Stonycreek River Stonycreek River Watershed ReassessmentWatershed Reassessment

Amanda Deal & Len LichvarSomerset Conservation District

August 2008

W t h d Ch t i tiWatershed Characteristics

298,920 acres538 perennial stream miles538 perennial stream miles

519 mi natural stream/river19 mi artificial path19 mi artificial path

Elevation ranges 3132 ft to 896 ft

Stonycreek River WatershedMajor Sub-watersheds

Quemahoning Creek Shade CreekBens CreekPaint CreekRhoads CreekBeaverdam CreekWells Creek Solomon RunSOven Run

Land Cover

66% forested~66% forested~24% ag~9% urban9% urban

urbanforestagriculturegbarrenwater

RE t?REassessment?USGS 1997USGS 1997

Effects of coal-mine discharges on the quality f th St k Ri d it t ib t iof the Stonycreek River and its tributaries,

Somerset and Cambria counties, PennsylvaniaL t d & l d 270 i di hLocated & sampled 270 mine dischargesStream water chemistry at 37 sitesStream sampled above and below 5 discharges different discharges and g gentrance of Pokeytown Run and Oven Run

RE t?REassessment?

Led to nearly $10 million of project investment dollarsReversed Stonycreek River from net acidic to net alkalineacidic to net alkalineOver 15 miles of recovered fisheriesP lif ti f t h d &Proliferation of watershed groups & grassroots interest

Wells Creek, Shade Creek, Paint Creek

P f R tPurpose of Reassessment

Develop baseline data setFill in data gapsFill in data gaps

Funding for watershed groupsAML fundingAML funding

Quantify water quality changesIdentify new projectsComplete restoration efforts that began >15yrs ago

Obj tiObjectivesS t lit th h t t h dSurvey water quality throughout watershed

Especially upstream and downstream of treatment systems (main stem and tributaries)systems (main stem and tributaries)

Assess macroinvertebrate assemblagesIdentify fish assemblagesIdentify fish assemblagesGIS mappingMaster databaseMaster databaseFull report

I t C tiInteragency CooperationPA DEPPA DEP

Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation

PA Fish & Boat CommissionHabitat Management Unit

Provided:PersonnelPersonnelExpertiseEquipmentAnalysis assistance

I t C ti ( t )Interagency Cooperation (cont.)PA Fish & Boat Commission (cont )PA Fish & Boat Commission (cont.)

Filled a major gap in biological data that would have been lacking withoutwould have been lacking without collaboration.Data collected will serve both agenciesData collected will serve both agencies

SCDReassessment and support for remediation projects

PFBC Fisheries management decisions

Sampling Points35 sites

17 main stem17 main stem18 tributaries

Ph i l h bit tPhysical habitat

EPA habitat assessment and physiochemical characterization fromp yRapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers (2nd ed.)( )

epifaunal substrate, embeddedness, velocity/depth i di t d iti h l fl t tregime, sediment deposition, channel flow status,

channel alteration, frequency of riffles, bank stability, vegetative protection, riparian vegetative zone width

Ph i l Ch t i tiPhysical CharacterizationAdapted from Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and

Weather conditions Morphology types

Wadeable Rivers (2nd ed.)

Habitat typescobble, snags, vegetated banks, sand, submerged

LWDAquatic vegetationT bidit, , g

macrophytes, other

Surrounding landuseNPS ll ti

TurbidityStream widthAverage thalweg depthNPS pollution

ErosionCanopy cover

Average thalweg depthVelocity

Canopy cover

W t Ch i tWater ChemistryTemperatureTemperatureConductivitypH Multi-Meter--HI 991300pHTDSDODOIron

Ion Specific Meter--HI 93732Hach hot kit

SulfateNitrate

Hanna Sulfate Test Kit(modified Barium Sulfate Turbidimetric method)

L M tt h t kitPhosphate LaMotte hot kits

M i t b t S liMacroinvertebrate Sampling

D-frame Kick Net Multihabitat ApproachEPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols

Modification 5 kicks/jabs instead of 20Kicks/jabs taken in proportion to the percentages of each habitat typeof each habitat typeSample mixed into one homogeneous sampleStored in 70% isopropyl alcoholEntire sample sorted in labOrganisms identified to genus (when possible)

Macroinvertebrate Samplingp g

M i t b t D t A l iMacroinvertebrate Data Analysis

PA DEP IBI Modified Beck’sModified Beck sEPTSpecies RichnessSpecies RichnessShannon Weiner Diversity IndexHilsenhoff Biotic IndexHilsenhoff Biotic Index% intolerant taxa

Fi h S liFish Sampling

PA FBC Protocols200 m reach200 m reachSingle pass electrofishingCollect all fishesCollect all fishesField id for most fishes; questionable specimens preserved and identified in labspecimens preserved and identified in lab

