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The North Carolina State University (NCSU) Water Quality Group is a multidisciplinary team that analyzes and evaluates nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control technologies and water quality programs nationwide.
The NCSU Water Quality Group is a component of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State University. Funding consists of grants and contracts from federal, state, and local agencies. The Group is active in Extension programs in natural resource management. The Group works cooperatively with many public and private institutions, as well as many departments at NCSU including the Departments of Soil Science, Forestry, Civil Engineering, and Sociology and Anthropology.
We provide technical assistance to planners and write educational and technical guides for federal, state, and local government agencies. We also assist water quality watershed projects, conduct training programs and workshops for water quality professionals, and publish a technical newsletter on nonpoint source pollution.
Duration: 05/01/02 - 09/30/04
Source: NCDENR
Robeson Creek is a 303(d) listed stream with chlorophyll a violations in the
lower stream segment and impaired biological communities in both segments. Potential
sources of impairment include both point and nonpoint sources. NC DENR - Division
of Water Quality (DWQ) is currently developing TMDLs for Robeson Creek for total
nitrogen and total phosphorus, to be submitted to EPA for approval July 2003.
The objective of the proposed project is two-fold: 1) to conduct a watershed
assessment for the Robeson Creek watershed in order to identify critical areas
(pollutant source areas) for targeting implementation of best management practices
(BMPs); and 2) to develop a TMDL Implementation Plan for achieving total nitrogen
and total phosphorus TMDLs for Robeson Creek.
Duration: 07/15/02 - 07/14/06
Source: NCDENR Wetlands Restoration Program
As requested by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, Wetlands Restoration
Program (WRP), North Carolina State University (NCSU) will conduct a restoration
of North River Farms (NRF) located in Carteret County, North Carolina. The purpose
of this restoration is to improve water quality in the North River by restoring
approximately 250 acres (Phase I) and 500 acres (Phase II) of active and abandoned
farmland to primarily non-riverine forested wetlands. The complete restoration
will include approximately 25 acres of tidal salt marsh and 60 acres of floodplain/swamp
with roughly 5,000 linear feet of braided streams.
Under this proposal, North Carolina State University (NCSU) will plan and design the restoration, provide construction management, overall project management, and all of the required monitoring for Phase I. Monitoring will include hydrology, soils, vegetation and water quality and will continue for a period of about 5 months pre-construction and three years post construction of phase I. In addition NCSU will plan and design restoration of Phase II and conduct pre-construction monitoring of phase II for a period of one year.
Duration: August 1, 2001 - July
31, 2004
Source: NC DENR (EPA Section 319)
The purpose of this project is to develop methods for restoring and creating wetland habitats in the Southern Appalachian mountains, and to educate landowners about the importance of mountain wetland systems. A training center will be established to demonstrate effective watershed best management practices (BMPs). Also, a comprehensive education program will be conducted throughout the Yadkin Basin for landowners, concerned citizens, natural resource managers, and public officials.
This project educates restoration professionals, state agencies, landowners, and consultants about proper restoration methods and the benefits of restoration efforts in the Coastal Plain. There is currently a need to restore stream, riparian, and wetland systems in the Coastal Plain of NC, due in part to mitigation requirements, state and federal water quality objectives, and increased societal value placed on these systems. Two demonstration projects, totaling approximately 700 feet of stream and riparian corridor, will be established on Coastal Plain streams which will become a focal point for a number of workshops and tours focusing on nonpoint source pollution, coastal restoration, and best management practices.
Duration: 1/1/99-3/31/02
Source: NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund (CWMTF)
Rosgen-type stream restoration (Levels 1, 2, and 3) were designed and installed on 6,100 linear feet of Rocky Branch on NC State University's campus. Channel morphology (pattern, dimension, and profile) was modified using natural channel design concepts for this urban watershed. For reaches were Level 1 restoration was possible, the stream was reconnected with it's floodplain. For other reaches, a new, lower elevation floodplain was established. A complimentary additional grant of $1,688,500 Federal Transportation (TEA-21, or Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act and Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century) was obtained for installation of a greenway path and enhanced landscape plantings.
Duration: January 1, 2001 - December 31, 2001
Source: Cotton Incorporated
In order to Determine the technical feasibility of irrigating cotton with subsurface drip irrigation technology, research will be conducted on a subsurface drip irrigation system that has been installed at the Peanut Belt Research Station in Lewiston, NC. Drip lines are beneath every row at a depth of 10 inches. The experimental design will test for differences in cotton lint yield between the SDI system, sprinkler irrigated cotton and dry-land cotton. Opportunity exists to coordinate this work with peanut research currently being performed under subsurface drip irrigation. The interaction between irrigation method and pest management strategies will also be evaluated.
