WATERSHED WATCH

IN KENTUCKY, INC.

Basin

Success Stories

A statewide citizens monitoring effort to improve and protect water quality byraising community awareness, and supporting implementation of the goals of

the Clean Water Act and other water quality initiatives.

September 30, 2014

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Table of Contents

Community Projects and Partnerships Page Numbers

Kentucky River Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………………………...5-6

Four Rivers Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………………………………6-7

Salt River Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………….7-13

Tradewater Lower Green River Watershed Watch……………………...…………………………..13-14

Licking River Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………………………..14-19

Upper Green Watershed Watch………………………………………………………………………………19-20

Upper Cumberland River Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………20-21

Big Sandy Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………..21-22

Regional Projects and Partnerships

Upper Green Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………...22

Kentucky River Watershed Watch………………………………………………………………………….22-25

Four Rivers Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………….25

Upper Cumberland River Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………...25-26

Big Sandy Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………..26-27

Licking River & Tradewater Lower Green Watershed Watch…………….…………………………..27

Salt River Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………..27-30

Education and Outreach

Big Sandy Watershed Watch………………………………………………………………………………………..30

Four Rivers Watershed Watch………………………………………………………………………………..30-31

Upper Cumberland River Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………31-32

Tradewater Lower Green River Watershed Watch……………………………………………………….32

Kentucky River Watershed Watch………………………………………………………………………….32-35

Upper Green Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………………………...35-36

Licking River Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………..36

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Salt River Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………..36-37

Leveraged Funding

Tradewater Lower Green River Watershed Watch……………………………………………………….37

Four Rivers & Kentucky River Watershed Watch…………….……………………………………………38

Upper Green Watershed Watch…………………………………………………………………………………...39

Research Projects

Upper Green Watershed Watch……………………………………………………………………………...39-40

Watershed Watch Data Included in Approved TMDL’s…………………………………...……….40

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Introduction

Watershed Watch in Kentucky, Inc. (WWKY) is a statewide citizens monitoring effortworking to improve and protect water quality by raising public awareness and supportingthe implementation of the goals of the Clean Water Act and other water quality initiatives.Beginning in 1997 with the Kentucky River watershed, the organization quickly grew toinclude eight basin-specific groups.

Figure 1. WWKY Project Areas

Watershed Watch organizations train citizens about water quality, teach them how totake representative water samples that are analyzed by a professional lab and how tocollect basic water quality field data. Some volunteers take training to perform biologicaland habitat assessments. To date, WWKY has trained over 4,000 citizen volunteers, andcollected samples at locations all over the state (see Figure 2).

Because of this ambitious training and sampling program, an immense number of peopleare conversant of the facts of waterway health. As these stories show, these facts lead toaction, which leads to changes in waterway health. A volunteer on Floyds Fork changeshis own riparian area and then influences his neighbors; another secures a grant andrehabilitates a long riparian stretch (1.3 ac) on Knob Creek. Businesses, when shownvolunteer data, cease polluting: one installs a pump-out facility on KenLake; one replacesa septic system on Doe Run. The KY Department of Transportation changes sprayingpractices to protect Curry’s Fork.

On an even larger scale, volunteers’ work – usually working with other groups - has led toa new 2.5 million gallons per day (MGD) sewer plant on Hammond Creek, treatmentfacilities of airport runoff into Elijahs Creek, a new sewer system in Bacon Creek, andmany miles of sewer line improvements. Because of Watershed Watch, more than 100homes now have decent septic systems, there are $500,000 worth of agricultural bestmanagement practices (BMP) along Hinkston Creek, and more than 35 abandoned mine

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sites have been cleaned up. Stream cleanups have yielded more than 16 tons of trash.Hundreds of thousands of dollars of watershed planning has taken, and continues to, takeplace. Monitoring of mined lands in the headwaters of the Licking River has increased. Aroadway has been redesigned, and total maximum daily load (TMDL) developed oraltered. Policies have changed. The stories go on and on, and all have two things incommon: a Watershed Watch volunteer acquired data and Watershed Watch volunteerstook action.

Figure 2 WWKY Sampling Sites

Community Projects and Partnerships

Wolf Run Watershed - The Wolf Run sampling effort has grown to include a large group ofcommitted volunteers within Kentucky River Watershed Watch (KRWW), the Friends ofWolf Run, who meet regularly and petition the local government in Lexington to addresswater quality concerns through a variety of management approaches. Startup funding forthis 501c3 organization was acquired in 2005 through a Watershed Grant from theKentucky River Authority (KRA). Subsequent grants from the KRA in 2006, 2009 and2010 were used to implement various water quality management projects to addressnutrient inputs, best lawn care practices and the restoration and preservation of riparianbuffers.

The Friends of Wolf Run have conducted intensive, focused sampling that has helpeddetermine the sources of pathogens in the watershed. Critical assistance from theUniversity of Kentucky's Environmental Training Research Laboratories (ERTL) has

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enabled source-tracking analysis of the E. coli samples, so that unfavorable results can bebetter attributed to human or other sources. This documentation has resulted in theidentification and repair of sewer line breaks that were contributing raw sewage tostreams in the Wolf Run Watershed.

In 2010, the Friends of Wolf Run received another grant from the Kentucky RiverAuthority to develop and submit a "Quality Assurance Project Plan for Pathogen BacteriaSampling" to the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW). As a result, the Friends of WolfRun and other project partners were able to use field applications of molecular sourcetracking to identify sources of pathogen bacteria in surface waters in Lexington, andKDOW deemed the results valid for regulatory consideration.

Building on the KRWW sampling effort and volunteer outreach to the community, theLexington-Fayette County Government applied for and received a 319h grant from KDOWto develop Phase I of a Watershed Based Plan for Wolf Run. A subsequent 319h grant wasawarded in 2011 to complete the Watershed Based Plan, enabling the Division of Water toapprove continued funding through 319 grants to implement the plan's water qualitymanagement recommendations in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Management activities haveincluded the use of storm water best management practices, such as retention basins, etc.

Volunteers planting shade tolerant shrubs. All ages helped with tree planting events.

In partnership with the City of Murray, Four Rivers Watershed Watch (FRWW) conductsannual water sampling at several sites around Murray. The city reimburses FRWW forthis sampling.

Also in partnership with the City of Murray, FRWW produces a brochure about thewatershed and FRWW activities that is included in customer’s water bills once a year.

Red Duck Creek - During 2010 and 2011, FRWW volunteers worked with Murray StateUniversity and the City of Mayfield to investigate bacterial concentrations in the Red DuckCreek watershed. The City of Mayfield has used the results of the Red Duck Creek focusstudy to address the bacterial sources that were identified.

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Jonathan Creek - Samples collected by FRWW volunteers identified high concentrations ofbacteria in the Pirates Cove area of Kentucky Lake. This data was used to justify a 319project to install a cluster system for the Pirates Cove development.

Marina sampling project – Targeted bacterial sampling by FRWW volunteers at KenlakeMarina and Buzzard Rock led to the two marinas installing pump-out stations for boats.Volunteers are still actively sampling several marinas.

Princeton Spring - During July and September of 2011, FRWW Scientific Advisors noticedhigh concentrations of bacteria at a Princeton Spring site sampled by FRWW volunteers.The Kentucky Division of Water Groundwater Section was contacted to discuss thefindings. They indicated that because of the areas karst topography, the sources ofbacterial contamination could be diverse and even include areas outside of Princeton thatdrain to the spring through underground conduits. A focus study completed in 2012indicated bacterial concentrations well above the water quality standard designed toprotect human health.

The potential health hazards associated with swimming in the water were communicatedto the mayor, who immediately asked the Public Works Department to install signswarning citizens of the potential health hazards. Due to the samples collected byvolunteers at the Princeton Spring Site in 2011, the Kentucky Division of WaterGroundwater Section is now partnering with the Princeton Water and WastewaterCommission to dye trace several sewer lines to determine if there are issues with thesewer infrastructure itself, or if there are other reasons for the high bacterialconcentrations.

Knob Creek – Volunteers from Salt River Watershed Watch (SRWW) purchased a smallfarm in northern Bullitt County, along Knob Creek. Access to the farm is via a privatebridge across Knob Creek, a tributary to Pond Creek. Knob Creek had been straightenedat some point in the past downstream of their farm. The straightening project triggeredsevere stream bank erosion that extends above the straightened area up to theheadwaters of Knob Creek, which are located in the Jefferson Memorial Forest.

The volunteers were able to secure a $7,000 grant from the US Fish and Wildlife Serviceto stabilize the stream bank, and they worked with the NRCS to plan and install a streambuffer in the spring of 2009. The stream buffer consisted of 1.3 acres of trees (over 1,000red, white, and burr oaks, plus redbud trees), many of which are now 20 feet tall. Ongoingmowing has resulted in a 90% survival rate.

The next step was to obtain a 404 permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers, a WaterQuality Certification from KDOW, and approval from the Bullitt County FloodplainCoordinator. The volunteers worked with adjacent landowners for better access to theproject area. Permits in hand, two weirs were designed to redirect flow away from themost severely eroding 500 feet of bank. They purchased 90 tons of rip-rap and placed therock per the weir design. Christmas trees were anchored into the toe of the bank inselected areas to further stabilize the bank. Volunteers also routinely remove trash from

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the creek, including a claw foot tub, table saw, riding lawn-mower, bowling ball, andnumerous tires.

This is what the Knob Creek bank looked like in 2005 before installing the weirs. Eachyear, approximately 2-3 feet of stream bank was lost along a 500-foot section with 10-12foot cut banks, carrying away large amounts of sediment.

