Prettyboy Reservoir Watershed Characterization Plan Summer 2015 Prepared by Carroll County Bureau of Resource Management PRETTYBOY RESERVOIR WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION PLAN I. Characterization Introduction ..................................................................................... 1 A. Purpose of the Characterization .............................................................................. 1 B. Location and Scale of Analysis............................................................................... 1 C. Report Organization ................................................................................................ 3 II. Natural Characteristics ................................................................................................ 4 A. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 4 B. Climate .................................................................................................................... 4 C. Physical Location .................................................................................................... 6 1. Topography ....................................................................................................... 6 2. Soils .................................................................................................................. 8 a. Hydrologic Soil Groups ................................................................................ 8 3. Geology .......................................................................................................... 11 D. Surface Water Resources ...................................................................................... 13 1. Wetlands ......................................................................................................... 13 2. Floodplains ..................................................................................................... 15 3. Forest .............................................................................................................. 17 a. Forest Cover ................................................................................................ 17 E. Ecologically Important Areas ............................................................................... 19 F. Groundwater Resources ........................................................................................ 21 III. Human Characteristics .......................................................................................... 22 A. Population ............................................................................................................. 22 B. Land Use and Land Cover .................................................................................... 22 C. Priority Funding Areas, Zoning and Build-Out .................................................... 24 1. Priority Funding Areas ................................................................................... 24 2. Zoning and Build Out ..................................................................................... 24 D. Impervious Surfaces.............................................................................................. 28 E. Stormwater ............................................................................................................ 30 1. Stormwater Management Facilities ................................................................ 30 2. Storm Drain Systems ...................................................................................... 30 F. Drinking Water ..................................................................................................... 32 1. Wellhead Protection Areas ............................................................................. 32 2. Water Supply .................................................................................................. 32 3. Public Water Service Area ............................................................................. 33 4. Baltimore Water Supply Drainage Area ......................................................... 33 G. Wastewater ............................................................................................................ 35 1. Public Wastewater Service Area .................................................................... 35 2. Wastewater Discharge Locations ................................................................... 35 3. On-Site Septic Systems .................................................................................. 35 i PRETTYBOY RESERVOIR WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION PLAN H. NPDES Point Sources ........................................................................................... 37 I. Protected Lands ..................................................................................................... 37 1. Rural Legacy Program .................................................................................... 38 J. Agricultural Best Management Practices .............................................................. 41 1. Farm Plan Acres ............................................................................................. 41 IV. Water Quality ........................................................................................................ 43 A. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 43 B. Designated Uses .................................................................................................... 43 C. Tier II Waters ........................................................................................................ 43 D. Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) ............................................................... 45 1. Current Impairments ....................................................................................... 45 a. Bacteria ....................................................................................................... 45 b. Phosphorus .................................................................................................. 46 E. Water Quality Data ............................................................................................... 47 1. Synoptic Survey Results ................................................................................. 47 2. Synoptic Survey Summary ............................................................................. 50 3. Carroll County Data........................................................................................ 50 a. Murphy Run ................................................................................................ 52 b. Georges Run................................................................................................ 52 c. Grave Run ................................................................................................... 52 d. Indian Run ................................................................................................... 53 e. Gunpowder Falls ......................................................................................... 53 4. Prettyboy Phosphorus Loadings ..................................................................... 53 5. Current Monitoring ......................................................................................... 55 V. Living Resources ...................................................................................................... 57 A. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 57 B. Aquatic Biology .................................................................................................... 57 1. Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) ................................................ 58 2. Carroll County Brook Trout Study ................................................................. 61 C. Aquatic Sensitive Species ..................................................................................... 62 1. Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species (R.T.E.) ..................................... 62 D. Stream Corridor Assessment................................................................................. 65 1. Subwatershed Summary ................................................................................. 68 VI. Characterization Summary .................................................................................... 70 A. Summary ............................................................................................................... 70 B. Cost Summary ....................................................................................................... 70 VII. References: ............................................................................................................ 71 ii PRETTYBOY RESERVOIR WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION PLAN List of Figures 1-1 Prettyboy Watershed Location Map ............................................................................. 2 2-1 Prettyboy Subwatershed Locations ............................................................................... 5 2-2 Prettyboy Watershed Topography ................................................................................ 7 2-3 Prettyboy Watershed Hydrological Soil Groups......................................................... 10 2-4 Prettyboy Watershed Geology ...................................................................................