Duration: 1/1/01 - 12/31/03 (FY00)
and xx8/1/01 - 7/31/04
Source: NC DENR and U.S. EPA, Region IV, 319(h)
N.C. State University's Soil and Water Environmental Technology Center (SWETC) is based at NCSU's Lake Wheeler Field Research Laboratory in Raleigh, NC. This facility encompasses over 30 acres of land at this site. Other NCSU training centers are being established throughout North Carolina (e.g., Plymouth, Bolivia, Greensboro, Fletcher). The focus of this grant is on educational projects and programs for the following Training Center components:
· Watershed Planning and Restoration Training
· On-Site Wastewater Education and Demonstration
· Land Application Training and Demonstration Center
· Composting Training and Demonstration
· Sediment and Erosion Control Research and Education Center
Specifically, project objectives include:
1. Provide training on land use and site planning, stormwater management, and
stream restoration.
2. Provide training on managing land application systems in harmony with the
environment.
3. Provide a coordinated statewide training effort for implementation of best
management practices that minimize non-point source impacts due to on-site wastewater
disposal.
4. Conduct training for large- and small-scale composting, and demonstrate composting
systems and the beneficial use of compost.
5. Provide a demonstration and education center for sediment and erosion control
systems.
Duration: 10/01/00-9/30/03
Source: Tetra Tech, Inc., and U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Assessment and Watershed Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
and Watersheds
Tetra Tech was awarded a 3-year contract to provide technical support to U.S.
EPA's water programs at the Headquarters, Regional and State level, with special
emphasis on NPS issues for the Assessment and Watershed Protection Division
within the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds. New U.S. EPA national
initiatives in NPS control, prevention, and multimedia data management and analysis
will be supported.
Guidance on Controlling Agricultural Sources of Nonpoint Source Pollution
An example work assignment performed to date has been to assist the U.S. EPA
in drafting a guidance document on controlling agricultural sources of nonpoint
source pollution. The guidance is national in scope and is intended to provide
technical assistance to State program managers and others on the best available,
most economically-achievable means of reducing nonpoint source pollution of
surface and groundwater from agriculture. The document discusses management
measures for nutrient management, pesticide management, erosion and sediment
control, facility wastewater and runoff from confined animal facilities, grazing
management, and irrigation water management. BMPs were evaluated based on their
cost-effectiveness of the practices in terms of: pollutant source reduction,
reduction of pollutant delivery to water resources, ease of farmer implementation
and operation, and proper installation and maintenance.
Duration: 10/15/01 - 09/30/04
Source: USDA-CSREES
Thousands of acres of shellfish waters in NC and other coastal U.S. states are permanently or conditionally closed to harvesting due to elevated levels of bacteria. The source(s) of the bacteria is rarely known, and fecal coliform levels determined using traditional monitoring approaches do not differentiate relative contributions of human and animal sources.
This project will investigate sources and loads from two watersheds with active
crop and forestry agriculture, compare and contrast transport vectors and watershed
processes contributing to the problem, develop program protocols for monitoring
and management strategies within NC-DEH Shellfish Sanitation program to further
their capabilities to protect public health, and transfer this information to
the scientific community, students, state agencies, and public.
Duration: 9/15/01 - 9/14/02
Source: NC DENR and U.S. EPA, Region IV, 319(h)
Project Objectives:
1. Demonstration and evaluation of streambank restoration, wetland restoration,
riparian area buffers, watershed management and assessment techniques, and surface
and ground water monitoring.
2. Demonstration of septic system BMPs including advanced on-site wastewater
treatment technologies that homeowners can utilize to remove nitrogen and phosphorus
from wastewater that is discharged into their septic systems.
ontrol.
Duration: 05/01/01 - 04/30/02
Source: NCDENR, Div. Of Water Quality
Streams in eleven watersheds have been identified as impaired based upon the
degraded status of the benthic macroinvertebrate community. This impairment
was due to a range of factors, including low dissolved oxygen, habitat degradation
or specific chemical pollutants. A key objective of the WARP, (Watershed Assessment
and Restoration Project) was to identify the major causal factors leading to
the impairment in each watershed, and to suggest solutions to identified problems.
Contract morphology assessment services were used only where DWQ staff had determined
that habitat degradation was likely a major contributor to the poor condition
of the benthic community.
Habitat degradation can manifest itself in a number of ways, including loss
of stable habitat due to sediment deposition, excessive bed and bank scour due
to watershed development, and habitat simplification due to channel modification,
among others. Solutions to habitat degradation problems range from the relatively
straightforward (e.g. stream bank stabilization activities to reduce local bank
sediment inputs on streams with fundamentally sound morphology) to complex projects
to recreate natural morphology for long, highly modified reaches. The required
services were limited to morphologic assessment activities undertaken to lay
the groundwork for future restoration. Restoration design was not part of the
scope of work for this contract, although a conceptual outline of the general
restoration approach was part of the required services.