Three years later, after a major rain event, the weirs were doing their job (below left).The picture was taken looking upstream while standing on the downstream weir in April2008. The upper end of the gravel bar is the other weir, still covered in creek gravel. Thepicture on the right was taken in September 2010 standing on the downstream weir, nowvegetated with cottonwood and sycamore trees (foreground). In the upper right of thepicture is the other weir, mostly vegetated with some rip-rap now exposed closer to theflow (upper center).

Prior to the project, the eroding reach was releasing approximately 1,100 tons of sedimentto the creek every year. After the project, erosion in this reach has been substantiallyminimized. The trees planted along the bank have added shade and improved habitat ofthe previously mowed area. It is important to note that the success of the project was very

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localized. The downstream straightening continues to cause erosion along other streamreaches. A much larger stream restoration project is needed to address erosion on awatershed-wide scale.

Curry’s Fork – In 1998, a SRWW volunteer found elevated levels of pesticides andherbicides while sampling the North Fork of Curry’s Fork in Oldham County. Thevolunteer learned that the stream was being polluted by roadside applications ofpesticides and/or herbicides. (A portion of the stream flows between the north and southbound lanes of I-71.) The volunteer then called the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet andasked them to reduce the amount of chemicals they were spraying in that area, and theycomplied. Since that time, the level of pesticides and herbicides in the stream has nevertested as high. As a result of the volunteer’s initiative, the Kentucky TransportationCabinet adjusted the spraying program, which reduced the amount of pesticides andherbicides entering the creek.

Floyds Fork, Protecting Riparian Vegetation - A very common problem for landownersalong Kentucky’s streams is that they sometimes clear riparian vegetation right to thestream bank and plant the area with non-native, cold weather grasses. After removingthe riparian vegetation, property owners begin to notice severe stream bank erosion ontheir property. Often times, they will complain to the local storm water agency or theNatural Resource Conservation Service about the problem, not recognizing that theycreated the problem in the first place. This is why it is important to emphasize the use ofriparian vegetation in stream protection during SRWW volunteer training, and why aSRWW volunteer was able to put his training to work in Floyds Fork in Jefferson County.

He bought a home on Floyds Fork to enjoy the stream. In order to have a better view ofthe stream, he cleared out trees and underbrush in order to extend his lawn right to thewater’s edge. This provided him with easy access to the creek, and permitted him to siton the stream bank for the view. Ultimately he realized the stream bank was eroding andpart of his property was being washed downstream. However, prior to taking the SRWWvolunteer training class, he had not correlated the erosion occurring along his streambank with his clearing of the riparian vegetation. After making this association, heorganized his neighbors in the subdivision whose property backed up to Floyds Fork tobegin planting trees. The first year, they planted 20 trees. Over the next two years, theyplanted 30 more. While the scope of the work was small, the lessons learned wereinvaluable.

Beargrass Creek – From June 1999 until May 2008, citizen volunteers with SRWWmonitored bacterial concentrations in Beargrass Creek near “Big Rock;” an iconiclandmark in Louisville’s Cherokee Park that is used by many people for wading andswimming. It has been a popular area of Beargrass Creek since 1892 when the park wasfirst created. As the city grew, impervious surface cover increasingly hampered theBeargrass Creek watershed. Impervious surfaces now cover 39% of the area surroundingthe Middle Fork of the creek where Big Rock is located, and water quality has suffered as aconsequence. While there are no combined sewer overflows upstream of the study area,the aging sewers in the area, as well as overflows from infiltration into upstream sanitary

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sewers, contribute pathogens during storm events.

When the project began, not much data was available about the water quality of theMiddle Fork of Beargrass Creek. Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) had intermittentlymonitored pathogen and other parameters, mostly to assess the functioning of itscombined sewer system, but their efforts established baseline conditions for further studyof the stream’s overall health.

SRWW was concerned about water quality in this area based on sampling conducted byvolunteers and developed a plan to study this more closely. A team of volunteers wasrecruited to sample the stream five times a month, year-round for the first six years of theproject, and May through October (recreation season) for the last three years of theproject.

The data showed that the water quality at Big Rock almost never met state standards forprimary contact (swimming) recreation. Of the 49 months that included in the study, thestandard was met during only one month, or 2% of the time. However, the stream oftenmet standards for secondary contact like canoeing, wading and fishing, but not forconsumption. In 21 of the 49 months, or 40% of the time, secondary contact standardswere met. With the large data set, an analysis showed a high correlation between recentrainfall/elevated flow and fecal coliform levels in the stream.

Four years after SRWW’s Big Rock project began, and based partly on volunteer data, MSDdeveloped a comprehensive monitoring program for Louisville. In the Beargrass Creekwatershed, five monitoring stations were established. Pathogens are sampled at the sitesfive times monthly to develop information for regulatory compliance. The diversity ofaquatic life forms, including fish, macro-invertebrates, and algae, are sampled every twoyears. Based on this data, KDOW considers the stretch of the Middle Fork where Big Rockis located “impaired” for primary recreation contact due to elevated pathogens.

The project required SRWW to recruit volunteers from the adjoining neighborhoods andconduct special training classes for them. Monitoring results were shared with thecommunity in a variety of ways: reports on the project were presented at SRWW’s annualconferences in 2000, 2003, and 2006; and Friends of Beargrass Creek published results inits quarterly newsletters for the first several years of the project. Additionally, two of thevolunteers were appointed by MSD to the Beargrass Creek Watershed Council. At theinvitation of the Jefferson County Health Department, a presentation on the results wasmade in 2002 to the Board of Health. A poster developed with support from MSD wasdisplayed at the Big Rock Jazz Festival in 2003. The project also received coverage inLouisville’s daily newspaper, the Courier Journal. In 2005, a kiosk was installed at BigRock where the project’s results could be posted. The kiosk was a cooperative projectbetween the SRWW, MSD, Metro Parks, Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and the EPA, whoprovided matching funds.

Hammond Creek - The City of Lawrenceburg had a population of 10,500 people in the2010 census, representing an increase of 52% over 1990. The city’s 2.5 million gallon per

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day (MGD) wastewater treatment plant is located on Hammond Creek. The sewercollection system consists of approximately 200 miles of gravity sewer and eighteenpumping stations.

From 1999-2006, sampling above and below the wastewater treatment plant showed asignificant reduction in water quality below the plant where fecal coliform levels wereamong the highest sampled in the Salt River Basin. Conductivity readings weresignificantly higher below the treatment plant due to the presence of chloride, phosphate,and/or nitrate, and the biological index below the plant was significantly lower. In fact,the only species of aquatic life found below the plant were blood leeches from classhirudimea. The leeches were so prevalent that a single scoop with a macro-invertebratenet would come to the surface red in color. For several years, biological samples werecollected in Hammond Creek to show at fairs, Earth Day events, and in schools todemonstrate how a severely polluted stream looks.

The sampling data was shared with the City of Lawrenceburg’s Mayor and Public WorksDirector. The Mayor of Lawrenceburg repeatedly stated the sewer treatment plant wasbeing operated efficiently and effectively, based on years of reports from KDOWinspectors who said the plant met every state regulatory requirement. SRWW presentedtheir data to the state to document that a problem existed, which in turn conducted theirown in-stream water testing, affirming the concerns of SRWW.

In 2004 the state and the EPA required Lawrenceburg to upgrade the 2.5 MGD plant. Thenew plant went online in September 2006, and increased the system's wastewatercapacity from 2.5 to 4.5 MGD. Within a year, biological testing at the site showed aremarkable improvement in the biological index. Biological tests in 2009 showed thatwater penny beetles, a macro-invertebrate that is sensitive to pollution, were founddownstream from the plant.

Doe Run Creek - The Doe Run Inn is a restaurant and inn on Doe Run Creek, two milessoutheast of Brandenburg KY in the western portion of the Salt River Watershed. It islocated in the Doe Run Creek Historic District, which was placed on the National Registerof Historic Places on December 19, 1978. Squire Boone, Daniel Boone’s brother,discovered the creek in 1778 and named it Doe Run Creek after the many deer in thevicinity. The Inn was originally a mill built between 1788 and 1790. President Lincoln’sfather even worked as a stonemason on the newer section of the mill constructed in 1800.

In 2004, after routine sampling by a SRWW volunteer showed high levels of fecal coliformat Doe Run Parkway and in the Doe Valley Lake, the SRWW Steering Committee approvedan expanded study of Doe Run Creek. Samples were taken within a 4-hour period fromthe headwaters of Doe Valley Lake upstream at every major tributary. While analyzingthe fecal coliform concentrations moving upstream, it was discovered that the highconcentrations stopped above Doe Run Inn. The volunteers then walked the stream andfound an inflow of water from the Doe Run Inn. The volunteers informed the owners ofthe Doe Run Inn what they had found and that they could be contributing to thecontamination of the creek. The Inn’s business is based in part on the fact that they are

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located on a pristine stream, and they were willing to investigate the situation. Theycontacted the local health department and determined they had a leaking septic tank,which they subsequently had replaced. Routine sampling has since shown that theelevated fecal coliform levels have dissipated.Beargrass Falls Cooperative Demonstration Project - SRWW worked with 9th DistrictLouisville Metro Councilperson Tina Ward-Pugh to create a community research park onBeargrass Creek in 2013. The purpose of the park is to demonstrate sustainable practicesto protect stream quality, and to provide facilities to support community-inspiredresearch. Facilities within the park include:

Rain Garden: The University of Kentucky Extension Service constructed a wetland thatholds and treats water off a parking lot for the pumping station. Community residents andSRWW volunteers built it. Future plans have included the installation of monitoringpoints to measure hydrologic retention and water quality improvements associated withthe rain garden.

