Agenda - 09-29-2004- - Laserfiche WebLink

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�+ t i MORGAN AND LITTLE CREEKS T.Ecosystern I Local Watershed Plan PItOGHAM This local watershed planning initiative addresses the need for action in the Upper New Hope arm of .Jordan Lake, a local watershed area including the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill in Orange County, and in Durham, NC. The focus of this local watershed planning activity is on upper Morgan Creek (30 square miles, potential habitat degradation), lower Morgan Creek (19.9 square miles, 6.5 miles impaired stream), and Little Creek (Booker and Bolin Creeks, with 24 ..6 square miles, 12.7 miles of impaired stream). These creeks exhibit or are threatened with habitat degradation, sediment, fecal coliforrn bacteria, toxicity, and low dissolved oxygen. All of these creeks, with the exception of upper Morgan Creek, were on the Section 303(d) list for year 2000 and are within a water supply watershed. They are in the Jordan Lake Watershed, for which NC is currently developing a nutrient management strategy, and the Upper Morgan Creek watershed, which supplies University Lake. Urban runoff and effluent from wastewater treatment are possible sources of degradation. In upper Morgan Creek, agriculture is also a possible source of degradation. The N.C. Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP) combines an existing watershed restoration initiative (previously referred to as the NC Wetlands Restoration Program) within the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources with ongoing efforts by the N.C. Department of Transportation to offset unavoidable environmental impacts from transportation - infrastructure improvements. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ,joined as a sponsor in the historic Memorandum of Agreement that established the program's procedures on July 22, 2003. In a two -year study of the Morgan and Little Creeks Local Watershed, the EEP partnered with TetraTech, Inc., the Cape Fear River Assembly, the NC Division of Water Quality, and local stakeholders to identify priority opportunities for watershed restoration and protection . The Local Watershed Plan recommends restoration and preservation projects through the implementation of: • 25 Best Management Practices to treat water quality in 600 acres of priority subwatersheds • 11 stream restoration projects to gain 28,000 linear feet of restored stream • 137 priority preservation parcels to protect over 600 acres of priority habitat In addition, proposed changes to local rules are advocated to support Low Impact Development and prevent future degradation from occurring in the watershed. These recommendations are detailed in the Preliminary Findings Report, the Detailed Technical Assessment Report, and the Targeting of Management Report, which can be downloaded from the Internet at the following web address: http:uh2o onrstatc nc mrmp; p l tms lvll_.CC&MIC /MI C1Ionic III III Also available at this web address are summaries and presentation materials from the stakeholder meetings, and more detailed information about the project participants. www nceep, net 9/2:3/2004