Duration: June 1997 - September 2001
Source: NC DENR - DWQ - 319
Water quality in the White Oak River Basin is highly variable. Portions of the White Oak River, Core Sound and Back Sound are rated as excellent, supporting areas classified as outstanding resource waters (ORW) and high quality water (HQW). Also, the water quality in the Newport and North Rivers is generally high. However, water quality in the New River has suffered as a consequence of agricultural activities, population growth and development. These conditions have caused an increase in flooding, stream bank erosion, incidents of shellfish closures, and sedimentation. In addition, portions of the New are classified as nutrient sensitive. All rivers in the basin have periods of anoxia, as well as incidents of high fecal coliform counts and turbidity levels, according to the White Oak Basinwide Assessment Report. Water quality monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of wetland construction and stream bank restoration BMPs includes weekly and bi-weekly grab samples data taken upstream and downstream of five targeted sub-basin will continue to be monitored monthly. Single-event composite storm samples will be collected using automatic samplers and/or a field technician at upstream/downstream sites for five storms per year. The pre- and post-BMP monitoring periods were approximately one year. Samples were analyzed for nutrients, sediment and fecal coliform bacteria.
Duration: 09/01/98 - 10/31/01
Source: NC DENR
Previous studies of North Carolina private water supply wells indicate that
up to 10% may contain nitrate-nitrogen at levels exceeding the safe drinking
water standard of 10 mg/L. A recent water testing program conducted by the NC
Division of Environmental Health found that about 10% of wells located near
swine farms were contaminated. Many private wells in eastern North Carolina
are particularly susceptible to contamination because they are shallow (typically
less than 50 feet deep) and poorly constructed. In addition, private well users
are not aware of the health risks associated with drinking contaminated water
or how to protect their wells from contamination sources including animal and
human waste and fertilizers.
This project screened a minimum of 1,000 private water supply wells for nitrate
contamination over a two-year period in the three river basins. Some of the
participating wells were found to exceed the safe nitrate-nitrogen level of
10 mg/L. Each of the well users will receive follow-up water testing and education
through the NC Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst program.
Duration: 01/01/01-06/30/03
Source: Blue Ridge RC&D
This project provides technical support for stream restoration planning, design, construction management, evaluation, education, and monitoring. It improves water quality and aquatic habitat in approximately 10,000 feet of streams in the Watauga River Basin. The restoration work corrects problems with stream channel dimension, pattern, and profile on degraded streams identified by the Blue Ridge RC&D Council.
Scope of Work:
1. Stream restoration of Shawneehaw Creek, January, 2001 to October, 2001. NCSU
staff plans, designs, manages construction, and evaluates restoration of approximately
1000 feet of Shawneehaw Creek in Banner Elk. The restoration project addresses
unstable stream geometry by correcting channel dimension, pattern, and profile.
The project also addresses riparian condition by planting native trees in the
stream corridor.
2. Project management, education, and monitoring, January, 2001 to June, 2003.
NCSU staff provides technical assistance related to stream restoration project
management, education, and monitoring throughout the project period. Staff attends
all project meetings, provides technical review of all stream restoration plans,
provides technical oversight during construction of all project work, participates
in all education programs, and supports all project monitoring activities.
Duration: 6/30/00-6/30/02
Source: NCDENR, Division of Environmental Health, Public Water
Supply Section
Wellhead protection is a voluntary, preventive program designed to protect public water supply wells. The goal of wellhead protection is to prevent contaminants from entering public water supply wells. The Wellhead Protection Plan is a program that assists communities in accomplishing this goal by managing the risks on the land that contributes water to the wells.
The EPA has provided guidelines and technical documents defining this program.
This is a guidance document specific to North Carolina. The target audience
of this document is local elected officials, as well as town and county employees
such as managers, clerks, and operators of public water supplies. This guidance
document increases the amount of progress the communities make independently,
and decreases the PWS and RWA time commitment required. Making the planning
process simpler to understand and more accessible will encourage more communities
to develop Wellhead Protection Plans, thus providing better protection for out
state's groundwater.
Duration: 9/15/99 - 9/14/02
Source: Tetra Tech, Inc., and U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Assessment and Watershed Protection Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans,
and Watershed
NCSU is participating as a subcontractor and team member to Tetra Tech, Inc. to support U.S. EPA's National Watershed Protection Program through U.S. EPA RFP (PR-CI-99-13507).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Water (OW), Office
of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW), Assessment and Watershed Protection
Division (AWPD) has a requirement for a support services contract. This contract
supports AWPD in its mission to advance the protection and restoration of the
nation's watersheds and waterbodies through the use of point and nonpoint source
pollution controls, water quality monitoring, and development of tools for ecosystem
restoration. Major support activities include: technical, logistical, and administrative
support for water quality assessments, economic modeling, cost and benefit analysis,
and the development of technical guidance workshops and training on water quality
monitoring. Examples of work products include:
Guidance on Controlling Agricultural Sources of Nonpoint Source Pollution
An example work assignment performed to date has been to assist the U.S. EPA
in drafting a guidance document on controlling agricultural sources of nonpoint
source pollution. The guidance is national in scope and is intended to provide
technical assistance to State program managers and others on the best available,
most economically-achievable means of reducing nonpoint source pollution of
surface and groundwater from agriculture. The document discusses management
measures for nutrient management, pesticide management, erosion and sediment
control, facility wastewater and runoff from confined animal facilities, grazing
management, and irrigation water management. BMPs were evaluated based on their
cost-effectiveness of the practices in terms of: pollutant source reduction,
reduction of pollutant delivery to water resources, ease of farmer implementation
and operation, and proper installation and maintenance.