WaterStep Chlorination: WaterStep is a non-profit organization in Louisville that hasdeveloped and manufactured chlorination units that produce chlorine gas using sunlightand salt water. The process involves the electrolysis of salt water using a direct currentgenerated from a solar photovoltaic panel. Salt is a ubiquitous mineral available world-wide and at a low cost. It is significantly cheaper and safer than chlorine. Throughelectrolysis, chlorine gas is produced and mixed with water to purify Beargrass Creekwater to a potable source of drinking water.

Stream-side Water Treatment: The University of Louisville and SRWW collaborated toconstruct a water treatment plant. The design goal of the plant is to not use fossil fuels orchemicals to treat Beargrass Creek water. The pilot plant has proven to effectively remove90%+ of sediment, 95% of nutrients, and 96% of bacteria.

Pervious Pavement: The Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District installed pavers to createa pervious surface. A catch basin was installed below the pavers so community memberscan pour water on the surface and measure how much and how quickly water percolatesthrough the pavement.

Rain Barrels: The University of Kentucky Extension Service installed rain barrels on astorage building owned by MSD on the site.

In 2014, SRWW is working with the city of Louisville on additional projects in the park todesign and install bioswales to treat runoff water from the city’s police tow lot (includingmycomediation and oyster shells to reduce nutrient, oil, and gas runoff), stream bankremediation to armor stream banks on the lower Beargrass Creek, and the developmentof a bike and walking trail along Beargrass Creek to connect the Butchertown Greenwaywith the Beargrass Creek Trail in Cherokee Park.Around 2002, a subcommittee of the SRWW visited with the Oldham County SewerDistrict members and inspected sites of failing sewer treatment plants. One site inparticular had an abandoned plant with raw sewage spilling through the collecting tankdivider into the clear water of an adjacent stream. A tree growing from the collecting tankindicated that this had been a long-failing treatment plant. A newer consolidatingwastewater treatment plant was inspected. This plant was a larger facility to consolidateareas where the older treatment plants were failing. Oldham County Sewer District hasnumerous wastewater improvement projects underway and/or planned. Plans involvedecommissioning many plants and improving existing Wastewater Treatment Plans.

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Wastewater improvement efforts also include GIS mapping projects and reducingInfiltration and Inflow problems with sewer lines. The most current approvedWastewater Facilities Plan is a 2000-2002 plan that was developed jointly with JeffersonCounty. The SRWW committee, through education and involvement in the community,has helped generate public interest in solving this particular wastewater treatmentproblem, giving further impetus to public officials to address these issues.

Panther Creek – Located in Daviess County, Panther Creek was at one time so pollutedthat the county decided to shift the drinking water lines away from the area. A manurecontainment pond burst, spilling onto a portion of land, requiring downstream cleanups.TGWW volunteers continue to test water from Panther Creek.

Rochester Dam Cleanup - In 2013, TGWW organized a cleanup along Green River atRochester Dam in Butler County as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International AnnualCoastal Clean-up event. During the cleanup, eighteen volunteers collected 1,575 poundsof trash along a 1½-mile stretch below the dam.

Yellow Creek - TGWW sampling data revealed severely elevated levels of pathogens inYellow Creek at a site in Yellow Creek Park in Owensboro. E.coli contamination wastraced to failed septic systems in a nearby subdivision. The County Fiscal Court workedwith local agencies to run a sewer line and eliminate the sources.

Panther Mine - Several years of data provided by TGWW, in conjunction with samplingdone by KDOW, facilitated the rehabilitation of the Panther Mine site in Daviess County bythe Kentucky Division of Abandoned Mined Lands.

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Long Falls Creek - TGWW data and local community involvement in McLean County led toKDOW developing TMDL’s for the pollutants in Long Falls Creek.

Deer Creek – TGWW data and local community involvement in Webster County led toKDOW developing TMDL’s for the pollutants in Deer Creek.

TGWW sponsored the ORSANCO traveling aquarium in Owensboro on two occasions.During its visits to Owensboro, more than 1,000 school children and adults visited theaquarium. The cost was paid for by grant funds secured from local sources. TGWWworked in partnership with the Owensboro Museum of Science and History to promoteand support these events.

TGWW is represented on the Owensboro Stormwater Abatement Advisory Committee inDaviess County, sponsored by the Green River Area Development District. TGWWassisted in drafting an ordinance that dealt with post-construction control of storm water,including post-sale responsibility for maintenance of water control facilities by theoriginal builder. TGWW continues to be recognized as a stakeholder in the communityand is actively participating in advising and decision-making with respect to storm watermanagement.

At a site near the Youth Athletic Association ball field on the west end of Madisonville,north and up from the lake area, the water was so tainted that it looked like red ketchupfrom an aerial view, and smelled like battery acid on a hot day. This was due to acid minedrainage from adjacent abandoned mined lands. TGWW data was compiled, along withdata from other agencies, to appeal for grant funding to fix the problem. Ultimately, theyhad $5 million to apply to the problem. This was in the requirement to "prove the need"for the effort to restore the water to some sort of less toxic level. The TGWW was testingabove and below the site, and kept doing so afterward.

TGWW volunteers conducted sampling at the confluence of two streams locateddownstream from a group of chicken houses. It was common to find downy feathersalong the stream banks and floating down the waterway. The joining stream passedthrough an Abandoned Mined Lands (AML) site called Homestead, near Earlington,Kentucky. A containment pond on the AML site discharged acidic water that turned thereceiving streambed orange as the rocky substrate oxidized. The odor of the chickenhouses and acid-mixed water was foul and nauseating for those nearby. TGWW data wasused to encourage grant writers to appeal for and receive funding to improve that water.

Horsebranch Creek – In July 2013, volunteers from Licking River Watershed Watch(LRWW) sampling in Edgewood, Kentucky revealed extremely high E. coli levels inHorsebranch Creek, a major tributary to the Banklick Creek. Sampling results wereshared with Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky (SD1), who immediatelyresponded with an investigation of the area. SD1’s investigation revealed a collapsedsewer, approximately 1,700 feet upstream of the sampling site, which required animmediate repair and extensive clean-up of the creek. The sewer system serves a collegecampus and a major medical village in Northern Kentucky, which would suggest that the

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creek might have been exposed to elevated levels of human pathogens during thedischarge. Additionally, the sewers in that area were not scheduled to be reassessed formany years. The data collected by LRWW identified a failure of public infrastructure thatcould have gone undetected for a prolonged period of time. LRWW’s work led directly tothe mitigation of bacterial degradation of a major urban creek in Northern Kentucky bynotifying the local authorities and initiating the containment of potentially millions ofgallons of spilled raw sewage. At the next sampling event in October 2013, samplingindicated that E. coli levels at the same site had dropped nearly 600% and returned to theacceptable range.

Affected area of Horsebranch Creek.

Gunpowder Creek - Using data collected by volunteers, LRWW identified concerns in theGunpowder Creek watershed and determined that a focus study was needed. Theconcerns were communicated to the Boone County Conservation District (BCCD), and arequest was made that they work with LRWW to complete the focus study. The BCCDagreed to the partnership and took the lead in applying for and receiving 319 funds todevelop a watershed plan for Gunpowder Creek. This plan is currently near completion.

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Upper Hinkston Creek - In the early 2000s, LRWW volunteers monitoring a majortributary of the South Fork of the Licking River detected unusually low dissolved oxygenlevels in a small creek approximately one mile downstream from a medium-sizedwastewater treatment plant (WWTP). A representative from LRWW called the WWTPoperator to advise staff of the low dissolved oxygen readings and to ask if they haddetected any problems with the plant. After some discussion, the WWTP operatoradmitted that workers at the plant had pumped out a solids tank into a truck and washedthe residual material from the tank into the creek. Being made aware of the downstreamcreek-monitoring program led to increased caution and attentiveness at the plant, as wellas better maintenance practices.

Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky (CVG) airport - Pollution from the de-icing chemicalspropylene and ethylene glycol at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky airport (CVG)facilitated the establishment of the first Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for de-icingfluids in the Commonwealth. When the airport’s KPDES permit came up for renewal, itwas apparent that the provisions of the TMDL were either not being met, or wereinadequate; pollution was as bad as or worse than before the TMDL was put in place.

In cooperation with Sierra Club’s Water Sentinel program in Northern Kentucky, LRWWvolunteers attended a permit renewal hearing and were able to voice their concerns bytestifying at the hearing.

Coincidentally, the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with SanitationDistrict #1, was automatically measuring flow and field chemical parameterscontinuously in two of the streams that were being polluted. A LRWW volunteer who wasalso a former USGS Research Hydrologist, was tracking the data from the USGS gagingstation on Elijahs Creek and captured the dissolved oxygen data shown on the followingpage.

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The data demonstrated that dissolved oxygen sagged to less than 1 mg/L, which is belowthe state numeric standard for warm water aquatic habitat of 5 mg/L. A possible reasonfor this could be the airport’s summertime discharging of wintertime pollutants held intheir retention basins to take advantage of the period when it was only required topresent monthly data to KDOW. Because of this, LRWW and the Sierra Club WaterSentinels requested and were granted a second public hearing.

At the hearing LRWW citizen scientists were able to demonstrate a flaw in the waterquality modeling on which KDOW had based their original TMDL: unusually warm wintertemperatures necessitated the monitoring of stream chemistry over a longer period oftime than the original 30 day requirement. The work of LRWW resulted in the permitbeing modified to require the first-ever real-time monitoring of any water qualityparameter in Kentucky, as well as the first-ever modification of a Kentucky TMDL.Additionally, the airport was required to install other treatment facilities and safeguardsto improve protection of water quality and stream biota.

Enforcement of these more stringent discharge requirements through the newly requiredcontinuous monitoring program resulted in the health of the streams draining airportproperty to rebound dramatically from their previous near dead condition. The upperreaches of the affected streams now have some of the highest indices of biotic integrity inthis part of the state. LRWW volunteers continue to monitor water quality in thewatersheds as part of data collection efforts for 319(h) projects being conducted by theConservation District.

