TMDL Studies

Bull Creek

Total dissolved solids (TDS) and sediment TMDLs were completed for  Bull Creek, located in Buchanan County, Virginia.  A draft report is currently available for download on the DEQ website.

A part of the Tennessee-Big Sandy River basin, the Bull Creek watershed comprises state hydrologic unit Q08 (National Watershed Boundary Dataset BS14), and is located west of Harman Junction and US Highway 460 in Buchanan County, Virginia, Figure 1. The watershed is 3,128.5 ha (7,731 acres) in size. The main land use in Bull Creek is forest, 81% of the total watershed area. The remainder includes 15% in mining-related land uses, 3% in urban/residential land uses, and 1% in agriculture. Bull Creek flows east and discharges into Levisa Fork, which flows northwesterly into Kentucky, where it enters the Big Sandy River. The Big Sandy River is a tributary of the Ohio River which flows into the Mississippi River and then to the Gulf of Mexico.


Figure 1: Location of the Bull Creek Watershed

Bull Creek and its tributaries −Left Fork Bull Creek (Convict Hollow), Belcher Branch, Deel Fork, and Cove Hollow− were originally listed as impaired on Virginia’s 1998 Section 303(d) TMDL Priority List and Report due to water quality violations of the general aquatic life (benthic) standard. As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) added Bull Creek to the 1998 consent order requiring a TMDL by 2008.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) has delineated the benthic impairment as 16.84 miles on Bull Creek and its tributaries (stream segment VAS-Q08R_BLC01A98). The impaired stream segment begins in the headwaters and extends to the confluence of Bull Creek with Levisa Fork.
TMDL Studies

Hays/Moffatt Creeks

The First Public Meeting for the Hays Creek, Moffatts Creek, Walker Creek, and Otts Creek Bacteria TMDLs will be held on Tuesday, August 21, 2007, 7:00pm at the Rockbridge Baths Volunteer Fire Department, Rockbridge Baths, VA.
TMDL Studies

Indian Creek

The Indian Creek watershed is located in northwest Tazewell County boarding Buchanan County and McDowell County, WV (Figure 1). The outlet of the Indian Creek watershed is located near the town of Cedar Bluff, east of Richlands. The watershed contains Pleasant Hill, Harman, Bandy, Mouth of Laurel, Busthead, Van Dyke, and part of Cedar Bluff.  TMDL development for this project is currently underway.  Indian Creek has a bacterial impairment. See the Indian Creek Forum for updates and current information.

 

Figure 1. Indian Creek Location Map.

The impaired segment for Indian Creek begins at the confluence of Greasy Creek with Indian Creek and runs downstream 8.86 miles to the outlet of Indian Creek at the Clinch River (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Indian Creek Impaired Segment.

Land use in Indian Creek is dominated by forested areas (78% of total area). Agriculture makes up the next largest component (14%), followed by residential land uses (8%). These were determined through automated analysis of satellite photography; if you feel these numbers may be in error, please head to the forums and post a comment to that effect! The total watershed area is approximately 21,700 acres. Land uses are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Indian Creek Land Use.

Because there is no hydrology gage on Indian Creek, we are currently calibrating model parameters for a nearby watershed, Panther Creek in West Virginia.  Once this is complete we'll submit the documentation on the calibration to the Department of Environmental Quality and move on to water quality calibration.  At that point it will be time for another meeting!  Keep an eye on the forums for the most up-to-date information.

TMDL Studies

NF and SF Pound River

Total dissolved solids (TDS) and sediment TMDLs were completed for North Fork and South Fork of the Pound River located in Wise County, Virginia. A draft report is currently available for download on the DEQ website.

TMDLs were developed to address the benthic impairments on three impaired stream segments: the Lower North Fork Pound River (VAS-Q13R-02), the South Fork Pound River (VAS-Q13R-01), and Phillips Creek and Donald Branch (VAS-Q13R-04), tributaries to the South Fork Pound River. A part of the Tennessee-Big Sandy River basin, the North Fork and South Fork Pound River watersheds comprise the upstream portion of state hydrologic unit Q13 (the complete National Watershed Boundary Dataset watershed BS28), and are located south and west of Pound in Wise County, Virginia, as shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1: Location of the North Fork and South Fork of the Pound River.

The combined watersheds are 23,364 acres (9,455 ha) in size. The main land use category in the combined watersheds is forest, which comprises approximately 68% of the total watershed area. The remainder includes 23% in mining-related land uses, 5% in agriculture, and 4% in urban/residential land uses. The North and South Forks of Pound River flow into the Pound River which flows northeasterly into Russell Fork, which flows northwesterly into Kentucky, where it enters the Levisa Fork. Levisa Fork flows into the Big Sandy River, which then flows into the Ohio River, then into the Mississippi River, and on to the Gulf of Mexico.