Duration: 7/1/00 to 3/31/04
Source: NC DOT and Institute for Transportation Research Education
The objectives of this study are to:
1. Characterize the stormwater runoff from DOT's industrial, ferry, and borrow
pit facilities and highways;
2. Identify and evaluate structural BMP technology for removing pollutants of
concern from stormwater and wastewater discharges.
Duration: 06/01/00 - 05/31/05
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The objectives of this five-year special investigation grant are:
· To enable the NCSU Water Quality Group to support water quality watershed
projects in North Carolina and nationwide. To provide program, administrative,
and coordination support for the NCSU Water Quality Group's mission of analyzing
and conducting natural resource management programs with an emphasis on nonpoint
source pollution policy, assessment, and control technologies.
· To conduct a special study to evaluate watershed-level nonpoint source
(NPS) pollution control projects nationwide. Special emphasis will be given
to long-term projects such as the EPA Section 319 National Monitoring Program
Projects.
· Assist NPS pollution control watershed projects with project development,
implementation, and evaluation. Specifically, to assist watershed projects with
developing educational programs, documenting water quality problems, designing
monitoring programs, installing monitoring equipment, developing quality assurance
project plans, modeling watershed pollutant transport, identifying critical
areas, designing best management practice systems, analyzing statistical trends
in water quality and land treatment data, evaluating project progress, and instituting
total watershed management.
· Facilitate technology transfer of management, policy, and technical
information to NPS pollution control watershed projects nationwide. Special
emphasis will be given to long-term projects such as the EPA Section 319 National
Monitoring Program Projects.
Duration: 9-15-99 to 9-14-2002
Source: NC Department of Environment & Natural Resources
The objective of this project is to investigate innovative management and restoration technologies for improving water quality, hydrology, and ecological functions to degraded stream systems in the Coastal Plain. The project will also focus on using the knowledge gained to educate restoration professionals and stakeholders about proper restoration methods and the benefits of restoration efforts in the Coastal Plain.
Duration: July 1, 1999 - June 30, 2004
Source: Craven County (Clean Water Management Trust Fund)
Craven County has been awarded a Clean Water Management Trust Fund Project to implement systems of agricultural BMPs installed throughout the headwaters of Core Creek in Craven County. Core Creek is a major agricultural watershed that originates in Jones County and flows northeastward to the Neuse River.
This project will focus on monitoring and evaluation of the BMPs installed
in the Core Creek watershed, in particular the main stem, Grape Creek, and all
tributaries located south of old US 70. BMPs including nutrient management and
at least one of the following - riparian buffers, vegetative field borders,
controlled drainage, or floodplain wetland restoration - will be implemented
on agricultural lands in the project area.
Duration: 1/1/01 - 12/31/03
Source: NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(319 Funds)
The project will be located at the mouth of the Chowan River Basin along the northeast bank of the Albermarle Sound. Drainage and stormwater from Edenton Municipal Airport and Chowan County Industrial Park discharges directly into the headwaters of the Albemarle Sound estuary through channelized intermittent blue line streams within Edenton-Albemarle Sound Watershed.
Our goal is to evaluate and demonstrate over a three-year period, Stream and
Riparian Wetland construction/restoration as best management practices (BMP)
to restore stream hydrology, hydroperiod, and riparian floodplain water quality
functions that reduce nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment from
developed areas before reaching the Albemarle Sound Estuary.
Duration: 10/1/2000 - 9/30/2002
Source: NC DENR / Section 319 EPA
Jumping Run Creek Watershed drains into Bogue Sound. It is located in Carteret County and is part of the White Oak Basin Management Plan.
The project objectives are to develops processes and methodologies to: (1)
initiate a library of bacterial types, (2) develop resources and expertise to
conduct MAR and ribotyping analyses; (3) identify sources of bacterial densities
in Jumping Run Creek, (4) examine the potential of these methods for developing
loading calculations, and (5) examine the potential of this information for
directing mitigation and management strategies to reduce bacterial loading.
