Capacity Building Through the Watershed Approach

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Capacity Building Through the Watershed Approach"

Transcription

1 Capacity Building Through the Watershed Approach Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 (USEPA, R4)

2 MDEQ Process 1. Develop water quality standards to protect uses 2. Collect data 3. Compare to standards 4. Determine which waters are impaired 5. Determine reduction needed 6. Implement restoration activities 2

3 Basin Management Approach Started at MDEQ in 1998 Provides framework for managing water resources Fosters coordination among partners Builds consensus - everyone participates Identifies and prioritizes WQ issues Basin and watershed specific Guides implementation activities Focuses resources on important issues 3

4 Resources Types of resources Technical assistance Best Management Practice (BMP) implementation Watershed planning Monitoring Education and outreach Funding Potential providers of resources, Basin team members State & federal resource agencies Universities Water management/supply districts Non-governmental organizations 4

5 Mississippi s Basin Groups 5

6 Statewide Surface Water Quality Issues Sedimentation/Erosion Water Conservation Legacy Pesticides Pathogen Impaired Waters Nutrient Management Habitat Loss/Restoration /Protection Animal Waste Management Failing Septic Systems Hydrologic Modifications Urbanization Waste Water Treatment Storm Water Run-off WQ Education & Outreach Coordination/Collaboration Source Water Protection 6

7 Priority Watersheds Identified jointly with EPA Region 4 Value Impairment Stakeholder interest Current Yazoo River Basin Priorities Upper Yazoo River ( ) Lower Tchula Lake (Bee Lake) Big Sunflower River ( ) Harris Bayou Porter Bayou Deer Creek-Steele Bayou ( ) Lake Washington Steele Bayou 7

8 Watershed Teams Members of basin team Municipalities in watershed Citizens Non-governmental organizations with local focus State and federal agencies Water management/supply districts Universities 8

9 Watershed Projects Bee Lake Lake Washington Steele Bayou Wolf Lake Deer Creek Tchula Lake/Abiaca Creek 9

10 Bee Lake Example Bee Lake is a 1,400 acre oxbow Bee Lake serves as a source for fishing, irrigation and recreation 10

11 Bee Lake Watershed Watershed is located in southern portion of the MS Delta in Holmes County Watershed is comprised of >12,000 acres Watershed topography is primarily flat 51% of the watershed is agricultural land 11

12 Bee Lake Watershed Team Delta F.A.R.M. Delta Wildlife, Inc. MDEQ MS Levee Board MSWCC USEPA USFWS BeeLakeLandowners MSDH YMD Delta State University Ducks Unlimited MDWFP MSU USACE USDA/NRCS/FSA USGS BeeLakeBusinessOwners MS Farm Bureau Federation Delta Council 12

13 Bee Lake Watershed Plan Watershed team helped develop the plan Plan identified issues Sediment/ Turbidity Lake water level Invasive aquatic weeds Organic enrichment Fisheries management 13

14 Watershed Project Restoration project was developed as a follow up to the plan: Sediment was identified as the primary problem Delta Wildlife prioritized BMP locations 134 BMPs were installed Project Period: January 2005 July

15 Watershed Project BMPs consisted of: Water control structures (weirs) Bank stabilization Grass waterways Treatment wetlands Riparian buffers Grass filter strips Other 15

16 Watershed Project >$607,000 by MDEQ through the Section 319 Program >$629,000 in matching funds/inkind services $500,000 by other project partners Total Project Cost: >$1,737,000 16

17 Watershed Project Benefits Reconstructed weir helped Enhance Bee Lake s capacity to store 7,000 acre/feet of water Maintain an average depth of 7.1 feet throughout the lake BMPs helped reduce Sediment Nitrogen Phosphorus >90,000 tons/year >151,000 lbs/year >80,000 lbs/year 17

18 Watershed Project Outcomes USGS monitoring documented water quality improvement Bee Lake station Bee Lake tributary runoff station Bee Lake is in attainment USEPA highlighted this restoration project as a success story 18

19 Other Activities Education and Outreach Teacher workshops Adopt a Stream Watershed Harmony Monitoring and Assessment Water quality Fish tissue Biological 19

20 TURKEY CREEK An example of university support to local watershed restoration and protection efforts. 20

21 TURKEY CREEK WATERSHED 11,000-acre subwatershed in coastal Mississippi Turkey Creek, a 13-mile brackish stream Primarily rural but includes some urban areas (portions of Gulfport and Long Beach) Aquatic Resources of National Importance Environmental Justice Communities in Gulfport, MS Turkey Creek, settled in 1866 by emancipated slaves North Gulfport, just west of Turkey Creek Community

22

23 Environmental Issues and Concerns Flooding Water quality impairments Industrial pollution Human pollution Reduced stream buffer Loss of tree cover Increased runoff Harmful non-native plant species

24

25 How The Partnership Began Development of Watershed Plan and Community Plan was initiated by leaders of the local EJ communities Involved State legislatures, local elected officials, non-profit organizations, federal and state government agencies, churches, citizen groups University Community Service Learning Project Assistant Professor of Geography University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast

26 University Services GIS Mapping & Analyses Reconstruction of the historic district through GIS Georeferenced original plat map of Turkey Creek to GIS

27 Original Plat Map Georeferenced to a GIS

28 University Services GIS Mapping & Analyses Fluvial geography of Turkey Creek Yellow = 1940 Blue = 2007 Environmental Stresses on Turkey Creek Watershed Parcels within the watershed containing wetlands

29 Benefits To date, services provided pro bono Students motivated by feeling part of the community Letter to university acknowledging benefit to community Application for CARE grant Possible funding by other watershed partners

30 More Information MDEQ Website - Contact info Kay_Whittington@deq.state.ms.us (601) USEPA, R4 Website - Contact info Dean.William-Kenneth@epa.gov (404)