The South Fork Pound River (VAS-Q13R-01) was originally listed as impaired on Virginia’s 1994 Section 303(d) Total Maximum Daily Load Priority List and Report due to water quality violations of the general aquatic life use (benthic) standard. In 1996, a segment of the North Fork Pound River below North Fork Pound Lake (VAS-Q13R-02) was also added. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added these segments to a 1998 consent order requiring TMDLs by 2008. Since then, two headwater tributaries to the South Fork Pound River – Donald Branch and Phillips Creek – were added to the 305(b) list in 2002 as one segment (VAS-Q13R-04).

The benthic impairment in the Lower North Fork Pound River (VAS-Q13R-02) was based on Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) biological monitoring station PNK000.08; the impairment in the South Fork Pound River (VAS-Q13R-01) based on monitoring station PNS000.40; and the impairment in Phillips Creek and Donald Branch (VAS-Q13R-04) was based on monitoring station PNS008.73.

DEQ delineated the benthic impairment as 6.53 miles on the South Fork Pound River (VAS-Q13R-01); 1.11 miles on the North Fork Pound River (VASQ13R-02); and 1.87 and 2.14 miles, respectively, on Donald Branch and Phillips Creek (VAS-Q13R-04). The impaired segments of Donald Branch and Phillips Creek extend from their headwaters to their confluence – the beginning of the South Fork Pound River. The impaired stream segment on the South Fork Pound River includes the entire main stem from the confluence of the two impaired headwater segments and extends to the confluence of the North and South Forks of Pound River. The impaired segment on the North Fork Pound River extends from the North Fork Pound Lake impoundment downstream to its confluence with the South Fork Pound River. The impaired segments in the North Fork and South Fork Pound River are shown in Figure 2.


Figure 2:  The impaired segments in the North Fork and South Fork Pound River.
TMDL Studies

Hardware River

First Public Meeting will be Nov 30, 2006 at the Scottsville Town Council Chambers in Scottsville starting at 7 PM.

The Hardware River watershed occupies portions of Albemarle and Fluvanna Counties (Figure 1) and is approximately 10 miles south of Charlottesville, Virginia and is tributary of the James River. Hardware River has two bacterial impairments. See the Hardware River Forum for updates and current information. The first Local Steering Committee meeting was held on November 8, 2006. Watershed characterization data was discussed and input is requested from stakeholders on the population information. Please download a copy of the updated handout from the LSC and provide feedback via the forum.

 

Figure 1. Hardware River Location

 

Hardware River and North Fork Hardware River have bacteria impairments (Figure 2). 

 Figure 2. Hardware River Impaired Segments

 Note: Land use has been updated based on input from LSC. See LCS handout for more information.

Land use in Hardware River is dominated by forested areas (77% of total area). pasture make up the next largest component (13%), followed by cropland (6%), and the remaining residential areas being a small portion (3%) of the total area. These were determined through automated analysis of satellite photography; if you feel these numbers may be in error, please head to the forums and post a comment to that effect! The total watershed area is approximately 88,200 acres. Land uses are shown in Figure 3. 

 Figure 3. Land uses in Hardware River

The sub-watersheds for Hardware River have been deliniated. In the TMDL plan development, the North Fork Hardware River will be considered seperately from the entire Hardware River basin (Figure 2). The portion of the Hardware River downstream from the North Fork will be refered to as the "Lower" Hardware River herein. The following figures show the sub-watershed boundaries and the areas of the Pervious Land Segments (PLS), which are the basic modeling unit. For the North Fork Hardware River, 24 sub-watersheds have been delinated (Figure 4). The major land use and PLS is forest, followed by pasture (Figure 5).

Figure 4. Sub-watershed boundaries and PLS areas for North Fork Hardware River

Figure 5. Sub-watershed boundaries and percentage of PLS for North Fork Hardware River

For the Lower Hardware River, 23 sub-watersheds have been delinated (Figure 6). The major land use and PLS is forest, followed by pasture (Figure 7).

Figure 6. Sub-watershed boundaries and PLS areas for Lower Hardware River

Figure 7. Sub-watershed boundaries and percentage of PLS forLower Hardware River

 

TMDL Studies

Lick Creek

Lick Creek is located just north of Saint Paul, Virginia. It covers portions of Russell, Dickenson, and Wise Counties. TMDL development for this project is currently underway. Lick Creek has both an aquatic life (cause unknown) and a bacterial impairment. See the Lick Creek Forum for updates and current information.

The Lick Creek watershed occupies portions of Dickenson, Russell, and Wise Counties (Figure 1). The Lick Creek watershed encompasses the town of Dante, and is north of Saint Paul and south of Trammel. It is a tributary to the Clinch River. State Route 63 and the Clinchfield Railroad run through the middle of the watershed.

Figure 1. Lick Creek Location

Lick Creek and its tributaries Right Fork, Laurel Branch, and Cigarette Hollow have bacteria and aquatic life impairments (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Lick Creek Impaired Segments

Land use in Lick Creek is dominated by forested areas (85% of total area). Residential land uses make up the next largest component (8%), followed by agriculture (6%), and finally mining (1%). These were determined through automated analysis of satellite photography; if you feel these numbers may be in error, please head to the forums and post a comment to that effect! The total watershed area is approximately 17,400 acres. Land uses are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Land uses in Lick Creek