohio State University Extension Scott Miller and JB Hoy, Ohio University- ILGARD Mike Greenlee, Division of Wildlife Bill Bosworth, American Electric Power (retired) Bill Kurey, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Watershed community members I would especially like to thank the Meigs Soil and Water Board of Supervisors, Pauline Atkins, Bill Baer, Joe Bolin, Marco Jeffers, and Dick Sterrett, for giving me the opportunity to do something I love (playing in creeks) and for providing support even when I was working on things that were unfamiliar and may have even seemed strange. Thank you for your flexibility and consideration throughout the project. 3 Acronyms ACSI Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative AEP American Electric Power AMD Acid Mine Drainage AMDAT Acid Mine Drainage Abatement and Treatment Plan AML Abandoned Mine Lands AWS Agricultural Water Supply CONSOL Consolidated Coal Company CRP Conservation Reserve Program CWH Cold Water Habitat DNAP Division of Natural Areas and Preserves EPT Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Tricoptera EQUIP Environmental Quality Incentives Program EWH Exceptional Warm Water Habitat FFA Future Farmers of America FSA Farm Service Agency FWPCA Federal Water Pollution Control Act GPM Gallons Per Minute HD Health Department HSTS Household Sewage Treatment Systems HUC Hydrologic Unit Code IBI Index of Biotic Integrity ICI Index of Community Integrity ILGARD Institute for Local Government and Regional Development IWS Industrial Water Supply LCIC Leading Creek Improvement Committee LCIP Leading Creek Improvement Plan LCW Leading Creek Watershed LRW Limited Resource Water LTM Long-Term Monitoring MIwB Modified Index of Well Being MOU Memorandum of Understanding MRM Mineral Resources Management MWH Modified Warm Water Habitat NPDES National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NS Not Sampled ODNR Ohio Department of Natural Resources OEPA Ohio Environmental Protection Agency ORAM Ohio Rapid Assessment Method OU Ohio University PCR Primary Contact Recreation QHEI Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index RM River Mile SOCCO Southern Ohio Coal Company SWCD Soil and Water Conservation District TDS Total Dissolved Solids TMDL Total Maximum Daily Load USDA United States Department of Agriculture USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS United States Geological Survey WAWA Watershed Awareness to Watershed Action 4 Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction........................................................................................................16 Overview of the Leading Creek Watershed.....................................................................16 Demographics ..................................................................................................................18 Previous Watershed Management Activities...................................................................20 Chapter 2 Watershed Plan Development ..........................................................................21 Watershed Partners ..........................................................................................................21 Structure, Organization, Administration..........................................................................21 Public Involvement, Education Outreach ........................................................................24 Public Meeting...........................................................................................................24 Stakeholder Survey ....................................................................................................25 Outreach Activities ....................................................................................................26 Newsletters and Local Media.....................................................................................27 Endorsement and Adoption of Plan .................................................................................27 Future Educational Goals.................................................................................................28 Outline of the Plan ...........................................................................................................29 Chapter 3 Watershed Inventory.........................................................................................30 Geology............................................................................................................................30 Soils..................................................................................................................................30 Biological Features ..........................................................................................................31 Endangered Wildlife ..................................................................................................31 Other Wildlife ............................................................................................................32 Invasive Non-native Species......................................................................................32 Water Resources ..............................................................................................................33 Climate and Precipitation...........................................................................................33 Surface Water.............................................................................................................33 Ground Water...................................................................................................................34 Land Use ..........................................................................................................................36 Land Use Descriptions...............................................................................................36 Urban..........................................................................................................................37 Forest..........................................................................................................................37 Agriculture .................................................................................................................37 Water..........................................................................................................................38 Non-forested Wetlands ..............................................................................................38 Barren.........................................................................................................................38 Protected Lands..........................................................................................................39 Status Trends..............................................................................................................39 Cultural Resources...........................................................................................................39 Settlement and History...............................................................................................39 Sites of Significance ..................................................................................................40 Previous and Complimentary Efforts...............................................................................42 Physical Attributes of Streams and Floodplains ..............................................................51 Early Settlement Conditions ......................................................................................51 Channel and Floodplain Conditions...........................................................................51 Forested Riparian Corridors.......................................................................................53 5 Stream Channel Modifications ..................................................................................53 Streams with Unrestricted Livestock.........................................................................54 Eroding Banks............................................................................................................56