Data collected by LRWW was used to develop Phase I and Phase II sampling strategies for319-funded HUC11 watershed plans for Triplett Creek in Rowan County, Banklick Creek

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in Kenton County, Hinkston Creek in Montgomery and Bourbon Counties, and Gunpowderand Woolper Creeks in Boone County.

LRWW’s 2014 annual meeting was held in coordination with the Kentucky WaterwaysAlliance (KWA) Banklick Cleanup. Several members of LRWW participated in the cleanup,and KWA generated additional interest from its volunteers toward LRWW activities.

LRWW provided assistance to local watershed groups by helping them develop QualityAssurance Project Plans and sampling protocols to meet stream sample collection andquality assurance requirements for 319-funded watershed projects. These groupsincluded the Strode’s Creek Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy, in conjunctionwith the Townsend Creek AG Demonstration.

Burning Fork Creek, Magoffin County - The Burning Fork story is a beginning–to-end sagaof LRWW responsiveness to a citizen complaint, problem identification, data collection,interpretation, agency response, resolution, and subsequent additional tangible benefitsto others outside the initial project area.

A homeowner and mother in Magoffin County was searching for a solution to the problemthe stench of untreated human waste in Burning Fork Creek was causing for her family.The creek runs through her backyard near Salyersville and Magoffin is the headwaters ofthe Licking River. Her home had a septic system, but surrounding homes did not. Herkids were restricted to playing inside the house because of the potential health hazardand stench, despite having an outdoor swimming pool.

After making calls to the Magoffin County Health Department and KDOW, the homeownercalled the Executive Director of LRWW and explained the situation. LRWW offered toconduct and pay for a focused study sampling to evaluate and address the problem.

A focus study sponsored by LRWW in 2002 found extremely high bacteria levels inBurning Fork Creek, in rural Magoffin County. A walking survey conducted as part of thestudy identified and documented a number of direct straight-pipe discharges of sewagefrom homes into the creek and its tributaries. After news media reports and discussionswith local officials, a public meeting was held in February 2003 to discuss options forwastewater treatment in the area. KDOW identified possible funding sources for a projectto address wastewater management water needs, and citizens in attendance said theysupported a solution. Several months later KDOW approved 319-funding for adecentralized wastewater project. Before that project could begin, the City of Salyersvilleannounced they had received separate funding to extend an existing sewer collection pipealong Burning Fork. This would allow for treatment of the wastewater at the municipalplant, an option preferred by residents in the area. The CWA funding designated forBurning Fork was subsequently transferred to a separate decentralized wastewaterproject in nearby Bath County and resulted in the repair and replacement of 56 on-siteseptic systems that were found to be contaminating Rose Run Creek with poorly treatedsewage.

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LRWW volunteer sampling in Straight pipe discharge into a ditchBurning Fork. contributing to Burning Fork.

Bacon Creek - Under a KDOW Nonpoint Source grant, funded by EPA under the CleanWater Act section 319(h), the Kentucky Waterways Alliance (KWA) and KDOW facilitatedthe formation of the Bacon Creek Watershed Council in 2001. At the time, the city ofBonnieville (pop. <300) had numerous areas where seepage frequently ponds on thesurface and discharged directly into Bacon Creek. The city, in cooperation with the BaconCreek Watershed Council, Regional Health Department, KWA, KDOW, and the KY Leagueof Cities, applied for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). They were awarded$2M+ in a combination of CDBG loans and a grant for the installation of a city sewersystem and an eleven-mile trunk line to connect to the regional sewer authority. Theaward was based on the economics of the community; the Health Department declarationof untenable health conditions and local geology; KDOW listing of Bacon Creek asimpaired by pathogens; and Upper Green River Watershed Watch (UGWW) data thatannually corroborated KDOW’s 1996 impairment determination.KWA and the Bacon Creek Watershed Council, which has members who are UGWWsamplers, applied for a KDOW nonpoint source grant in 2005 to prepare a WatershedPlan for the headwaters of Bacon Creek. The application utilized all available historicdata, but the data from the study area was solely UGWW data. That data was then used tolocate new sampling points to assist in determining contributions per sub watershed.

In 2010, due to the rapid evolution of standards for Watershed Plans, as set by the EPAand KDOW, the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, and the Bacon Creek Watershed Council,received a follow-up KDOW nonpoint source and KY Division of Conservation grant toupdate the Watershed Plan and to begin implementation of the suggested BestManagement Practices (BMPs). Additional nonpoint source funding was granted in 2013to fund a larger scale implementation of additional BMPs.

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In 2011, KDOW issued eight TMDLs in the Bacon Creek Watershed. During theirdevelopment, the staff sought out UGWW data to be included in the TMDL’s compositelisting of existing data. KDOW historic data was older and represented fewer samplinglocations (mainly in the lower end of the basin) than the Watershed Watch data. UGWWdata was used to orient the staff to problem areas but could not be used for calculationsbecause the samples were not collected under a qualified Quality Assurance Program Plandue to the extra cost of its requirements.

The work related to the Bacon Creek grants discussed in the paragraphs above hasresulted in several public meetings every year since 2001. There have also beennumerous stream cleanups and celebratory events where educational materials werehanded out and explained. Since the commencement of BMP implementation, severalfarm field days have highlighted the practices that are being installed. Funds are alsodirected at septic system maintenance training, pump-outs and repairs. These residentialseptic BMPs were initially directed at the sub watershed, indicated by UGWW samplingand microbiologic analyses to be the one most impaired by human pathogens. LaterKDOW agreed to allow any Bacon Creek resident to apply. In addition there has been anewsletter, press releases, and a Bacon Creek Watershed Roundtable, that was open tothe public, to draw a wider audience.

Trace Fork – A volunteer with UGWW suspected that a farm supply store inCampbellsville was contributing nutrients to the stream adjacent to their facility. TheUGWW Steering Committee authorized a special study to see if the concern was valid.The study revealed that nutrient levels in the stream from above and below the facilityclearly indicated they were contributing significant amounts of nutrients to the stream.Further investigation confirmed this and identified the source to be runoff from theirloading docks. The owner was grateful for the information and took steps to contain therunoff from his facility, thereby reducing product loss while in storage.

South Fork Beaver Creek - A volunteer from the City of Glasgow noticed there was a largespike in her E-coli values at one site. She subsequently requested that UGWW providefunding so that she could conduct a study of the problem area to determine if it was anincorrect reading or if there was an ongoing problem. She established a sampling patternand collected a set of five samples within 30 calendar days to meet regulatory standards.The problem was persistent and localized, which prompted her to ask for a meeting withcity officials and the UGWW data manager. After presenting her results, she asked howthey could address this problem. They said they would look into it, but she insisted thatthey post warning signs at the location about the health hazard that was present. Theyinvestigated the area immediately to avoid posting a sign, and found a break in the sewerline. Coincidentally, this forced them to post signs in the area until the sewer line wasfixed.

The Upper Cumberland River Watershed Watch (UCWW) has worked collaboratively withlocal educational and governmental institutions. Somerset Community College, which ispart of Kentucky’s Community and Technical College system, provides support in theform of laboratory space for training and for the analysis of water quality samples,meeting rooms for annual watershed protection conferences, and duplication and mailing

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services to communicate information to UCWW volunteers, many of whom do not haveeasy access to email service. Most importantly, Somerset Community College donates thetime and talent of faculty members, Loris and Gary Sherman, who have led UCWW sinceits inception. UCWW has also relied on the McCreary County Water District, whichprovided bacterial and chemical analysis for several years.

Sloan’s Valley Cave System - A large portion of Pulaski County is karst area and isunderlain by the extensive Sloan’s Valley Cave System. This karst area presents uniqueopportunities and challenges to detect the presence and impact of pollutants and toidentify potential sources of those pollutants. An effort developed and led by a volunteerwho was associated with the Appalachian Science in the Public Interest, based in the townof Mount Vernon, reached out to cavers to develop sampling points that were both withinthe cave system and where water emerged to the surface.

Buck Creek Study - Volunteers conducted a focus study on Buck Creek, portions of whichare recognized as an Outstanding State Resource Water in Pulaski County. The volunteerssampled over 50 sites for fecal coliform and fecal strep contamination in Fall 2001.Science Advisors worked with representatives from the Pulaski Co. Conservation Districtto design a study plan for the stream to include nutrients, herbicides and pathogens fromagricultural impacts.

Coal Slurry Impoundment - In the aftermath of the Martin County Coal Slurry Spill of 250million gallons of liquid waste from coal processing, the UCWW Steering Committeeauthorized research on the potential for similar events in the Upper Cumberlandwatershed.

Cumberland County – A volunteer from UCWW conducted a focus study to determinenutrient and coliform levels at three sites on Allen Creek and one site on LeatherwoodCreek in Cumberland County. Results led to identifying impacts by cattle and poultryfarm animals in the watershed.

Big Sandy Watershed Watch (BSWW) sampled water in the area of David, Kentucky from2002 until 2007, including the Left Fork of Middle Creek Watershed and the abandonedmine lands in the area. In 2007, BSWW presented the data to the Kentucky Division ofAbandoned Mine Lands (AML) and to interested citizens.

Three sites with high levels of acid mine drainage near David were identified to be Roughand Tough Creek, drainage seeping out of the hillside near Johnson Fork, and coal wasteat the Beverly Ann Tipple. BSWW studied acid mine drainage at the Rough and ToughCreek site, plus the seep at Johnson Fork Creek, and submitted their results to AML.

