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Looking Glass River Watershed Management Plan - Greater ...

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In Table 3-11 the top five unit area loadings are highlighted in yellow with<br />

the number one loadings, Turkey Creek and Lower Vermillion Creek,<br />

bolded. Locations and names of subwatersheds can be referenced in Figure<br />

2-1.<br />

Table 3-11 Unit Area Storm Water Data Loading<br />

Subwatershed<br />

Phosphorus BOD Sediment<br />

(lbs/ac/yr) (lbs/ac/yr) (lbs /ac/yr)<br />

Clise Drain 0.55 6.62 384.47<br />

Faiver Drain 0.65 6.57 500.90<br />

Graneer Drain 0.49 6.11 346.63<br />

Upper Vermillion Creek 0.38 7.05 208.99<br />

<strong>Looking</strong> <strong>Glass</strong> A 0.67 6.66 514.47<br />

<strong>Looking</strong> <strong>Glass</strong> B 0.40 4.70 283.68<br />

Lower Remey Chandler Drain 0.49 6.92 327.21<br />

Lower Vermillion Creek 0.52 7.98 363.47<br />

Mud Creek 0.30 5.06 173.93<br />

Prairie & Gunderman Drain 0.24 4.28 148.54<br />

Summer Drain 0.63 5.99 479.08<br />

Turkey Creek 0.70 6.61 567.58<br />

Upper Remey Chandler Drain 0.28 4.08 180.66<br />

Middle Vermillion Creek 0.29 6.30 135.84<br />

The model is showing that the highest unit loadings are occurring in the<br />

more rural or agricultural zones of the watershed. These results are not due<br />

to specific sites within the watershed, but are a result of the higher loadings<br />

associated with agricultural land uses. Best management practices existing<br />

within the watershed were not considered within this loading model.<br />

Pollutant Loading Summary<br />

Overall the loadings calculated may provide an accurate representation of<br />

the loadings occurring in the watershed. In many instances agricultural<br />

landscapes have the highest loads of sediment, phosphorus, and BOD,<br />

although urban areas should not be underestimated in their loading<br />

contributions. Much of the urban sediments which may not be accounted for<br />

through the pollutant load calculations may be originating from construction<br />

sites, poor maintenance of roads and catch basins, and altered urban<br />

waterways.<br />

The MDEQ and MDNR found the greatest impact to macroinvertebrates, fish<br />

and habitat in the <strong>Looking</strong> <strong>Glass</strong> to be occurring in the downstream areas<br />

within the urbanized zone. Sediments may be carried from the upstream<br />

reach to the urbanized zone where water velocities are slower and the<br />

sediment is able to be deposited.<br />

It is a coincidence that the largest loadings of BOD are located in Vermillion<br />

Creek, the same area where a TMDL for untreated sewage discharge must be<br />

developed. STEPL only calculates pollutant loads based on a specific<br />

pollutant concentration for a land use. The pollutant load concentration may<br />

be predicting a high load of BOD as a result of the agricultural land use,<br />

which may need to be controlled through the TMDL.<br />

The published data support the pollutant load calculations produced in the<br />

STEPL program for most of the watershed, but suggest that the program is<br />

underestimating the urbanized subwatersheds.<br />

3-24 <strong>Looking</strong> <strong>Glass</strong> <strong>River</strong> <strong>Watershed</strong> April 2007

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