Buckeye Basins Newsletter: July 2001

Buckeye Basins is produced by the Ohio State University Extension, Community Based Watershed Management Team. It is compiled quarterly for watershed coordinators, Extension specialists, and natural resource professionals to include within their newsletters, programs or however they see fit.

In This Issue:

• Removing Small Dams Results in River Restoration
• Protecting Lakes with Watershed Techniques
• Livestock and Water Quality
• Resources to Investigate the Water Under Your Feet

Removing Small Dams Results in River Restoration

Jerry Iles, OSU Watershed Management Agent, South District

A new trend of restoring natural river flow and in-stream habitat is flourishing across the country. Agencies, such as the Army Corps of Engineers that historically assisted in constructing a multitude of dams on natural rivers now focus their mission for the 21^st century on environmental restoration. Likewise, watershed groups partnering with fishing advocacy organizations such as Trout Unlimited are working to remove old, decaying dams that no longer serve the public.

"Removing old, unsafe and uneconomic dams can be a win for public safety, a win for financially burdened dam owners and a win for the rivers that enabled the dams to serve a purpose whose time has now passed".

Dams fragment rivers and block the movement of fish, mussels and other species.

Dams impede the river's natural "flushing" functions. Dams change the rivers natural ability to move sediment and nutrients downstream causing sediment to build up behind the dam, which results in a variety of problems.

Dams are often built on prime spawning habitat. Prime fish spawning habitats tend to be places where there is a high gradient in the river, resulting in well-oxygenated waters and gravelly stream beds. Unfortunately these places are also preferred sites for dam building, because of the "fall" of the water. Since the majority of these sites have been developed, many prime spawning sites have been lost. Likewise, many rapids and waterfalls have disappeared under impoundments and dams that were built on top of them." (Trout Unlimited)

Most local watershed groups now have a good inventory of their watershed. If a dam that is no longer serving a purpose exists in your watershed, consider the following:

Start by finding out the history of the dam: Who built it? When and for what reason was it built? There are an estimated 2.5 million dams nationally and many are no longer used or maintained. These deteriorating structures can pose a significant risk to boaters, swimmers and fishing enthusiasts.

Watershed groups can act as a catalyst among private citizens and agency partners who can help in the removal of these old dams. In the process they will be improving their community and making it safer for recreation on the river.

Stream Fact

In 1968 Ohio pioneered the first scenic river law in the United States.

Protecting Lakes with Watershed Techniques

Dana Oleskiewicz, Watershed Management Agent, OSU Extension, NE District

Lakes and reservoirs are sometimes plagued with excess algae or weeds. This condition is often undesirable for the lake users. Several techniques are used for managing these water quality problems that require in-lake approaches, such as dredging, alum application, chemical treatments, or weed harvesting. But, the very first step in managing lakes is protection, reduce the loading of nutrients and sediment from sources external to the lake. This means from its watershed.

To effectively manage a lake from a watershed perspective requires viewing the watershed in different "zones" and using practices appropriate to each zone for protection¹. There are four zones to consider in a lake-based watershed. Zone A is the Shoreline or where the water meets the land. Zone B is the Shoreline Buffer, an area of vegetation with a designated width (usually 75 feet) surrounding the lake shoreline. A restricted area beyond the Shoreline Buffer, typically 250 to 500 feet, is the Shoreland Protection Area, or Zone C. The Contributing Watershed, Zone D, is the remaining drainage area to the lake.

Protection goals for the Shoreline (Zone A) include: 1) minimize the disturbance to the littoral zone, which is the very shallow area within the lake near the shore that is often dominated by plant growth, 2) preserve the native vegetation, and 3) minimize shoreline erosion. Shoreline management is accomplished by limiting the number of structures, rip rap, and sea walls and, instead, maintaining the natural vegetation for shoreline stabilization. If aquatic plants, or macrophytes, are an undesirable element for the intended use of the lake, then at least leave patches of plant growth and only clear the very necessary areas such as swimming areas. Prohibit boat traffic in some areas and limit the speed limit on motorboats to minimize shoreline erosion.

The Shoreline Buffer (Zone B) should be vegetated to offer shade, leaf litter, and woody debris to the ecosystem, provide erosion protection, and supply habitat for terrestrial organisms. A mature forest cover in this zone is preferred. Encourage planting native vegetation or trees and establish specific guidelines for tree thinning, instead of complete clear-cutting of the area. Allowable land uses in the Shoreline Buffer include access paths to the water's edge, view corridors with tree thinning, boathouses, trails, and recreation areas such as boat put-ins, as long as centralized and controlled. Non-conforming land uses that should be avoided include paved surfaces, mowing, clearing and grading, motorized vehicles, and septic systems. Stormwater treatment practices should not occur in this zone.

Caring for the tributaries that drain into the lake is the objective for the Shoreline Protection Area (Zone C) by preventing potentially hazardous land uses and preserving conservation areas. Tree planting is encouraged and restrict clearing in new developments. If at all possible, eliminate or greatly reduce the non-conforming land uses such as agriculture and livestock operations, storage or disposal of hazardous materials, landfills and junkyards, water and sewage treatment plants. Establish special setbacks and restrictions in this zone for septic systems, buildings, impervious cover, and the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Finally, promote development sensitive to stormwater treatment such as minimizing forest disturbance during construction.

