Project Contact: Larry Olmsted, Director Scientific Services
Address:
13339 Hagers Ferry Road
City: Huntersville State: NC Zip: 28078
Phone: (704)875-5411 Fax: (704)875-5032
e-mail: lolmsted@duke-energy.com
Who are the federal agencies involved with this project: (contact & phone)
Project Name: Muddy Creek Watershed Restoration Project
Project Location: Muddy Creek Watershed
State:
NC
Counties:
Burke, McDowell
Congressional District:
10th
Project Start Date: 11/1/98 Project End Date: 12/31/99
Acres of Land Directly Affected by this
Project:
Private Land: 98 square miles
Additional Notes:
Project Category
- Restore Our Southern Rivers
A Proposal to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,
Restore Our Southern Rivers Program
by
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission,
The Natural Resources Conservation Service,
The Foothills Conservancy,
Trout Unlimited (Table Rock Chapter),
Duke Power Company
I. Project Summary
The Muddy Creek Watershed Restoration Initiative (MCWRI) seeks, through innovative partnerships, technology, and funding, to reclaim the Muddy Creek watershed. The primary partners in this initiative are Duke Power Company, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, and Trout Unlimited (Table Rock Chapter). The Muddy Creek watershed is a major source of sediment loading to the Catawba River. The objective of the MCWRI is to significantly reduce this sediment load to the Catawba River thereby improving fish habitat and water quality. These goals are to be accomplished through partnerships with local landowners, citizen education, and on-the-ground riparian corridor and stream habitat and restoration projects.
II. Abstract
The 98 square mile Muddy Creek watershed is in Burke and McDowell Counties in North Carolina. Muddy Creek is formed by the confluence of North Muddy and South Muddy Creeks 4.7 miles before entering the Catawba River. The confluence of Muddy Creek and the Catawba River is about 1 mile downstream of Bridgewater Hydroelectric Station. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has a fish management plan for the Catawba River that calls for the development of natural reproducing brown trout and smallmouth bass populations in the 17 mile section of the Catawba below the Muddy Creek confluence. Cold water from the hypolimnion of Lake James enters the Catawba River through the turbines of Bridgewater Hydroelectric Station and providing generally good water quality suitable for trout and smallmouth bass in the Catawba River. However, sediment loading from Muddy Creek is impacting the trout and smallmouth bass habitat in the river. Restoration of the Muddy Creek watershed has the potential to allow the Catawba River to be a significant regional fishery resource.
Muddy Creek is a typical Piedmont stream with substrates varying from silt, sand, and gravel with occasional boulders and rock outcrops. Muddy Creek typically has turbid water even during low flows. The two major tributaries of Muddy Creek are North and South Muddy Creeks. Muddy Creek is approximately 15.7 miles in length and is the primary source of sediment load to Muddy Creek and the Catawba River (Duke Power Company, unpublished data). North Muddy Creek has a typical sinusoidal stream channel configuration and would probably best benefit from several site specific improvement projects. Most of North Muddy Creek is incised and disconnected from the flood plain, although there is a relatively good riparian corridor. There are several sites along North Muddy where stream restoration efforts and installation of Best Management Practices would reduce sediment loading. South Muddy Creek is approximately 13 miles in length and appears to have been straightened a number of years ago likely to facilitate agricultural practices. The stream channel is also severely incised and is not currently connected to the flood plain. Restoration of South Muddy Creek would likely be a significant, long term effort involving land acquisition, conservation easements, and natural channel reconstruction and restoration.
In order to provide significant trout habitat improvements to the Catawba River, a partnership consisting of Duke Power Company, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, and Trout Unlimited, proposes to undertake the Muddy Creek Watershed Restoration Initiative. This initiative will form partnerships with landowners and provide education for them and other citizens regarding the effects of land disturbing activities on water quality and fish habitat. This initiative will also look for innovative ways to address sedimentation to Muddy Creek which will ultimately improve fish habitat and water quality in the Catawba River. This project will actively demonstrate the effectiveness of Best Management Practices in improving water quality and fish habitat in streams.
III. Proposal
A. Project Need
Muddy Creek is a typical Piedmont stream draining gently sloping foothills South or Morganton and Marion, NC. Land ownership in the Muddy Creek basin is largely by private citizens and/or business. There are no national or state forests or parks and there is only one park that is owned by McDowell County, NC. The Muddy Creek watershed is approximately 98 square miles with two major tributaries, North and South Muddy Creeks. Muddy Creek is ungaged and very few discharge measurements are available. Based on limited suspended sediment sampling, about 63% of the Muddy Creek discharge is from North Muddy Creek with the remaining 37% coming from South Muddy. These two tributaries differ with regard to habitat degradation. In North Muddy Creek, the channel has retained its original sinuosity while meandering through relatively wide and apparently alluvial bottom lands. Most of North Muddy Creek is fairly deeply incised and disconnected from the flood plain, although there is a fairly substantive riparian corridor. There are several sites along North Muddy where stream restoration efforts and installation of Best Management Practices would provide reduced sedimentation. In some areas the stream banks can approach 10 to 12 feet in height and regularly collapse adding thousands of tons of sediment directly to the stream. On the other hand, South Muddy Creek was apparently straightened and channelized several decades ago and then snagged in the early 1970's to facilitate farming of the bottomlands. The South Muddy Creek stream channel is also deeply incised and is disconnected from the flood plain, which contributes to further incising of the stream channel.