Duration: 1/1/2000 - 12/31/2002
Source: Wake County and NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund
(CWMTF)
The Yates Millpond Sub-watershed in southern Wake County is part of the Neuse River Basin and drains into the 42,300 acre Swift Creek Watershed in the central Piedmont region of North Carolina. On-going water quality studies in the sub-watershed have indicated that the existing land uses and stream instability are degrading water quality.
The purposes of this project are: (1) To restore the natural hydrology and
forested buffers (up to 300 feet on each side of the stream) of about 4,000
linear feet of degraded stream channels and riparian areas north of Yates Millpond;
and, overall, (2) to enhance water quality within the sub-watershed, as well
as within the Swift Creek watershed and the Neuse River Basin.
Duration: 03-20-2000 - 09-30-2002
Source: NC Department of Environment & Natural Resources
The project will establish the Upper French Broad River Commission, consisting of riparian landowners, representatives of government agencies, and private organizations. The Commission will review the status of current riparian protection in the watershed and make recommendations for best management practices (BMPs) to be funded through EPA 319, North Carolina Agricultural Cost Share, USDA, and other programs, as appropriate. Specific BMPs will include livestock exclusion from riparian areas, alternative livestock watering systems, stream crossings, cropland conversion, tree planting, and associated agricultural practices.
The BMP effectiveness will be monitored using periodic stream channel physical
measurements of cross-section, longitudinal profile, and streambank erosion
rate. These measurements will be used to evaluate channel stability before and
after the project. DWQ may conduct annual biological and habitat assessments.
Educational programs will include workshops for landowners, agency officials,
and local leaders; tours and field days; BMP demonstrations; and newsletters/fact
sheets to promote BMP implementation.
Duration: 1/1/01 - 12/31/03
Source: NC Department of Environmental and Natural Resources
The French Broad River Training Center will be used to provide comprehensive nonpoint source educational programming to landowners, concerned citizens, natural resource managers, and public officials in Transylvania, Henderson, Buncombe, Haywood and Madison Counties. A multi-agency team will serve on the French Broad River Training Center Steering Committee. The training center will be established to provide hands-on training for up to 40 individuals per workshop. Best management practices will be demonstrated at the training center and will include, at a minimum, the following: vegetated riparian buffers, streambank stabilization, natural channel design, livestock exclusion and watering systems, pasture management, agricultural and urban stormwater runoff management, and erosion control.
In addition to the workshops, the Training Center will work with French Broad
River Sub-Watershed projects to develop nonpoint source education programs relevant
to their project and local government needs.
Duration: 02/01/2000 - 01/31-2002
Source: Corn Growers Association of N.C.
Drip irrigation (DI) has been used for agricultural production for about the past 35 years. Drip irrigation has advantages over traditional practices such as surface and sprinkler irrigation due to reduced labor requirements and its ability to conform to irregularly shaped fields. It is also more efficient than sprinkler or surface irrigation. Drip has provided yield responses greater than or equal to other irrigation methods and has required less water in many cases.
Duration: 4/99 - 3/05
Source: NC Wetland Restoration Program, NC Department of Environment and Natural
Resources
The purpose of this project is to provide an education program for stream restoration techniques. Workshops and the repair of approximately 10,000 feet of degraded stream channel and riparian area in Stone Mountain State Park are the focus of this grant effort. The result is improved water quality and enhanced trout habitat in the park and downstream. The restoration work corrected problems with stream channel dimension, pattern, and profile on the East Prong Roaring River and tributaries, including several degraded headwaters streams.
Duration: ~4/99 - 6/02 (Phase I); ~4/01-9/03 (Phase II)
Source: NC DENR and U.S. EPA, Region IV, 319(h)
The Crabtree Creek Watershed (HU-030402) is located in the upper Neuse River
in Wake County. The watershed drains 80,446 acres with more than 17% classified
as urban or having greater than 25% of the area in paved surfaces. In addition,
this area is experiencing on the of watershed's fastest growth rats of 72.4%
over the last 20 years. Water quality in the Neuse is highly variable, and Crabtree
Creek is a contributor having suffered water quality impairments as a consequence
of development and population growth. Urban runoff (Nutrients), construction
(Sediment), as well as hydrologic impacts associated with the urbanization process
have caused an increase in flooding, streambank erosion, incidents of anoxia,
and habitat loss from sedimentation. Biological assessments for Crabtree Creek
indicate Fair water quality. This watershed is in a Category I targeted basin
as identified by the DWQ-UWA Plan.
This grant assisted in land planning, storm water BMPS (e.g., constructed wetlands,
bio-retention, water conservation/re-use, reduced pavement widths, reduced densities
in sensitive areas, stream buffers) for a 400 acres watershed built-out using
a neo-urban site plan (Carpenter Village, Cary). Evaluation of the BMP effectiveness,
as well as a better understanding of the effects of urbanization on water quality
was achieved.