In the Contributing Watershed (Zone D), the focus should be on pollutant removal while preserving existing hydrology. Strategies for phosphorus control include advanced stormwater treatment; appropriate zoning, agricultural Best Management Practices, and sensitive development such as preserving open space and minimize clearing. Educate homeowners on the proper use of lawn fertilizer and explore innovative techniques for phosphorus removal in stormwater such as ponds, wetlands, and filtering systems.

The above describes the ideal situation in a watershed for protecting a lake. Often this ideal is in conflict with the land use demands by humans. Lakes are a desirable location for people to live and recreate so the proposed restrictions and protection ideas may not always be acceptable. However, the closer that a lake community can come to this ideal watershed, the less money that will be needed for in-lake algae and weed control techniques.

¹Ideas presented by Deborah Caraco, Water Resources Engineer with the Center for Watershed Protection (www.cwp.org), at the 14^th Annual National Conference on Enhancing the States' Lake Management Programs.

Fish Fact

Ohio is home to over 153 native fishes.

Livestock and Water Quality

J.P. Lieser, Watershed Management Agent, OSU Extension, East District

We as Americans consume large amounts of beef each year. In fact, beef is often the primary source of protein in the diets of American families. Presently in Southeastern Ohio, pasturelands are a dominant land use due to the hilly topography and the before mentioned demand for beef products. Unfortunately, while beef provides Americans with an important food source, these animals can also be very destructive to our streams and water sources. For example, when cattle are given unrestricted access to streams they often degrade stream banks and in- stream habitat, increase sedimentation, deposit excess nutrients and possibly pathogenic bacteria. These impacts can increase the cost of water treatment for safe human consumption, limit recreation, degrade water for downstream users and have damaging effects on the quantity and quality of fish and other aquatic creatures.

There are several solutions to this water quality issue. Producers may apply for cost share dollars to develop alternative water sources like ponds and spring developments, they can fence out their streams, plant riparian buffers of trees or grasses, install heavy use pads, practice management intensive grazing (rotational grazing), and create limited stream access points. For further information on how to manage livestock with a healthy environment in mind contact your County Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension Agent.

Watershed Quote

A watershed is: "that area of land, a bounded hydrologic system, within which all living things are inextricably linked by their common water course and where, as humans settled, simple logic demanded that they become part of a community."

-- John Wesley Powell

Resources to Investigate the Water Under Your Feet

Anne Baird, Watershed Management Agent, OSU Extension, Southwest District

(Text Adapted from Ground Water U.S. Geological Survey General Interest Publication Reston, Virginia, 1999 revision)

What Is Ground Water?

Ground water is water beneath the earth's surface that fills in open spaces (or pores) in soil or rock, similar to the way water fills a sponge. Groundwater forms when rain or snow falls to the earth and seeps down through the ground. The amount of precipitation that falls in an area and the rate at which it falls has a strong influence on groundwater levels.

To learn more about ground water in your county, access OSU Extension's county ground water resource fact sheets. They contain detailed information on ground water sources including yields and quality. http://ohioline.osu.edu/lines/ennr.html#EGRDW

If you have a well you may be able to access information on your own ground water source via the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Water's water well log database now available on-line. It consists of over 725,000 water well records that have been filed with the state since 1945. Well logs contain information on well construction (e.g., well depth and casing material) as well as the geological formations at various depths. Each well log can be searched by well log identification number or by county and township road. If you have any questions or comments, you can e-mail ODNR at: water@dnr.state.oh.us or call the technical services section at: 614-265-6740
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/maptechs/wellogs/app/

The Miami Conservancy District's Groundwater Trail http://www.miamiconservancy.org/Great_Miami_River _Watershed/Groundwater Fundamentals/Groundwater_Fundamentals.htm can help you visualize and learn about groundwater and how it gets from the ground to your faucet.

What's an Aquifer?
An aquifer is an underground body of soil or rock in which ground water can easily be stored and through which it can move. The word aquifer comes from the two Latin words, aqua, or water, and ferre, to bear or carry. Ground water in most aquifers moves very slowly. In aquifers made up of loose, coarse sediments such as sand and gravel, ground water flows between the sediment particles. In bedrock aquifers (e.g., sandstone or limestone), ground water can move between the sediment particles (in cases like sandstone) or it can move along fractures within the rock.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources statewide aquifer mapping project (SAMP) delineates and names aquifers, quantifies yields, and defines aquifer thickness for all of the significant aquifers in the state. Prior to the initiation of this project, the State of Ohio did not have a statewide aquifer map for unconsolidated (glacial) or bedrock aquifers, and had no formal identification system for aquifer boundaries, types, or names.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/maptechs/

Ohio Department of Natural Resources ground water pollution potential mapping program uses existing data to rank areas with respect to relative vulnerability to contamination from the surface. Ground water pollution potential maps (sometimes referred to as DRASTIC maps) may be used to assist planners, managers, and local officials in evaluating the potential for contamination from various sources of pollution and to help direct resources and land use activities to appropriate areas.

To determine if your county has a ground water pollution potential map visit: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/gwppmaps/default.htm

To find out more about the maps including how to order them visit: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/water/pubs/ or phone: (614) 265-6740

Water Fact

Water makes up approximately 70% of the human body making clean water essential to good health.