Most of the sediment impact to the Catawba River is coming from North Muddy Creek (Duke Power, unpublished data). Mean Total Suspended Solids (TSS) for North Muddy Creek is 29 mg/l at baseflow and 2840 mg/l during stormflows. TSS in South Muddy Creek average 16 mg/l during baseflow conditions and 867 mg/l during stormflows. Bedload sediment transport has not been estimated for Muddy Creek.
Historical land use and management practices in the Muddy Creek watershed have not yet been researched but appear to be typical for this area of North Carolina. Sediment loads in the Muddy Creek watershed have probably been increased by practices like: stream channelization, timber harvesting, loss of riparian vegetation and buffers due to agriculture, draining of bottom lands and/or wetlands, residential development, road construction, and hardening of stream channels.
The morphology, soil types and other characteristics and of the Muddy Creek basin along with these land management practices have resulted in a number of detrimental effects in the Muddy Creek basin, as well as the Catawba River. These effects include: soil erosion and increased sedimentation, losses of wetland and riparian habitats within the Muddy Creek basin, decreased water quality, and a loss of streambank stability in the Muddy Creek basin. In turn these effects have likely resulted in an overall reduction in biological diversity of the Muddy Creek System.
Existing sediment loading is certainly detrimental to the streams in the Muddy Creek basin from the water quality, habitat quality, and biological standpoint. The sedimentation in the Muddy Creek watershed contributes to sub-optimal trout and smallmouth bass habitat downstream in the Catawba River. Upstream of the Muddy Creek confluence, the Catawba River is clear and cold year round. This water and comes from the bottom of Lake James through the turbines Bridgewater Hydroelectric Station. Other than seasonal (August - October) low dissolved oxygen concentrations, this water is excellent in quality and retains cool temperatures year round. Because of these characteristics, the Catawba has the potential to be an good quality trout and/or smallmouth bass fishery. The NCWRC is currently developing a fish management plan for the river that would provide 17 river miles of brown trout and/or smallmouth bass fishing, where there has been no such fishery in years. While Duke Power will be working to resolve dissolved oxygen issues at the hydro, the major impact to fish habitat in the Catawba River is due to the sediment entering from Muddy Creek. Restoring the Muddy Creek watershed will produce benefits for the Catawba River by allowing self-sustaining brown trout and smallmouth bass fish populations to thrive in the Catawba River.
The Catawba River basin is experiencing tremendous growth and development pressure (North Carolina Division of Water Quality - Darlene Kucken, personal communication). This demand on natural resources in the basin make it essential that restoration and protection initiatives like MCWRI be planned and implemented.
B. Objectives
A watershed restoration initiative in the Muddy Creek basin would meet the following conservation objectives:
· Implemented on landscape and/or watershed ecosystem level
· Revise land management practices to eliminate causes of habitat degradation
· Provide benefits for multiple species
· Provide for improved sportfishing opportunities
· Directly and indirectly benefit water quality
· Provide for a protected and continuous flood plain in North and South Muddy Creeks
· Restored riparian and wetlands habitats in the Muddy Creek watershed
· Work with multiple partners
· Form innovative partnerships with landowners
· Encourage public involvement and produce public education materials
This proposal will be administrated by a project management team composed of representatives from Duke Power Company, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Trout Unlimited, and The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina. The MCWRI will seek to recruit funding to match National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funding at 2 to 1 ratio in cash contributions and in-kind services. In addition, this initiative will seek to involve as many stakeholders as possible in Muddy Creek watershed and effected areas of the Catawba River downstream. Involvement of diverse stakeholders will help to guarantee the long term success of the Muddy Creek Watershed Restoration Initiative.
C. Methodology
1. Identify Project Steering Team (by 12/31/98)
2. Identify and implement appropriate data collections (by 12/31/98)
3. Identify local watershed coalition leader (by 12/31/98)
4. Identify local landowners and prioritize contacts (by 3/31/99)
5. Produce landowner communication materials (3/31/99)
6. Develop feasibility study and watershed plan (by 9/30/99)
7. Initiate at least one site specific improvement project (by 12/31/99)
A. Management Implications
The MCWRI seeks to use the following land use practices and strategies:
· Establishment of buffer areas along and within the Muddy Creek basin
· Offering management assistance to landowners with the goal of establishing management plans for private tracts of land
· Installation of sediment best management practices on appropriate sites
· Seeking to implement better road, infrastructure, commercial/residential development practices and agricultural practices
B. Project Evaluation
The short term (two year) success of this project will be measured by the following benchmarks:
· Involve 5% to 10% of all landowners (depends on total number in basin)
· Conduct 1 landowner workshop
· Enroll three landowners in conservation management agreements
· Initiate one stream restoration demonstration project
· Involve multiple partners and stakeholders
· Establish baseline conditions for sediment transport, water chemistry, and biology
The MCWRI will also contribute to the long term success of the protection and enhancement of natural resources in the Muddy Creek basin and Catawba River. Measures of long term success of this initiative include:
· Continued landowner contacts
· Introduction to additional landowners by established contacts
· Incorporation of recommendations into local government ordinances
· Improved health of the Catawba River
· Increased biodiversity of Muddy Creek
· Decreased sedimentation and non-point pollution
· self-sustaining brown trout fishery in the Catawba River
· self-sustaining smallmouth bass fishery in the Catawba River
IV. Use of ___________ funds for project
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