As a result of BSWW’s sampling activities and the presentation of their data to the AML in2007, the AML commissioned Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. in Lexington to conduct astudy in the entire drainage area surrounding David, Kentucky. Due to the efforts ofvolunteer samplers collecting data for BSWW, funding has been received by AML to studythe Left Fork of Middle Creek Watershed and develop methods to treat the abandonedmine lands.

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After BSWW submitted the results of their study to AML, a monitoring program of sixpoints in the watershed was implemented to analyze acid mine drainage impacts onstream water quality.

Groundhog Hollow - In 2004, data collected by BSWW led to AML studying the effects ofacid mine drainage going into Rough and Tough Creek from a primary source calledGroundhog Hollow, which is a coal refuse valley fill. The site was mitigated by AML in anattempt to minimize acid mine drainage. AML utilized soil material from an adjacentmountainside to cover the refuse area, spread over approximately 10-15 acres. They alsoconstructed runoff control features and a sediment pond at the base of the fill.

Regional Projects and Partnerships

The Division of Water conducts health assessments of the Green River Basin every fiveyears to comply with the Clean Water Act, and compiles a report for the EnvironmentalProtection Agency. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) studies are included in this report.Prior to planning for each new TMDL sampling year, the Basin Coordinator is asked tosubmit suggestions for inclusion. The Basin Coordinator relies on UGWW data and inputfrom the Green and Tradewater River Basin Team to indicate streams that are impairedand therefore the most likely candidates for a successful implementation of thesubsequent TMDL.

The UGWW and its members support the National Park Service and its other partners inthe process of establishing a nationally recognized Blue Water Trail throughout the GreenRiver basin. This process promotes commerce, recreation, and access along the GreenRiver and its tributaries. It will also produce new maps of all publically accessiblelocations for stream access, identify target areas for future access points, work withpartners to secure new access facilities and ancillary accommodations, and helpcommunities apply for funds to acquire permanent easements.

Clarks Run and Dix River - Since 1999, KRWW sampling of the Clark's Run stream in BoyleCounty has shown high pathogen and nutrient levels at their sampling sites. Localinterest in the stream as a recreational asset and as a hands-on educational resource forstudents attracted the attention of KDOW. Based on water quality concerns and localinvolvement, KDOW included Clarks Run as one of the "priority watersheds" for the state.

In 2005, several local citizens decided to form a 501c3 organization to improve andprotect Clark's Run. This organization, CREEC (Clark's Run Educational andEnvironmental Corporation), sponsors educational and outreach opportunities in thecommunity, as well as water quality activities. Several tree plantings and invasive planteradication projects were conducted along the urban portion of the stream. Groupmembers also provided various educational presentations throughout the community toschool groups, rotary clubs, garden clubs and others. In 2009, a Kentucky River AuthorityWatershed Grant was awarded to CREEC and the Dix River Watershed Council to conductcommunity education for homeowners about septic system function and maintenanceand its potential to improve local water quality.

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In 2006, KDOW decided to use USEPA funding to conduct an extensive monitoring,assessment and watershed planning effort in the Clarks Run and greater Dix RiverWatershed. With significant community involvement and the assistance of anenvironmental consulting firm (Third Rock Consultants), Watershed Plans werecompleted in 2009 for Clarks Run and the Hanging Fork watershed, both tributaries of theDix River. The following year, a 319h grant was awarded to the City of Danville to beginimplementing this plan through education and outreach, storm water improvements, andseptic system repairs or replacements. In 2011, 319h grants were awarded to theLincoln County Soil and Conservation District to hire an agricultural watershedcoordinator, who would assist with the installation of best management practices using319 and agricultural cost-share programs in the Clarks Run and Hanging Forkwatersheds. Currently, the Bluegrass Greensource organization is using 2012 319h grantfunding to work with local health departments and other local partners in the Dix RiverWatershed to provide education about septic system function and maintenance, fundsystem pump-outs, and provide cost-share funding for system repairs. BluegrassGreensource is also coordinating watershed festivals in the three area counties to furthereducate and engage area residents.

Educational booths and poster contestswere part of the community outreach attree-planting events.

Local college students assisted withseveral honeysuckle-clearing and treeplanting efforts along the creek.

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Cane Run Watershed - The Cane Run Watershed is located in central Kentucky in Fayetteand Scott counties. This 28,000-acre watershed includes a portion of the city of Lexington,a University of Kentucky research farm, and the Kentucky Horse Park. Because the CaneRun Watershed has karst features, water that enters the Cane Run Creek can take one oftwo paths: water may flow into the Royal Spring Aquifer, or eventually enter the NorthElkhorn Creek. The Royal Spring Aquifer is a source of drinking water for Georgetown,Ky., making the Cane Run Watershed an important water resource for the region. It islisted on the 2004 Kentucky 303(d) list of impaired streams for both swimming (non-supporting) and aquatic life (non-supporting). TMDLs were completed for nutrients inthe watershed in 2011 and pathogens in the watershed in 2012.

Cane Run samplers have historically been involved in a variety of projects that haveevolved as a result of the University of Kentucky's Research Farm, the Kentucky HorsePark, major industry, a failing sewage treatment plant and a municipal drinking waterspring for the City of Georgetown being located within the watershed. Following severalyears of KRWW sampling at eight different sites and increased concern for drinking watersupply protection in a sensitive karst area, a group of samplers and other stakeholdersformed the Friends of Cane Run. Using start-up funds from a 2007 Kentucky RiverAuthority Watershed Grant, the Friends group created a website, conducted communityround-table events, and coordinated educational field days.

A map of the Cane Run Watershed.

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Local interest encouraged the University of Kentucky's Department of Agriculture topursue 319 funding to engage in watershed planning and to pilot several agriculturalBMPs along Cane Run. These BMPs are frequently used for field demonstration events toshow area farmers, resource agency staff and others. Additionally, UK capitalized onwatershed partnerships and the 2010 World Equestrian Games to install an ambitiousriparian buffer improvement project along the stream segment that crosses through theKentucky Horse Park. UK also installed signs along the Legacy Trail (a recreational trailthat crosses the Cane Run Creek at numerous locations) to help educate recreationistsusing the trail.

Bee Creek - In 2009, the Bee Creek focus study was completed. The study was specificallyinvestigating nutrient concentrations both upstream and downstream of the MurrayWaste Water Treatment Plant. Sites also included areas of the Clarks River, upstream anddownstream of the Bee Creek input into Clarks River. FRWW volunteers, working withthe City of Murray and Murray State University, collected data once a week betweenSeptember-November 2009. Parameters sampled included flow rate, turbidity, dissolvedoxygen, pH, conductivity, air temperature, total dissolved solids, and soluble reactivephosphorus. The data collected from the Bee Creek focus study was presented to theFRWW group at the annual conference in November 2009. It has been used by theJackson Purchase RC&D Foundation, Inc., and the City of Murray to address the sources ofnutrients through best management practices in the region.

Damon Creek – High bacterial concentrations noted in data collected by FRWWvolunteers led to the shut down and cleanup of a cattle farm that was intentionallybreaching their lagoon system. This data also lead to the Damon Creek Watershed beingselected as a priority watershed for the implementation of best management practices aspart of the Clarks River Watershed Based Plan. Through the Clarks River WatershedBased Plan Implementation project (not a FRWW project), several failing septic systemswere fixed and a community lagoon system was constructed.

Brushy Creek – UCWW is a supporting organization for the biologists of the PulaskiCounty Conservation District as they attempt to complete Phase II of the Brushy CreekWatershed Project. Phase II of the Brushy Creek Watershed project is an importantcomponent of a comprehensive plan to protect the quality of the watershed and toprovide fishable and swimmable water for local residents. Through the implementationof best management practices for both agricultural and residential wastewater, and byconducting education and outreach activities in the area, the project will help fosterfuture benefits for the watershed and its inhabitants. Phase I of the project for BrushyCreek Watershed supported UCWW findings that field chemistry indicated good waterconditions, but E. coli was frequently present in numbers greater than 240 cfu/100 ml.

Endocrine Disrupting Compounds in the Upper Cumberland Basin – From 2003 through2005 water samples collected by volunteers of the UCWW were analyzed for 17 β estradiol. This female sex hormone may be excreted by humans and find its way intosurface waters via wastewater treatment systems. The hormone is also commonlyexcreted by livestock and seems especially abundant in poultry waste. Basin-wide

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sampling showed three hotspots where levels from 3 to 6 nanograms per liter (ng/L)were detected: Allen’s Creek in Cumberland County and in Pulaski County’s Clear Creekand Poynter’s Creek.

Laurel & Big Caney Creeks - In 2009, BSWW members learned about The Kentucky 32Improvement Project betweenElliottville and Newfoundland, ahighway project proposed by theKentucky Transportation Cabinet. Theproposed project would have negativeimpacts on two high quality streams inthe Big Sandy River Basin: LaurelCreek and Big Caney Creek. Bothstreams have headwaters in RowanCounty before traveling though ElliottCounty and emptying into the LittleSandy River. The two streams are veryrare in Kentucky, as they are cold-water aquatic habitats that have been

designated as exceptional and outstanding State Resource Waters and Reference Reachstreams by the Kentucky Division of Water.

BSWW members partnered with the Rowan County Chapter of Kentuckians for theCommonwealth to educate the community about these high quality streams and thenegative impacts the highway project could have on them. They developed a strategy toattempt to convince the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to relocate the highway severalmiles to the south, which included writing letters to the editor and other commentary inThe Morehead News, and organizing large turnouts of citizens at a series of publichearings hosted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. When attempts to convince thetransportation cabinet to relocate the highway failed, members worked to convince thecabinet to include environmentally sensitive design features. Two BSWW members wereinvited to meetings with representatives of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, theKentucky Division of Water, and the Federal Highway Administration.

