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5/29/02

Scientific data helps HWA secure grants

By Don Hendershot
“Simply put, our objective is to reduce the amount of mud in the creeks,” said Gordon Small, project manager Haywood Waterways Association.

Of course when you look at how much mud that is, you get an idea of the size of the task. HWA used Integrated Pollutant Source Identification (IPSI) technology from the Tennessee Valley Authority fed into a geographic information system (GIS) database to identify and quantify sources of erosion and sedimentation in Haywood County. A graph in HWA’s new Watershed Action Plan summarizes soil movement off-site from several activities.

According to the graph, the three major soil-loss activities in the watershed are: eroding streambanks — 400-450 tons of soil lost per year; newly constructed roads — 200-250 tons per year; and eroding road banks — 50-100 tons per year.

All that information provides a solid foundation for the grant applications that send money into Haywood County and helps landowners combat erosion and runoff problems. And HWA has been highly successful in securing those grants. To date, the organization has been responsible for securing $1.4 million for different initiatives and programs in the county. Some of the larger grants that HWA helped acquire include more than $677,000 from Clean Water Management Trust Fund to help reduce erosion and sediment in the Pigeon River Watershed. Most of that money was earmarked for projects along Richland Creek. The group also helped secure more than $500,000 to help pay for dredging efforts at Lake Junaluska.

Ron Moser, HWA director, said the IPSI survey, coupled with the application of the GIS technology, was a major accomplishment for HWA.

“We were the first to use this technology and it has proved invaluable in obtaining grant money for the watershed. When we apply for grants we can give specifics and hard numbers,” Moser said.


Collecting the data

The IPSI survey began in April 1999 and was funded through a partnership with TVA, the Pigeon River Fund and HWA. The initial phase was to take infrared aerial photographs in the spring before the trees leafed out. TVA staff interpreted the photos to identify nonpoint source pollution. The areas showing pollution were digitized using a GIS format so they could be identified and placed on a map.

While the IPSI and GIS technology have proven greatly beneficial for HWA, much critical data is still collected the old-fashioned way. Twenty-four volunteers collect water samples once a month at sites across the county as part of the VWIN (volunteer water information network) program. The samples are analyzed by the Environmental Quality Institute, which is a part of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. EQI produces an annual report each year ranking the waterways tested.

Water quality across the Haywood watershed is extremely variable. It ranges from excellent (East and West Fork of Pigeon River at Bethel) to poor (Pigeon River at Hepco Bridge; Cove Creek at N.C. 209) to 303(d) state-listed impaired waters (areas of Hyatt Creek.)

But the Haywood watershed is unique. The headwaters of the watershed are all within the county. No other jurisdiction can impact the water quality in Haywood County. The water quality issues in the county are created by the residents (corporate residents included) of the county.

Small sees this as a great advantage for the county.

“It means we can fix it,” he said.

“Local residents are expressing more and more concern. They take these issues to heart. We’re moving in the right direction, but it is a slow, painful process.”

Barry Stevens, district soil conservationist, said many landowners in the district were taking advantage of various incentives to help control erosion on their property. Stevens said approximately 13 property owners were taking advantage of Clean Water Management Trust Fund grants and another 19 were utilizing EPA 319 grants.

“We work hard to educate the public. As the public becomes more educated they become more involved,” Moser said.

HWA has recently undertaken a project at Balsam Meadows subdivision that Small believes can serve as a model for other developments in the watershed.

“Balsam Meadows is a classic example of poor management. Water gets in the roads and washes them out. Water cuts roadside ditches and carries the sediment directly into the creek. There are no culverts or energy dissipaters,” Small said.

Small said the developer at Balsam Meadows went bankrupt, leaving property owners holding the bag. According to Small, HWA, with the help of district soil and water conservationists, plan to implement best management practices (BMP) and proper landscaping and engineering design to remedy the problems at Balsam Meadows.

“Balsam Meadows will provide a great demonstration site. There are real problems, but the parcel is small enough that we can manage it,” Small said.

Stevens said the project could probably be completed in two months. Some of the improvements would include waterbreaks in the roads, culverts and rock dams in the ditches to dissipate the energy and slow the water down. Stevens estimates the cost of the project at $25,000.

The Balsam Meadows project ties in wonderfully with HWA’s new Watershed Action Plan, said Moser. It will provide a setting for HWA to demonstrate some of the recommended strategies for improving and maintaining water quality developed by their Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and published in the plan.

Small sees HWA’s goal to be a catalyst to provide educational, financial and technical support throughout the watershed to help achieve the group’s basic mission of maintaining and/or improving water quality throughout the county.

Small and other members of HWA staff have presented the Watershed Action Plan to the county and municipal governments in the watershed and received their endorsement. Moser said the action plan, political support, educational programs, the TAC, VWIN and demonstrably successful projects all join together to make HWA a highly effective tool for improving water quality in Haywood County.