Chota partners with TVA to help restore Crab Orchard Creek

By Trey Coleman

Chota has been asked by TVA to partner with them in a grant application to the EPA to help clean-up Crab Orchard Creek watershed. Much of the grant is for strip mine reclamation and Chota’s role will be to assist in bank stabilization, particularly tree and ground cover plantings. TVA partnered with a number of organizations for this grant, including the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association (TSRA).

This grant utilizes funding EPA has set aside for watershed restoration projects and is commonly known as “319 Grants” in reference to the section of policy that outlined the scope of these grants. Chota is also involved with another 319 grant that is being spearheaded by the Emory River Watershed (ERWA) in developing a watershed management plan for Crooked Fork Creek.

Past mining activities have left Crab Orchard Creek on the states impaired waters list (commonly known as the 303-D list), which makes it eligible for clean-up funds from the EPA. TVA has created the Crab Orchard Creek Restoration Partnership (COCRP). The goals of COCRP are to restore Crab Orchard Creek and its’ tributaries to fully supporting its designated uses, and protect public health and well being by reclaiming hazardous abandoned mine lands. COCRP seeks to implement a successful watershed plan through partnerships and adaptive management as described in this watershed restoration plan.

Below is a detailed summary of the grant:

Crab Orchard Creek Watershed Project Summary

Crab Orchard Creek, a tributary to the Emory River in upper East Tennessee (Figure 1-1), drains a 47.33 square mile area that includes portions of Morgan and Cumberland Counties. It falls in the Level IV Cumberland Plateau subecoregion (68a). This scenic creek is a favorite of whitewater enthusiasts and local residents praise its history associated with Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) fishing. Crab Orchard Creek’s designated uses include support of fish and aquatic life, recreation, livestock watering/wildlife and irrigation. It is listed on the Nationwide Rivers Inventory for exceptional scenic, recreational, geologic, and fish/wildlife values. The Nationwide Rivers Inventory, required under the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, is a listing of free-flowing rivers that are believed to possess one or more outstanding natural or cultural values (TDEC, 2002).

The upper reaches of the watershed are fully supporting all designated uses. However, 16.3 miles of tributary streams and 10.2 miles of the main channel of Crab Orchard Creek are listed on Tennessee’s impaired, or 303(d), list as not supporting designated use classifications due to pH, manganese and iron. The main sources of these impairments are resource extraction/acid mine drainage (AMD).

The Crab Orchard Creek Restoration Partnership (COCRP) is a consortium of agencies and groups that are interested in restoring and delisting Crab Orchard Creek and its tributaries. Partners include Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation/Division of Water Pollution Control, Tennessee Valley Authority, Emory River Watershed Association, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Chota Canoe Club, Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association and University of Tennessee. The goals of COCRP are to restore Crab Orchard Creek and its’ tributaries to fully supporting its designated uses, and protect public health and well being by reclaiming hazardous abandoned mine lands. COCRP seeks to implement a successful watershed plan through partnerships and adaptive management as described in this watershed restoration plan.

The Crab Orchard Creek Watershed Restoration Plan was written according to the FY2004 EPA section 319 guidelines. It includes 3 phases that include: reclamation of 4 priority mines and community outreach; evaluation of effectiveness; and, if needed, plan development and reclamation to address any impairment that still exists after phases I and II. The first phase, which is planned to last 4 years, includes data collection and the reclamation work on the priority mine sites within the watershed. These sites are clustered around Fagan Mill Creek, Golliher Creek and Little Laurel Creek in the middle portion of the watershed. Phase II includes intensive monitoring and evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the reclamation in addressing the impairment issues system-wide.

A coordinating 319 proposal to Tennessee Department of Agriculture has been submitted to fund portions of phase I and II of the project. There will be opportunities for volunteers to be involved with revegetation efforts on abandoned mine lands and water quality monitoring over the next several years. This project will benefit local residents and recreational users by improving the water quality / aquatic community, and by reclaiming hazardous abandoned mines.

Sub-watershed Name	Sub-watershed Code	Downstream Sample Site	Miles Impaired	Cause of Impairment	Segment ID	Stream order at sample point	Sub-watershed Area (square miles)
Crab Orchard Creek 4	04	COC-4	0	n/a	4000	4^th	18.8
Golliher Creek	GC	GC-1	5.6	pH, iron, manganese	0400	3^rd	3.0
Fagan Mill Creek	FMC	FM-1	2.6	pH, manganese	0500	2^nd	1.6
Little Laurel Creek	LLC	LLC-1	0	n/a	0999	1^st	0.8
Laurel Creek	LB	LB-1	2.7	pH	0600	2^nd	1.8
Crab Orchard Creek 3(A&B)	03A 03B	COC-2 COC-3	7.9	pH, manganese	3000	4^th	7.3
Smith Branch	SB	SB-1	5.4	pH	0100	3^rd	3.1
Mill Creek	MC	MC-1	0	n/a	0700	3^rd	7.7
Crab Orchard Creek 2	02	COC-1	2.3	pH	2000	4^th	2.3
Crab Orchard Creek 1	01 - mouth	none	0	n/a	1000	4^th	0.1

Table 2-1. Crab Orchard Creek Subwatershed Summary.