As a result of these meetings, as well as the large turnout of concerned citizens, and themany written comments the transportation cabinet received, they committed to theprotection of these two streams and their surrounding environment. An alternative planwas approved to help minimize damage to the two pristine streams. Components of thenew plan included using dirt from cuts within the new road’s right-of-way rather thanusing fill from the surrounding hillsides. The use of this method will enable thetransportation cabinet to have better control of the construction than if off-site materialwas used. This protects the neighboring landscapes and scenic views and preventspolluting runoff from occurring. Enhanced best management practices will be employedand monitored during all construction phases. In addition, the transportation cabinet hasmade a commitment to use enhanced protection measures such as permanent storm

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water collection devices, catch basins and bioswales to collect runoff and potentialHAZMAT spills.

Hinkston Creek Watershed - LRWWvolunteer monitoring on Hinkston Creek began with the creation of the LRWW group in the late 1990s. For several years, volunteers sampledand documented high levels of bacteria in the creek. The suspected cause waswidespread livestock access to the creek and its tributaries. In 2004, one of the localvolunteers applied for 319 funding to address nonpoint source pollution issues in thewatershed, including livestock impacts. The Kentucky Division of Conservation andKDOW approved the project in 2005, resulting in two major grants. The projects, fundedduring 2005-2015, supported public outreach and education activities (including a website, newspaper articles, billboards, and awareness signs), the development of a state-approved watershed management plan, and cost-share funding for farmers interested inlivestock exclusion fencing along the creek and other conservation practices. To date,more than $500,000 for farm-related BMPs has been spent on conservation practicesthroughout the Hinkston Creek watershed.

Hopkins County AML Sites - TGWW provided data supporting the rehabilitation ofapproximately 30 AML sites in Hopkins County.

TGWW leadership worked to prevent a plan by Nashville Wastewater Treatment Plant tospread sludge on a mine restoration site (160+acres) in Hopkins County. Large quantitiesof sewage sludge were to be trucked across the state line from Nashville, Tennessee. Thisproposal was abandoned due to public and political resistance.

TGWW also formed environmental coalitions with several faith groups, including theUrsuline Sisters in Daviess County and Benedictine Sisters in Southern Indiana, to preventthe building of new coal-powered electricity generating plants in the basin.

Opponents, including TGWW leadership and samplers, testified at three public hearings onthe proposed Cash Creek plant in Henderson County. The project was ultimately canceled.

Opponents, including TGWW leadership and samplers, testified at two public hearings onproposals to build the Thoroughbred and Gibralter Plants in Muhlenberg County. Thoseprojects were canceled.

Crooked Creek - Crooked Creek rises in the pristine woods of Bernheim Arboretum andResearch Forest in the Knobs region of Kentucky. Though protected by over 14,000 acresof forest, the creeks are subject to gully washer characterized by flush hydrology.Sampling by SRWW volunteers showed a disturbing amount of coliform bacteria,especially after large rain events. Ultimately, it was discovered that cattle were frequentlystanding in the creek. SRWW volunteers worked to encourage farmers to fence off thecattle from the creek. SRWW volunteers also planted over 3,000 shrubs and trees alongthe gullies and drainages to slow the gully washers down and reduce erosion. Loggingtrails were planted with grasses and water bars were put in to slow and divert the waterto reduce erosion.

While looking for additional sources of the high coliform bacteria levels, SRWWvolunteers met with the Boy Scout Camp Crooked Creek ranger and reviewed their waste

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disposal system. They were encouraged to carefully monitor their effluent processing,especially the last stage of chlorination. Random monitoring of the creek by SRWWvolunteers below their discharge site showed no increase in coliform organisms.Additionally, homeowners in the area were asked to monitor and pump their septic tanks.

In summary, through the SRWW monitoring program, educational activities, andcommunication, the following outcomes were achieved:

Increased coliform bacteria levels were detected in the creek. Cattle were fenced off from the creek. Trees were planted along logging roads and water bars were installed to reduce

erosion. The Boy Scouts were encouraged to carefully monitor and maintain their waste

disposal system. Monitoring and pumping of septic tanks near the headwaters was implemented. The amount of coliform organisms in the creek was reduced. Additional testing by students in the Bullitt County school system has ultimately

demonstrated Crooked Creek to be the most pristine of the Bernheim Forestwatershed during their observation period.

Floyd’s Fork Canoe Launch Special Study- In the past, bacteriological sampling in FloydsFork by SRWW, KDOW, and the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) has shownthat the water quality in Floyds Fork does not meet primary body contact recreationstandards. In some reaches, it does not even meet secondary body contact standards.Water quality trends in the creek have been negative, as the upper portion of thewatershed has been converted from agriculture and forests to urban development. TheSRWW Steering Committee initiated a study in 2013 to test water quality at the locationsof the new canoe launching ramps. The Steering Committee contacted volunteers whotypically sample sites in the FloydsFork area, and twelve SRWWvolunteers agreed to collect bacteriasamples during the Floyds Fork study.Volunteers were grouped into threeteams of four, each responsible forsampling two sites.

The strategy was to sample at the sixcanoe launching ramps, five timesduring the month in order to obtainthe geometric mean for E. coli. Thewater quality parameters collectedincluded E. coli, pH, dissolved oxygen,temperature and conductivity.Analysis of the data collected in FloydsFork showed that the primary contactrecreation criteria for E. coli was metat four sites, but not met at two sites.

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For the two sites where the E. Coli criteria was not met, the geomean was slightly abovethe criterion of 130 CFU/100 ml, and some or all of the samples were less than 240CFU/100 ml. Samples collected in the upper reaches of the Park did not meet waterquality standards.

While it is common for urban streams to exceed water quality standards, the 21st CenturyParks is the largest urban park development project in the United States. $120 million isbeing invested on the premise of a high water quality stream. In order to protect thestream, Louisville will have to carefully control development in the watershed to assurethat the stream quality does not deteriorate further. On May 25, 2014, the Courier-Journal(the largest newspaper in the state) wrote a front-page article about the SRWW study ofFloyds Fork.

SRWW and KDOW Monitoring – KDOW performs statewide monitoring annually, andfocused monitoring in one or more basins on a five-year rotating schedule. The Salt Riverwas one of two basins being closely monitored in 2014. The SRWW monitors bodies ofwater that have not been sampled by KDOW, and therefore had information on them thatcould be used to prioritize the Division’s available monitoring resources. The SRWWdeveloped an approach to identify streams, lakes, and rivers that had sufficient SRWWmonitoring data to identify good quality and poor quality water. Sites that appeared onthree or more lists were recommended to KDOW for focused sampling in the Salt RiverBasin in 2014. This process provides an opportunity to have the condition of clean orproblematic sites more fully evaluated by trained water quality professionals who userigorous KDOW methods to collect and analyze data. It also facilitates ongoingdiscussions and coordination between volunteers and KDOW.

ORANSCO and SRWW Partnering -The Ohio River Valley SanitationCommission (ORSANCO) is amulti-state organization that setswater quality standards in theOhio River. ORSANCO has beengathering data since the 1990'sabout pollutants in the river.Periodically it has hearings torevise the standards, and notinfrequently, to dilute them.Through the efforts of severalorganizations, including SRWW,and the Kentucky WaterwaysAlliance, local citizens have been

motivated to attend hearings, testify, and temper the proposed reductions in waterquality standards. A SRWW volunteer, who is also a physician, testified at the July 21st,2010 hearing to emphasize the toxic effect of heavy metal pollutants- mercuryspecifically, in fish from the Ohio River. The ultimate sources of these toxic heavy metalsare the scrubber washings, coal ash waste residue piles, and smoke stack ash, from coal-

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fired electricity generating plants. Due to citizen response, the proposed weakenedstandards have been somewhat moderated.

Living Lands and Waters and SRWW Partner to Clean up the Ohio River - Since 1998,Living Lands and Waters (LLW) has worked to clean up rivers in the Mississippi Basin.Headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, the organization started as a one-man operation topick up trash in the river in the Quad City area. Since then it has grown into a $1.8 millionoperation to pick up trash, plant trees along rivers, and to host educational workshops.To date, LLW and 70,000 volunteers have removed more than seven million pounds ofgarbage from our nation’s rivers. During 2001-2002, the organization came to Louisvillefor the first time. SRWW organized its volunteers and attracted other volunteers to cleanup along the Ohio River and Salt River. During those two years, we were able to removeover 15 tons of garbage from the river. SRWW also arranged for permission from theLouisville Waterfront Authority to moor their towboat and garbage barge at the Louisvillewaterfront, and they reached an agreement with the city to pick up all of the garbagecollected for disposal. During their stay in Louisville, in collaboration with LLW and theJefferson County Public Schools, the SRWW helped conduct training classes for teachersand interested citizens on water quality and the steps needed to protect our streams andriver.

Education and Outreach

In 1999, BSWW leaders began training volunteers to sample for fecal coliform, E. coli,sulfates, and other parameters in the Big Sandy River, Little Sandy River, Tug Fork, andother streams or tributaries.

FRWW began sampling streams, rivers, and lakes in the basin in 1999. Since that time,478 volunteers have sampled 329 sites within the basin. Currently, there are 97volunteers, actively sampling 88 sites.

FRWW is present at several annual events that take place within the basin, including theBBQ on the River Festival in Paducah, the Land Between The Lakes Cool and CrawlyCritters Festival and Earth Day Festival, Jeffers Bend Nature Fest, Calloway County 4HRoundup, and the Purchase Area Master Gardner’s plant sale. At each event, a booth is setup where watershed information and volunteer opportunities can be discussed withfestival visitors.

FRWW is often invited to speak at various events such as the Great Rivers Sierra ClubMeeting and the Purchase Area Development District Water Management CouncilMeeting.

Every year, coinciding with the annual volunteer training sessions, FRWW participates inan interview with the local NPR station about watershed watch and goals for the group.