Duration: 08/17/98 - 08/16/01
Source: NC Department of Environmental & Natural Resources
Water Quality impairments in the South Fork Mitchell River Watershed result
from streambank degradation, poorly managed pastures, and insufficient riparian
buffers. All pollution sources in the sub-watersheds will be inventoried in
order to develop a comprehensive system of BMPs and educational programs.
Intensive stream morphology and water quality assessments of this site, along
with bioengineering approaches to stream restoration, will provide an excellent
opportunity for stream restoration workshops and BMP evaluation.
Duration: 8/17/98 - 8/16/01
Source: NC DENR - EPA 319
Duration: 9/1/98 - 12/31/01
Source: NC Clean Water Management Trust Fund (NC CWMTF)
Some 56,000 acres of North Carolina's estuarine waters are permanently closed
to shellfish harvesting as a result of bacterial contamination. Jumping Run
Creek, a tributary of Bogue Sound in the White Oak River Basin, is a "conditionally
approved closed" tidal creek and shellfish harvesting is only permitted
during very dry periods, amounting to only a few open days per year. Water quality
monitoring by the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service as part of an on-going
EPA 319 project has identified high bacteria concentrations in runoff from ditches
that drain the surrounding forests, roadways, residential community and industrial
complex.
This project increased the knowledge of coastal shellfish watersheds and potential
of stormwater BMPs for improving shellfish quality. Changes in land use and
land cover in the Jumping Run Creek watershed were analyzed using aerial photography
data from the 1960's to 1990's. Using GIS, the degree and location of ditching,
paving, and vegetative cover were quantified. These data were regressed against
30 years of Shellfish Sanitation bacterial data collected in Bogue sound. This
study indicated that the extent of ditching significantly correlated and was
the best indicator of bacterial loading. In addition, comparison of storm flow
versus non-storm flow water quality data has revealed that the majority of the
bacteria loading occurs during storm flow. Monitoring of a constructed wetland
at the Carteret Craven Electric Cooperative BMP site indicated the two-phased
stormwater wetland constructed in 1999 and 2000 has significantly reduced the
volume of freshwater entering Jumping Run, thus reducing the potential survival
of bacteria in the mouth of the creek.
Duration: 10/1/97 - 9/30/00 & 11/1/00 - 10/30/03
Source: RTI (Research Triangle Institute) and U.S. EPA
Support U.S. EPA's water quality monitoring program, including the assessment of the Nation's waters through the 305(b) assessments.
Duration: 8/17/98 - 8/16/01
Source: NC DENR and U.S. EPA, Region IV, 319(h)
Portions of Sandy Creek are classified as NPS impaired by the Tar-Pamlico River Basinwide Management Plan. Current programs to implement agricultural BMPs through the North Carolina Agricultural Cost Share Program are focused on traditional practices to filter runoff as it leaves fields. To prevent runoff pollution at the source, the Cooperative Extension Service and Soil and Water Conservation Districts are promoting the adoption of conservation tillage in crops that are highly erosive and do not have no-till technology developed for field application. No-till tobacco and cucumber technology has been developed in the Devils Cradle Watershed Project in Franklin County in 1996 and 1997 and has been shown to be cost effective. This technology is still considered as a high-risk experimental practice by producers because of potential yield reductions and adverse social pressure. Transfer of this technology to other watersheds is facilitated by this project.
Duration: 08/05/96 - 08/04/01
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The objectives of this five-year special investigation grant are to: 1) conduct a special study to evaluate watershed-level nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control projects nationwide. Special emphasis will be given to long-term projects such as the EPA Section 319 National Monitoring Program Projects; 2) assist NPS pollution control watershed projects with project development, implementation, and evaluation. Specifically, to assist watershed projects with developing educational programs, documenting water quality problems, designing monitoring programs, installing monitoring equipment, modeling watershed pollutant transport, identifying critical area, designing best management practice systems, analyzing statistical trends in water quality and land treatment data, evaluating project progress, and instituting total watershed management; and 3) facilitate technology transfer of management, policy, and technical information to NPS pollution control watershed projects nationwide. Special emphasis will be given to long-term projects such as the EPA Section 319 National Monitoring Program Projects.
Duration: 1993 - 2001
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region IV (passed through the North
Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division
of Environmental Management and Gaston County, NC)
Cooperate with Gaston County, North Carolina Division of Environmental Management,
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and U.S. EPA in coordination of the nine-year
Long Creek Watershed U.S. EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Monitoring Project.
Assist in project planning and coordination. Provide leadership in monitoring
design. Provide guidance for NPS control implementation. Assist with information
and education activities. Provide leadership in developing a comprehensive data
management system and project annual reports.
Water quality and land treatment monitoring consists of physical, chemical,
biological, and habitat monitoring of three management areas: 1) a dairy farm
to evaluate waste management and riparian protection practices to control bacteria,
sediment and nutrients; 2) cropland to evaluate nutrient management practices;
and 3) a municipal water supply watershed to evaluate sediment control measures.