Fish Sampling gSites

18 sites18 sites12 main stem6 major tribs6 major tribs

Electrofishing CrewLeft to right: Eric Null (SCD), Amanda Deal (SCD), Gary Smith (Management Area 4 Habitat Biologist, FBC), Bob Ventorini (Fisheries Biologist, FBC), John Trilli (FBC)

Initial FindingsInitial Findings

Physical Habitat ScoresScores

Ranged 194 -- 36 (200 max)(200 max)

Avg 134

Highest scores in middle reaches

Lowest iscores in

headwaters and near mouthmouth

Stonycreek at Yonai BridgeHabitat Score 70Habitat Score 70

Clear Shade CreekHabitat Score 194Habitat Score 194

Field Water ChemistryField Water ChemistryTemperature

Ranged 23-13oC (55-73oF)ConductivityConductivity

Ranged 2200-43μSDO

Ranged >10-5mg/Lg gpH

Ranged 9-3TDS

Ranged 1100-21ppmFe

Ranged 0-6mg/LNit tNitrate

Ranged 0-13ppmPhosphate

Ranged 0-2ppmRanged 0-2ppmSulfate

Ranged >100-0mg/L

W t Ch i t Hi hli htWater Chemistry Highlights

Low phosphtes and nitrates throughoutNitrate spikes in headwatersNitrate spikes in headwatersSouth Fork Bens Creek

C d ti itConductivity43μS 1.5mi 1322μS

M i t b t SMacroinvertebrate Summary

2,034 organisms picked and identified15 orders15 orders57 families9191 genera

M Di t ib ti700s

Macro Distributions

400500600700

rgan

ism

s

200300400

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f Or

0100

era era era era ata era era pp.

Num

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Coleopte

r

DipterEph

emerop

terMeg

alopter

Odona

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opter

Tricho

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on-Ins

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E

Non

Benthic IBIBenthic IBI Scores

Paint CreekBelow Paint Creek no macros were found.

Beaverdam CreekHigh IBI Score (76.2)

Fi h Hi hli htFish Highlights6 184 fish captured and identified6,184 fish captured and identified30 total species

Fish HighlightsGreatest richness atTurkeyfoot Bridge inKantner (19 species)( p )

Most fish collectedat Bens Creek (929)

Fewest fish (41)& lowest richness (6 spp) atQ emahoningQuemahoningCreek belowHoffman Run

Fi h Hi hli htFish Highlights

Caught more fish at 7 of 8 sites previously sampledp

Greater richness at 8 of 8 sites previouslyGreater richness at 8 of 8 sites previously sampled

Site #4 – Krings BridgeSite #4 Krings Bridge

Site #4 – Krings Bridge15 Sept 1998

4 Creek Chub12 July 2007

1 Banded Darter

Site #4 Krings Bridge

4 Creek Chub1 Yellow Perch

2 spp; 5 total

a ded a te143 Blacknose Dace1 Blackside Darter12 Bluntnose Minnow15 Central Stoneroller13 Creek Chub2 Johnny Darter14 L D14 Longnose Dace1 Mimic Shiner2 Mottled Sculpin1 Northern Hogsucker1 Northern Hogsucker4 Rock Bass124 White Sucker1 Yellow Perch1 Yellow Perch

14 spp; 334 total

Site #6 Carpenters Parkp

Site #6 Carpenters Park15 Sept 1998 12 July 2007

1 Bl k D

Site #6 Carpenters Park

2 Brown Trout3 Central Stoneroller7 Creek Chub

1 Blacknose Dace2 Blackside Darter1 Bluntnose Minnow7 Creek Chub

1 Northern Hog Sucker1 Pumpkinseed

1 Bluntnose Minnow12 Creek Chub13 Mimic shiner

13 White Sucker6 spp; 27 total

1 Pumpkinseed8 Rock Bass3 Smallmouth Bass3 Smallmouth Bass34 White Sucker1 Yellow Perch

10 spp; 76 total

Blacknose DaceBlacknose Dace

Over 1,100 Blacknose Dace were collected in the survey, representing the most

abundant fish species in the watershed.

Mottled SculpinSecond most abundant species collected in the survey

(>900 collected)

Common small fishes.Left to right: Bluntnose Minnow Johnny DarterLeft to right: Bluntnose Minnow, Johnny Darter, Fantail Darter.

Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass

S ll th BSmallmouth Bass

Rock Bass

Brown Trout Girl

TroutOver 1,000 trout were collected in the survey.Over 1,000 trout were collected in the survey.

Fallfish

Previously, Fallfish were not thought to occur in thePreviously, Fallfish were not thought to occur in the Stonycreek River watershed, but in the current study 47 were collected.

Snapping Turtlepp g

Penguing

N t tNext steps…

Data processing, compilation, evaluationFull reportFull reportExecutive summaryId tif ifi l ti h f thIdentify specific locations where further remediation projects are neededProvide results to partners for support of additional projects

Restoring the gresource…

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgementsFunding provided by

Cooperating Agencies