FRWW participates in various environmental education field days at local schools,including Murray, Calloway County, Benton, Mayfield, and Graves County Schools toeducate students about the Fours Rivers watershed and volunteer opportunities.

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This year, FRWW volunteers and leadership began speaking to Governor’s Scholarstudents from Murray State University about Watershed Watch activities and the status ofwater quality in the region. It is anticipated that this will now be an annual event thatFRWW participates in.

Youth groups, including the Calloway County 4H, Trigg County Boy Scouts, MarshallCounty 4H, and the McCracken County 4H have requested and received specialized youthtraining sessions from FRWW to create youth sampling teams. The youth groups havetaken part in sampling activities over the last several years, including five sites sampledby the Calloway County 4H in 2013. The Trigg County Boy Scouts are currently workingto determine which sites they will focus on for sampling.

Volunteers are provided with a personalized report card at the annual conferenceshowing their sampling results with text about how to interpret the results. FRWW hasalso created a queriable database with all sampling results that is available online.

In 2013, FRWW participated in an interview with Berry Craig. It was aired on the WestKentucky Community and Technical College TV station and covered information aboutFRWW’s goals, mission, and how to volunteer.

In 2010, FRWW planned and conducted a storm water quality field day in partnershipwith the City of Murray and Calloway County Conservation District to educate high schoolstudents about storm water, water quality, and nonpoint source pollution.

In 2011, FRWW planned and participated in a water quality field day in partnership withthe City of Mayfield and Graves County Conservation District to educate high schoolstudents about storm water, water quality, and nonpoint source pollution.

During the 15-year history of UCWW, there have been as many as 120 active volunteersamplers, with 70 volunteers participating in one annual conference. During the July2013 sampling event, 14 volunteer samplers participated.

Volunteers are sent the results of their sampling activities, so that they can communicateabout the results of their sampling activities and comment about possible errors.

UCWW participates in the annual Somerset Community College/East Kentucky PRIDEEarth Day Celebration where they promote their program by demonstrating macro-invertebrate assay techniques, and discussing the sources of water impacts, and bestpractices for protecting waters in the basin.

In March, UCWW presented their work at a meeting of the Osher Lifelong LearningInstitute. The meeting was open to the public and held at the Pulaski County Library.

In 2008, anticipating the increasing importance of expanded habitat and biologicalassessments, UCWW sought and received support from the World Wildlife Fund toprovide detailed training and additional equipment for volunteers to develop their skillsin completing habitat and biological assessments.

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In addition to the annual watershed protection conferences, results from the UCWW’sbasin-wide sampling efforts have been presented in state and regional forums, includingthe Kentucky Academy of Science and at a regional conference on Assessment of WaterQuality Trends in the Upper Cumberland River Basin.

In a partnership activity with the Owensboro Museum of Science and History, TGWWconducted a youth activity for World Water Day. It included hands-on experience withwater testing and some basic water quality education.

TGWW organized student environmental groups at Kentucky Wesleyan College andBrescia College in Daviess County to work on water quality issues, with special emphasison combustion and power generators.

TGWW leadership testified at numerous public hearings on the effects of factory chickenproduction on water quality in Ohio, Hopkins, McLean, and Webster Counties.

TGWW developed educational programs for schools and church groups to encourageeducation about water issues.

To facilitate information and make the public aware of TGWW monitoring efforts, yearlypresentations have been given to Daviess County Fiscal Court. These presentations werealso shown on cable TV numerous times for four weeks following the presentation.

TGWW releases data to local newspapers in Webster, Ohio, McLean, Mulhenberg,Hopkins, and Daviess Counties. Articles are published in the newspapers that highlightthe test results for local streams and the work being done by TGWW volunteers.

TGWW has held annual Green River Day celebrations that promote a river cleanup, andpartnered with other groups to provide entertainment, a guest speaker, and locally grownfood for the attendees.

TGWW has participated in Fridays After Five in Owensboro, where volunteers set upinformation tables to discuss water quality issues and steps citizens can take to makeimprovements in the stewardship of our waterways.

TGWW volunteers participate in the Be Cool, Go Green Day event at the Farmers Marketin Owensboro with an information table where they speak to visitors about water qualityissues and what they can do to help.

TGWW leadership regularly gives speeches at Civic Clubs, student groups, etc. regardingwater quality issues, and local water quality and quantity problems.

TGWW volunteers have participated in “show and tell” sessions for elementary schoolchildren featuring pH and DO testing, explaining what they test and why the tests areimportant.

Eagle Creek Watershed - In 1997, a volunteer joined KRWW and began sampling in theTen Mile and Eagle Creeks in Grant County. Through his volunteer sampling efforts andwork as a septic system inspector with the Northern Kentucky Health Department, the

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volunteer became concerned about the contribution of failing septic systems to highpathogen levels in the Eagle Creek watershed. In 2004, he applied for and received agrant from the Kentucky River Authority for the formation of an Eagle Creek WatershedCouncil. This effort was followed by two USEPA 319 (Nonpoint Source) grants for EagleCreek, which resulted in the development of the first Watershed-Based Plan in Kentuckyand an ongoing septic system education and abatement project.

Since 2005, the Northern Kentucky Health Department has utilized USEPA 319 funding tooperate a cost-share program that repairs or replaces failing septic systems believed to becontributing to high pathogen levels in Eagle Creek and its tributaries. Overall, 57problem septic systems have been repaired or replaced in the Ten Mile Creek subwatershed through the 2005 grant and a subsequent 2009 grant. This work now preventsnearly three million gallons of sewage from entering the waters of the Commonwealth.The volunteer also provided advice and guidance for a supplemental environmentalproject (SEP), funded through an environmental fine for an oil spill in the Kentucky Riverin 2005. This enabled a project to be completed that connected a large mobile homecommunity in the watershed to the Carrollton sewage treatment plant. Eagle Creek wasdelisted for pathogens in Kentucky's 2010 Integrated Report on Water Quality.

Additionally, the volunteer convinced a local farmer to allow the use of his WoodlandWildlife Center for a sampling site and for doing education and outreach events withschool kids. Nearly 2000 students have since visited Eagle Creek, learning about wildlife,riparian and stream ecology, and topographic maps. This property was recommendedwhen the Health Department was approached by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinetabout sites where they could do stream or watershed restoration work, to make up forstreams damaged during I-75 construction. In order for the "in-lieu fee" work to beperformed, a conservation easement was necessary. In addition to agreeing to theeasement for the restoration site, the owners and his children agreed to place a total of600 acres of their property into a perpetual conservation easement.

A volunteer sampler checks the status of his creek.

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Upper North Fork of the Kentucky River - Several KRWW samplers have collected datafrom streams in the North Fork of the Kentucky River, which is located in the EasternKentucky Coal Field region of southeastern Kentucky. The area coordinator for KRWWsampling in this watershed is also a high school biology teacher and regularly engages herstudents in sampling and discussions of the water quality results. In addition, she in veryinvolved with a nonprofit organization that was formed in 2008 to improve thewatersheds in Letcher County by educating the community, providing accurate and timelyinformation, and instilling a sense of personal and community responsibility.

In 2006, the Kentucky River Authority provided two watershed grants to assist withefforts in the Upper North Fork. One grant was given to the Cowan Community ActionGroup to help them educate people living along the creek about its pollution problemsand to mobilize support to find ways to improve in-stream water quality. This grant alsoprovided funding for additional water quality sampling along Cowan Creek that wouldsupplement results from KRWW sampling efforts. Another grant to Eastern KentuckyUniversity provides support for an AmeriCorps/VISTA watershed coordinator position tofocus efforts in this area. Since then, a nearly constant AmeriCorps presence has helpedsustain water quality efforts in the county.

KRWW volunteers continue to be engaged with ways to best ascertain impacts of sewage,mining and logging contamination of local waterways. They are currently pursuingfunding for a Watershed-Based Plan that would help them obtain grant funding forimplementation projects that will address the myriad water quality threats in the region.

KRWW Volunteer and LetcherCounty High School teacher speaksto her class about water quality intheir community.

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Garbage collected by Letcher County High School Students during a river clean up.

Three MS4s routinely send their new staff to attend UGWW training for volunteersamplers. The training provides students with the proper protocol for surface watersampling, sample preservation, accompanying documentation, and data interpretation.All three of them volunteer as watershed samplers and two of the MS4s give verysubstantial annual contributions to UGWW to insure that our work continues.

The UGWW Chairperson is interviewed each year on the local public radio station toexplain the activities of UGWW, and how people can get involved. He also conductsannual water sampling training for school children as part of a program sponsored by theGeneral Motors Corvette plant using watershed watch equipment.

Three local landmarks with national reputations have UGWW trained samplers (staffand/or volunteers) collecting water samples on their facilities, including Hidden RiverCave, Lost River Cave and Valley, and Mammoth Cave National Park.

UGWW has samplers at three of the four major lakes in the Green River Basin that areoperated by the Corps of Engineers, including Barren River, Nolin River, and Rough RiverLakes. Rough River Lake is located in the Tradewater-Lower Green region.

The Head of the Outdoor Leadership Program at Western Kentucky University is anUGWW volunteer and a member of the UGWW Steering Committee. He has establishedseven sampling sites along the Warren County Blueways Trail, which have also beenincorporated into his teaching curriculum. Each year his new students are trained asUGWW volunteers and, as part of their class work, they conduct the sampling at theirassigned site during each of the three annual sampling events.

Another UGWW volunteer and a member of the UGWW Steering Committee is a biologyprofessor at Lindsey Wilson College. He has established seven sampling sites in a largearea around the campus, which he incorporates into his teaching curriculum. Each year

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his new students are trained as UGWW volunteers and, as part of their class work, theyconduct the sampling at their site during each of the three annual sampling events.