GIS and water quality models are being used to determine critical areas for
targeting implementation, tracking land use changes, and estimating long-term
water quality impacts of NPS controls.
Duration: 6/1/97 - 9/30/00 (Phase I), 3/6/01 - 12/31/02 (Phase II)
Source: North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources
[EPA 319(h)]
Analyzed the relative impacts of urban, agriculture, construction, and forested
areas on surface water quality in the Crabtree and Swift Creek watersheds in
North Carolina.
Some of the results of Phase I included:
1. Installed and evaluated BMPs to reduce nutrient, sediment, pathogen, and
pesticide pollutants in stormwater.
2. Several stream restoration projects were conducted, including small ones
appropriate for residential back-yards.
3. A bio-retention demonstration site installed and used on workshops and tours
conducted in the Raleigh-Durham area.
4. 4000 copies of an 8 page factsheet entitled: Urban Stormwater Structural
Best Management Practices were printed and distributed
5. A 12-page factsheet entitled Bio-Retention and Rain Garden Design was developed.
2,000 copies of the factsheet were distributed.
6. Four 1-page BMP description sheets was produced.
7. 1 Stormwater BMP Tour highlighting practices installed as part of the Upper
Neuse 319 grant.
Duration: 10/01/00 - 09/30/01
Source: NC Small Grain Growers Association
Drip irrigation (DI) has been used for agricultural production for about the past 35 years. Drip irrigation has advantages over more traditional types of practices such as surface and sprinkler irrigation due to reduced labor requirements and its ability to conform to irregularly shaped fields. It is also much more efficient than sprinkler or surface irrigation. This project evaluates the feasibility of irrigating wheat using subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) technology. It identifies tubing spacings and depths that will satisfy wheat crop water requirements in a clayey soil; and it identifies water movement and distribution as a function of tubing spacing and depth, soil and crop.
Duration: 3/1/99 - 3/31/01
Source: Piedmont Land Conservancy (CWMTF)
The repair of approximately 2,640 feet of degraded stream channel and riparian area in the Mitchell River Watershed is the focus of this grant effort. This project intends to improve water quality and trout habitat within the watershed. The restoration work will correct problems with stream channel dimension, pattern, and profile on the South Fork Mitchell and tributaries.
Duration: 4/1/99 - 6/30/00
Source: NC Department of Transportation
Interest in natural channel design technologies is increasing globally. Traditional engineering approaches to maximize channel conveyance using best hydraulic sections are not considered desirable by many landowners and environmental agencies. The engineering design problem has evolved from one of water conveyance to designing a channel that is self-maintaining, aesthetically pleasing, and provides optimum biological diversity. Historically, natural channel processes have been addressed by fluvial geomorphologists and to lesser degree biologists. More recently, stream classification and bioengineering have been used to describe stream types, condition, and to develop strategies for stream improvements. While interest in natural channel design is high, the science and technical database for accomplishing successful restoration is limited. Increasingly, land development organizations are being required to mitigate impacts to streams by utilizing natural channel design technologies. A synthesis of scientific information related to stream restoration along with a process for implementation and evaluation is greatly needed by land development organizations and resource review agencies.
Purpose of Grant:
1) Conduct a thorough research and review of scientific literature related to
stream restoration practices,
2) Develop a recommended process for stream restoration by integrating current
knowledge and practices,
3) Develop measures of effectiveness for use in evaluating successful stream
restoration and mitigation,
4) Conduct a workshop for NCDOT and resource review agency staff to present
results of the project.
Duration: 7/1/99 - 6/30/01
Source: USDA-CSREES/EPA
The drainage areas within the North Carolina Upper Cape Fear River basin are designated as high priority watersheds by the State. Urbanization and agriculture have contributed to impaired water quality in the basin. Urban nonpoint pollutants include sediment from construction activities, impervious surface runoff, and runoff of over-applied fertilizers and pesticides from lawns. A key agricultural concern is livestock access to streams. Through training and demonstration programs on stormwater management and stream restoration, this project involved local governments and agents on innovative site planning, design and policy tools to protect water resources over the long term, while facilitating responsible growth management in the watershed. Training for youth educators of underprivileged students was also included.
The objectives are to: 1) to develop an interactive internet educational program focusing on our research with water reclamation and reuse utilizing multimedia developed in cooperation with local secondary schools, N. C. Cooperative Extension Service, Chatham 4H, and local businesses; 2) to engage public school students of Chatham and Randolph Counties in the development and utilization of web page interactive tools to conduct, monitor and discuss experiments within our local water reclamation and research projects; 3) to provide technical assistance to public school teachers to develop content materials which focus on our water reclamation and reuse research and related water quality issues. We will a) create computer software that will convey complex environmental engineering relationships within a user friendly format accessible by a wide range of academic abilities, b) prototype an environmental monitoring network connecting the research system to the classrooms to convey real time data from water reuse system sensors for compilation and evaluation by the public school students, c) increase the understanding by students and teachers of the water quality issues that face North Carolina, d) provide the basis to engage public school teachers and students with university personnel on a larger scale, and e) assist NCSU faculty with enhancing their teaching skills and organizing complex information and effectively communicating it to individuals generally unfamiliar with the subject matter.
