Stonycreek River Stonycreek River Watershed ReassessmentWatershed Reassessment
Amanda Deal & Len Lichvar
Somerset Conservation District
August 2008
Watershed Characteristics
298,920 acres 538 perennial stream miles
519 mi natural stream/river19 mi artificial path
Elevation ranges 3132 ft to 896 ft
Stonycreek River Watershed Major Sub-watersheds
Quemahoning Creek Shade Creek Bens Creek Paint Creek Rhoads Creek Beaverdam Creek Wells Creek Solomon Run Oven Run
urbanforestagriculturebarrenwater
Land Cover
~66% forested ~24% ag ~9% urban
REassessment? USGS 1997
Effects of coal-mine discharges on the quality of the Stonycreek River and its tributaries, Somerset and Cambria counties, Pennsylvania
Located & sampled 270 mine discharges Stream water chemistry at 37 sites Stream sampled above and below 5
discharges different discharges and entrance of Pokeytown Run and Oven Run
REassessment?
Led to nearly $10 million of project investment dollars
Reversed Stonycreek River from net acidic to net alkaline
Over 15 miles of recovered fisheries Proliferation of watershed groups &
grassroots interestWells Creek, Shade Creek, Paint Creek
Purpose of Reassessment
Develop baseline data set Fill in data gaps
Funding for watershed groupsAML funding
Quantify water quality changes Identify new projects Complete restoration efforts that began
>15yrs ago
Objectives Survey water quality throughout watershed
Especially upstream and downstream of treatment systems (main stem and tributaries)
Assess macroinvertebrate assemblages Identify fish assemblages GIS mapping Master database Full report
Interagency Cooperation PA DEP
Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation
PA Fish & Boat CommissionHabitat Management Unit
Provided: Personnel Expertise Equipment Analysis assistance
Interagency Cooperation (cont.) PA Fish & Boat Commission (cont.)
Filled a major gap in biological data that would have been lacking without collaboration.
Data collected will serve both agencies SCD
Reassessment and support for remediation projects
PFBC Fisheries management decisions
Sampling Points 35 sites
17 main stem18 tributaries
Physical habitat
EPA habitat assessment and physiochemical characterization from Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers (2nd ed.)
epifaunal substrate, embeddedness, velocity/depth regime, sediment deposition, channel flow status, channel alteration, frequency of riffles, bank stability, vegetative protection, riparian vegetative zone width
Physical Characterization
Weather conditions Habitat types
cobble, snags, vegetated banks, sand, submerged macrophytes, other
Surrounding landuse NPS pollution Erosion Canopy cover
Morphology types LWD Aquatic vegetation Turbidity Stream width Average thalweg depth Velocity
Adapted from Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for Use in Streams and Wadeable Rivers (2nd ed.)
Water Chemistry Temperature Conductivity pH TDS DO Iron Sulfate Nitrate Phosphate
Multi-Meter--HI 991300
Ion Specific Meter--HI 93732
Hach hot kitHanna Sulfate Test Kit (modified Barium Sulfate Turbidimetric method)
LaMotte hot kits
Macroinvertebrate Sampling
D-frame Kick Net Multihabitat ApproachEPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols
Modification 5 kicks/jabs instead of 20 Kicks/jabs taken in proportion to the percentages
of each habitat type Sample mixed into one homogeneous sample Stored in 70% isopropyl alcohol Entire sample sorted in lab Organisms identified to genus (when possible)
Macroinvertebrate Sampling
Macroinvertebrate Data Analysis
PA DEP IBI Modified Beck’sEPTSpecies RichnessShannon Weiner Diversity IndexHilsenhoff Biotic Index% intolerant taxa
Fish Sampling
PA FBC Protocols200 m reachSingle pass electrofishingCollect all fishesField id for most fishes; questionable
specimens preserved and identified in lab
Fish Sampling Sites 18 sites
12 main stem 6 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 Findings
Physical Habitat Scores Ranged 194
-- 36 (200 max)
Avg 134
Highest scores in middle reaches
Lowest scores in headwaters and near mouth
Stonycreek at Yonai BridgeHabitat Score 70
Clear Shade CreekHabitat Score 194
Field Water Chemistry Temperature
Ranged 23-13oC (55-73oF) Conductivity
Ranged 2200-43S DO
Ranged >10-5mg/L pH
Ranged 9-3 TDS
Ranged 1100-21ppm Fe
Ranged 0-6mg/L Nitrate
Ranged 0-13ppm Phosphate
Ranged 0-2ppm Sulfate
Ranged >100-0mg/L
Water Chemistry Highlights
Low phosphtes and nitrates throughout Nitrate spikes in headwaters South Fork Bens Creek
Conductivity43S 1.5mi 1322S
Macroinvertebrate Summary
2,034 organisms picked and identified 15 orders 57 families 91 genera
0100
200300400500
600700
Coleopt
era
Dipter
a
Ephem
eropt
era
Meg
alopter
a
Odona
ta
Plecopte
ra
Tricho
pter
a
Non-In
secta
Spp
.
Nu
mb
er o
f O
rgan
ism
s
Macro Distributions
Benthic IBI Scores
Paint CreekBelow Paint Creek no macros were found.
Beaverdam CreekHigh IBI Score (76.2)
Fish Highlights 6,184 fish captured and identified 30 total species
Greatest richness at Turkeyfoot Bridge in Kantner (19 species)
Most fish collected at Bens Creek (929)
Fewest fish (41) & lowest richness (6 spp) at Quemahoning Creek below Hoffman Run
Fish Highlights
Fish Highlights
Caught more fish at 7 of 8 sites previously sampled
Greater richness at 8 of 8 sites previously sampled
Site #4 – Krings Bridge
15 Sept 1998 4 Creek Chub 1 Yellow Perch
2 spp; 5 total
12 July 2007 1 Banded Darter 143 Blacknose Dace 1 Blackside Darter 12 Bluntnose Minnow 15 Central Stoneroller 13 Creek Chub 2 Johnny Darter 14 Longnose Dace 1 Mimic Shiner 2 Mottled Sculpin 1 Northern Hogsucker 4 Rock Bass 124 White Sucker 1 Yellow Perch
14 spp; 334 total
Site #4 – Krings Bridge
Site #6 Carpenters Park
15 Sept 1998 2 Brown Trout 3 Central Stoneroller 7 Creek Chub 1 Northern Hog Sucker 1 Pumpkinseed 13 White Sucker
6 spp; 27 total
12 July 2007 1 Blacknose Dace 2 Blackside Darter 1 Bluntnose Minnow 12 Creek Chub 13 Mimic shiner 1 Pumpkinseed 8 Rock Bass 3 Smallmouth Bass 34 White Sucker 1 Yellow Perch
10 spp; 76 total
Site #6 Carpenters Park
Blacknose 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 Darter, Fantail Darter.
Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass
Rock Bass
Smallmouth Bass
Brown Trout Girl
TroutOver 1,000 trout were collected in the survey.
Fallfish
Previously, Fallfish were not thought to occur in the Stonycreek River watershed, but in the current study 47 were collected.
Snapping Turtle
Penguin
Next steps…
Data processing, compilation, evaluation Full report Executive summary Identify specific locations where further
remediation projects are needed Provide results to partners for support of
additional projects
Restoring the resource…
AcknowledgementsFunding provided by
Cooperating Agencies
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