This year, a biology professor from Campbellsville University is beginning a program forstudents to get involved with water quality issues and water sampling. The program willengage students in real-life problems that face the local city government. The studentswill assist the underfunded and under-staffed local government, which is a regulated MS4,by monitoring local streams and conducting biological and habitat assessments (as taughtby Watershed Watch). Their assessment findings and Watershed Watch water qualityresults will be used to define stream conditions. The local government’s storm waterdepartment will incorporate that data into their annual report to regulatory authorities(KDOW). Over time, this project will document the changes in stream health as thecommunity grows and changes; allowing the students to develop theories of how landuses, changes in climate, and best management practices have impacted the local streams,and to propose potential solutions.

LRWW training is provided to the Friends of Stoner Creek to enable them to conduct aself-funded bacteriological investigation of Stoner Creek and its tributaries in BourbonCounty.

LRWW hosted two roundtable discussions for watershed planning groups in the basin toanswer questions, network, and exchange information.

Putney’s Pond – Putney’s Pond is located in the City of Prospect, and has long been knownby bird watching enthusiasts. This 25-acre natural area also protects the state championKentucky Coffee Tree, which has a circumference of 120 inches, is 105 feet tall, and has a48-foot spread. The City of Prospect purchased the pond and surrounding land in 2005using money from the Kentucky Heritage Fund. The area was dedicated as a city parkoffering a variety of woodland trails, a pond and surrounding wetlands.

Using Putney’s Pond as a laboratory for study, a SRWW volunteer has organized trainingsessions for students to learn how to develop a Science Fair project. Over the years,students have studied water quality, the impact of salt sprayed on roads, macro-invertebrates in the pond and feeding streams, and biological diversity in the park. SRWWprovides equipment, training material, and laboratory assistance to the students who arepreparing Science Fair projects.

Clear Creek and Red Orchard Park - The Clear Creek Conservation Trust was formed in thelate 1980’s or early 1990’s. Their goal of conserving Clear Creek was integrated into theCity of Shelbyville’s comprehensive plan in 2000. The mission of the Conservation Trust isto preserve and enhance the scenic, environmental, historical, agricultural andrecreational qualities of the Clear Creek Basin and the land associated with it. TheGreenway Action Plan is one of the projects being implemented to protect water supplies,natural environments, cultural and historic resources, and encourage exploration of ClearCreek via canoes and trails. Participation on the Clear Creek Conservation Trust Boardinspired one of the SRWW volunteers to begin monitoring in Clear Creek, within RedOrchard Park.

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A local family donated Red Orchard Parkto the Shelby County Parks Department in2007, and this 131-acres has been anorchard since 1792. Volunteers providehelping hands to implement naturalresource projects such as plantingfourteen acres of trees to protect theriparian zone and reforest formerorchards. A SRWW volunteer formed acommittee that resulted in the recentlyopened Miller Outdoor Education Center.Volunteers who provide monthly outdooreducation programs and Earth Day eventsstaff the Center. In partnership with the City of Shelbyville’s storm water program, a raingarden and retention basin provides opportunities for public education about stormwater. A recent grant award funded an outdoor playground designed with nature inmind, complimented by educational signage. A canoe trail has been established from LakeShelby to Red Orchard Park, spreading six miles along Clear Creek. Through the work ofvolunteers and partnerships with the City of Shelbyville’s storm water program,numerous educational opportunities are provided. SRWW volunteer monitoring in ClearCreek provides information about water quality in this resource that is actively beingused for recreation.

SRWW holds multiple workshops every year to teach and certify volunteers as streammonitors. It is also important for improving water quality that those engaged inagriculture and forestry professions understand and appreciate the effects of theseactivities on water quality. Nutrient loading and erosive runoff in particular are amongthe nonpoint source impairments resulting from these activities.

At a recent SRWW training and certification workshop in April 2014, two farm managersparticipated in both the lectures and hands-on streamside monitoring practices. Theyenthusiastically demonstrated their proficiency and skills to the satisfaction of theworkshop director and were commended for their interest in and commitment to effortsto improve and protect water quality.

Leveraged Funding

TGWW worked with the Daviess County Fiscal Court on local water issues and as a resultreceived $1,000 per year financial support. The newly elected Judge Executive increasedthis by 50% to $1500 beginning in 2011.

The Sierra Club’s Water Sentinels program has provided a large share of the annualbudget for TGWW each year since TGWW was formed. The Sierra Club frequently usesTGWW data in their campaigns to bring attention to the impacts of factory farms on localstreams.

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FRWW has partnered with the Jackson Purchase Foundation to receive funds raised inexcess of the amount necessary to pay for the Friends of the Ohio River ORSANCOAquarium display at the BBQ on the River Festival in Paducah.

FRWW has received grants from Tennessee Valley Authority (2006-2009), USDA NaturalResource Conservation Service (2005, 2007, 2011), Portage Inc. (2008), US EnrichmentCorporation (2009), and Sekisui (2011).

Lower Howard’s Creek -The Lower Howard’s Creekwatershed is located insouthwestern Clark Countyand flows directly into theKentucky River justdownstream ofBoonesborough, Kentucky.The watershed lies abovethick layers of easilydissolved limestone thatform carbonate aquifers.Groundwater flows throughchannels in the limestone,and caves and springs arecommon in this area. The

watershed covers nineteen square miles and includes a drinking water reservoir for thecity of Winchester. KDOW has listed a 3.5-mile segment of Lower Howard’s Creek asfailing to support aquatic life due to nutrient levels and organic enrichment.

Since 2000, KRWW volunteers have sampled sites in the Lower Howard’s Creekwatershed. The watershed lies within a popular scenic and recreational area near theKentucky River and includes the Lower Howard’s Creek Heritage and Nature Preserve.One of the long-time KRWW samplers is also the manager of the Nature Preserve and isvery involved in the local government of Winchester and Clark County. When the city wasfaced with fines from a USEPA consent decree for storm water violations, she encouragedthe city and EPA to consider using the fines to develop a Watershed Based Plan for theLower Howard’s Creek watershed. In 2007, Winchester Municipal Utilities reached anagreement to include a supplemental environmental project (SEP) as part of their consentdecree, which ultimately funded a Watershed Plan that would benefit environmental andpublic health. Following the completion of the plan in 2014, the City of Winchester wasawarded a 319h grant to begin implementing its recommendations for best managementpractices in the Lower Howard’s Creek watershed.

In 2009, the Lower Howard's Creek Heritage and Nature Preserve received a watershedgrant from the Kentucky River Authority to produce a map that identifies cultural andnatural resources within this watershed, which helped educate the general populationabout the unique resources that are being impacted by various water quality threats.

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The consent decree agreement also requires the city and Winchester Municipal Utilities toeliminate existing and recurring sanitary sewer overflows and reduce the potential forfuture overflows. This project eliminated 13 SSOs in the Lower Howard’s Creekwatershed by January 2013, thereby reducing regular pathogen inputs to the stream.

Samplers collecting data for thedevelopment of the Lower Howard’sCreek Watershed Based Plan.

In addition to the life-sustaining funding received from VEE, the UGWW has leveraged ourfunded activities to recruit additional funding sources and received some voluntarydonations:

The City of Bowling Green, which is a regulated MS4 community, has made an annualdonation each year since 2007. The Public Works Department recognizes the benefit ofhaving a group that provides the public with water quality awareness training, encouragescitizens to participate in a voluntary water sampling program, and draws attention towater quality issues related to storm water. They have had a representative on theUGWW Steering Committee from its inception.

For the last two years (2013 and 2014), we have secured grants from the Dart Foundationfor our efforts to educate the public and monitor the water resources of Kentucky. TheFoundation is a responsible corporate partner with a strong environmental conscience.

Warren County is a regulated MS4 community, and its Storm Water ManagementDepartment has funded the analytical costs of all UGWW samples (20+) collected withinits jurisdiction since 2008. They have had a representative on the UGWW SteeringCommittee from its inception.

The Mammoth Cave Region Sierra Club, located in Bowling Green, and the Rotary Club ofColumbia, Kentucky, both have members who are long-time volunteers of the UGWW andboth groups make annual donations.

Research Projects

UGWW has been collecting samples during the last two years for a research study beingconducted by the USDA Agricultural Research Service. The microbiological study isidentifying and quantifying antibiotic-resistant genes (ARG) in surface water throughoutthe Green River Basin. This cutting edge research will look into where ARG are mostprevalent, and draw some preliminary conclusions that will be further defined andconfirmed by later research. Data reviews from this study are hoped to indicate or infer

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whether there are linked correlations between high ARG prevalence and proximity tourban areas, agricultural areas, or residential clusters.

Watershed Watch Data Included In Approved TMDLs

Watershed Watch data has been used to identify stream segments that may need a CleanWater Act Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) analysis, as discussed above (Page 14,TGWW data supporting Deer Creek and Long Falls TMDL, Page 16, LRWW datasupporting Elijah and Gunpowder Creek TMDL, Page 20, TGWW data used to supporteight TMDLs for Bacon Creek.

In 2013, the EPA approved two TMDLS that included Watershed Watch data as anappendix within the TMDL. Kentucky's approved TMDLs are found at:http://water.ky.gov/waterquality/Pages/ApprovedTMDLs.aspx

The South Elkhorn TMDL for e. coli was approved on July 13, 2013 and includes KRWWpathogen data from 38 sampling sites within the South Elkhorn watershed from 1999through 2010 at Appendix F. The Cane Rune TMDL for e. coli was also approved on July13, 2013 and includes KRWW pathogen data from four sampling sites in the Cane Runwatershed from 1999 through 2010, found at Appendix F of that TMDL.