This project reduces fecal coliform levels in Bear Creek sufficiently to enable opening of its SA waters to shellfishing with greater frequency and maintains acceptable levels on a long-term basis. Residential, agricultural, roadway, and forestry best management practices were installed and evaluated for their ability to reduce coliform, sediment, and nutrient loads. Indicators of success were increased numbers of shellfish acres conditionally open and higher amount of rainfall required for closure of conditionally open shellfish areas.
Though numerous studies have evaluated the impacts of boat pump out waste, recommendations for a treatment system design are conservative, based on a lack of detailed information and a limited management strategy. These conditions present an economic disincentive for compliance. Volume, chemical and biological characteristics of boat pump out waste will be monitored monthly at 3 marinas in coastal North Carolina for 1 year. The measure of BOD is considered one of the critical parameters for assessing potential water quality impacts and treatment system design. The measure is a general one, and may not be a good indicator of the potential water quality impacts of boat pump out waste, especially when managed differently. Wastewater reuse strategies will be developed based on characterization data and water quality parameters or combinations of parameters will be suggested to better assess potential water quality impacts.
The Watauga River Watershed (HU-06010103) is located in Watauga and Avery Counties. The watershed drains 184 mi2 of forested, agricultural, urban, residential, and resort land uses, including 9 golf courses and 3 ski resorts. The Elk River and Shawneehaw sub-watersheds is targeted for water quality monitoring, BMP implementation and demonstration. Streambanks in both watersheds are eroding as a result of cattle access to the stream, increases in impervious cover and subsequent increases in peak runoff. All pollution sources in these sub-watersheds is inventoried in order to develop a comprehensive system of BMPs and educational programs.
This purpose of this project is to prevent water quality degradation in the Watauga River Basin through a combination of land acquisition, implementation of best management practices, educational programs and workshops, and coordination with other public programs. Degraded streams were returned to their natural function of supporting aquatic habitat, including trout; wetland function and habitat were restored; stormwater controls and management were improved through educational workshops and pollution prevention; and future stream degradation was prevented through riparian land acquisition, preservation, and education.
An effective nutrient management system for domestic sewage should reduce and reuse sewage. The research emphasis is on treatment and reuse rather than disposal. The continual disposal of sewage with minimal treatment into natural soils and its parent materials has increasing potentials for contributions to surface and groundwater contamination. Low cost, low maintenance and effective sewage treatment and management prior to use within the landscape lessens the potentials for adverse impacts on public and environmental health. The wastewater treatment system for Neon Impressions proposed to be installed as a part of the renovation of Triangle School, Chatham County, is designed to utilize the combination of a septic tank, two constructed wetland cells in series, UV and chlorination for disinfection, soil filters and the reuse of treated water to flush toilets. The general objectives of this project are to demonstrate and conduct preliminary evaluations of the feasibility of treating and recycling 1200 gal/day of domestic wastewater for flushing toilets. The results will be evaluated as a part of our continuing research program with wastewater treatment systems, presented at conferences and workshops and published in scholarly journals.
The Upper French Broad Basin (HU 06010105 and DWQ 04-03-01) is located in Transylvania County. Streams in this river basin are classified as High Quality Waters, Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW), and Trout Waters (TR). Water quality monitoring conducted by the NC Division of Water Quality has documented water quality impairments resulting from agriculture and development along case sensitive trout streams. The proposed CWMTF project will support riparian restoration to reduce impacts of sedimentation and improve trout habitat and water based recreation. Funding requested from CWMTF is $300,000. This funding will be used to repair degraded stream channels and streambanks, restore riparian wetlands, establish riparian forested buffers, and conduct educational programs to prevent future degradation from land use changes.
In a time of increasing public awareness of environmental concerns and dynamic policy and regulation related to the agricultural sector, it is important that agricultural producers be appraised of environmental requirements affecting them and the ways in which they can both meet those requirements and continue production as economically as possible. The goal of this project is to 1) assist the farming community in identifying environmental requirements potentially affecting them, 2) help assess potential problems this community experiences or may experience with regard to compliance, and 3) assist this community in complying with environmental requirements in a prudent and cost-effective manner. The farming community includes both agricultural producers and local agency personnel who are the information providers to producers. To achieve these goals, a team of experts from a number of organizations has been assembled.
The project has been divided into eight tasks, which focus on development of
material and training programs, identification of experts, cataloging of material,
quality control, assessment, and project continuation.