Ballard Creek

Ballard Creek, Illinois River, Washington County, Arkansas, Section 319, Best Management Practice Implementation Project

Casey D. Dunigan, Resource Conservationist

Email: casey.dunigan@ar.nacdnet.net

Introduction

The Illinois River, Arkansas, which flows into Oklahoma, was identified in the Illinois River Cooperative River Basin Resource Base Report (1991) as an impaired stream due to the influx of non-point source pollution, and it identified phosphorus (P) as the limiting nutrient in the basin. Several other reports have also indicated water quality impairment of this river including the State of Arkansas’s Water Quality Assessment Report, the Soil Conservation Service River Basin Study, and several University of Arkansas studies. The states of Oklahoma and Arkansas have agreed to reduce by 40% the phosphorus loading in Lake Tenkiller, an impoundment of the Illinois River, OK. This reduction in lake phosphorus loading can only be achieved by controlling the inputs of phosphorus in the Illinois River basin. One of the recognized methods for controlling the runoff of nutrients into the basin focuses on implementing land use management practices or Best Management Practices (BMP’s) at the sub-watershed level. The Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission selected the Ballard Creek sub-basin for intensive BMP implementation.

The selection of a sub-watershed within the Illinois River, Arkansas for targeted intensive BMP’S implementation was based on the following criteria: (1) the sub-watershed had to be above the current median value for phosphorus loading, (2) there would be no sewage treatment discharges in the sub-watershed, and (3) there had to be sufficient landowner interest in the project.

The Upper Ballard Creek watershed met all these requirements and was funded for Phase I through Phase IV implementation. Phase I of the project included an assessment of the Ballard Creek Watershed that was conducted by the Washington County Conservation District in 1999.

This assessment identified three primary sources of phosphorus in the Ballard Creek watershed: Soil phosphorus eroded from stream banks, soil bound phosphorus moved from eroded pastures, and eroded road banks. We estimated that the amount of soil test phosphorus (STP) entering the stream and its tributaries is approximately 376 pounds from an estimated 4,207 tons of delivered sediment. The majority of this STP is from soil washed into Ballard Creek and its tributaries from stream bank erosion, which comprises 51% of STP additions. Sheet and rill erosion from pastureland accounts for 40% of the total STP, while only 9% of the STP load is attributable to road bank erosion.

General Project Description:

The goal of this project is to implement conservation practices (BMP’s) throughout the Ballard Creek and surrounding Illinois River sub-basins. These practices should result in an overall reduction of phosphorus pollution in Ballard Creek. The areas of concentration are as follows: unstable stream banks, agricultural land at risk of nutrient transport, and road banks that are eroded and in need of re-vegetation. Another important goal of this project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of BMP’s through education of the general public, public agencies, the University of Arkansas students and professors, and others.

This project will provide implementation of action item 1 (Phase IV) of the Ballard Creek Watershed Assessment Project, which proposes the following: (1) establish cost-shared BMP’s throughout the watershed, (2) develop Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMP’s), (3) install stream bank stabilization practices and a stream bank stabilization demonstration project, (4) install roadside erosion control practices, and (5) provide an education and technology transfer program.

Results

Share the costs of BMP implementation:

To date, we have written 49 contracts for BMP implementation. Most of these contracts are for fencing and are a component of Prescribed Grazing practice. Cost share has been extended to the whole of the Illinois River Watershed.

Develop Nutrient Management Plans:

To date, we have written 68 CNMP’s and planned 730 BMP’s on 9,576 acres. These BMP’s include Filter Strips, Prescribed Grazing, Nutrient Management, Waste Utilization, Fencing, and Pasture and Hayland Planting.

Install Stream bank Stabilization Practices:

The WCCD planned three stream bank stabilization sites, but none were implemented. The great costs of installation (as much as $100 per linear foot) and the long term maintenance agreement squelched any interest in the practices.

Roadside Erosion Control Practices:

The conservation district and Washington County Road Department installed five sites in Illinois River basin totaling approximately 9.5 ac of Critical Area Planting.

Provide Education and Technology Transfer:

We held 6 field days and prepared 16 news releases and public displays.

Discussion

The success of this project is determined mainly by the degree of participation by local government and landowners in the watershed. Another measure of success will include estimates of P runoff potential using the Arkansas Phosphorus Index (a P transport, risk assessment tool). Preliminary P Index results indicate that very large reductions in P runoff risk can result from the installation and maintenance of field buffers or filter strips as these dramatically reduce the P transport potential even when P sources (poultry litter and commercial fertilizer) remain constant. These data are incomplete since changes in P index values are dependent on the installation of practices. So while practices have been planned, the number actually installed will not be known until follow-ups are performed in year three of the project.

The Washington County Road Department has been instrumental in installing Critical Area Planting sites. The Washington County Conservation District purchased a new hydromulcher and hydromulching supplies for the road department. Their cooperation and continued support will reduce P transport from roadside areas in Ballard Creek and throughout the entire Illinois River watershed.

In summary, this project is providing landowners and county government with best management practices that, if properly installed and maintained, will reduce the risks of non point source pollution in Ballard Creek, Illinois River, Arkansas. A program of water quality monitoring in Ballard Creek would more accurately indicate actual P transport reductions that resulted from the installation.