Water Quality Project In Peacheater Creek Hydrologic Unit, Oklahoma, Termed A Success

Officials with Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) and Oklahoma Department of Agriculture (ODA) are labeling water quality related activities in Peacheater Hydrologic Unit (HU) a success. Since the project was initiated in 1991, the cooperation between producers and local, state, and federal agency personnel have led to extensive works of improvement and education activities among confined livestock and poultry producers within the watershed that forms a portion of the Illinois River Basin.

The Oklahoma Conservation Commission has had an ongoing water quality monitoring program within the Peacheater Creek Watershed since 1990. There is no conclusive evidence that any basin-wide change in surface or ground water have occurred since the project began; however, additional sampling over time will help make an accurate assessment of the impact of the project, and positive results are expected. Since most of the contaminants are washed from the land by a few extreme storm events, it is difficult to see major trends with most monitoring strategies.

Going into the project it was expected that changing established waste management practices would be a slow process and any improvement in water quality would be slow and subtle. Indications of more producer awareness about problems associated with waste disposal are being seen. Interest in water quality and implementing water quality practices in the project area is growing. Over 63% of the producers with confined animal operations are now implementing water quality improvement practices.

Water monitoring data is showing reduced nutrient levels in some streams. Before the project was implemented the detrimental impact of excessive nutrients on water use in the streams was not obvious, with the exception of an occasional increase in algae blooms. Therefore, no immediate measurable impacts were expected or have resulted from the reduced nutrient levels. Operators within the HU expect to achieve their goal of reducing the nutrient levels in all streams by 50 percent, but the observable impact of these reductions on the streams within the unit will probably be very subtle.

The success and impact of the Peacheater Program is best measured by evaluating the improved awareness, knowledge, skill, and behavior of producers in the Peacheater project area and the many small watersheds throughout the Illinois River Basin. The Peacheater project activities are interconnected with other small designated water quality projects in the basin and a cooperative inter-state Illinois Basin Water Quality Improvement Program. The information and technical assistance programs in these projects are being repeated, and their effectiveness in reducing the flow of nutrients from all watersheds in the basin into the Illinois River and Tenkiller Reservoir should grow rapidly as this and other projects are completed.

Successes of the Peacheater HU Project can be summarized in several categories, including cooperation among agencies and organizations, information and education activities both within and outside the HU, resource system installation, and the reduction in nutrient applications. The discussion that follows will describe some of the successes in each of these categories.

Cooperation among agencies and organizations.

A team approach to planning was implemented in 1993 as a trial, then retained to develop ecosystem based assistance plans in the unit. The team is made up of specialists from each of' the cooperating agencies. Each team member evaluates the producer's farm, utilizing their different areas of expertise; e.g. the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) water quality specialist evaluates the impacts on water quality, the Cooperative Extension Specialist (CES) evaluates soil fertility and manure content information. The team members then communicate their evaluations and recommendations to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS0 planners to help them develop the eco-system based plans. To enhance this effort early-on, an in-service training session was conducted on animal waste management planning, attended by CES Agricultural Agents, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservationists, and Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Feedyard Inspectors.

Inter-agency Hydrologic Unit Action and Work Committee meetings have been held to discuss planning progress, current developments, and to develop planned activities. State and local project coordinators keep each other updated as new developments and accomplishments occur.  NRCS, CES, OCC, and Consolidated Farm Services Agency (CFSA) personnel worked together on developing and implementing annual plans of operations, information programs, project tours, special water quality studies, providing technical assistance, and evaluating progress.

Impacts of information and education activities within the project area.

Three public meetings have been held in the Peacheater Creek area since the project began as well as three large public tours and numerous smaller tours and field days within the unit. All of the operators in the unit have been personally contacted by local NRCS, CES, OCC, and/or conservation district representatives at least once to provide detailed information about the project. Newsletters have been published and distributed to operating units and individuals in the watershed.

Project area farmers have learned the importance of pollution prevention planning and waste management planning for protection of the Illinois River. They have also learned that the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture is conducting inspections of their facilities and reviewing their pollution control activities.

Area producers have observed the effect of applying simulated rainfall to pasture fertilized with poultry litter at different rates. They have learned that excessive application rates can be wasteful and damaging to the environment. They have been informed about Best Management Practices (BMP) to mitigate runoff effects, the experimental use of alum sludge, maintenance of vegetation height, and use of vegetative buffers. A Poultry Waste Field Day in 1996, attended by 40 producers and poultry company representatives, provided a rainfall simulator run, spreader calibration, and pond demonstration. Other public meetings have covered sustainable soil fertility, forage, and grazing management.

Several seminars were held for poultry company field service representatives that work in the area to bring them up-to-date on BMP’s for poultry waste. Emphasis was put on farm planning, record-keeping, and economic benefits of management. The companies cooperated by encouraging nearly all their field reps to attend.

Poultry producers have become more aware of how much poultry litter they produce and land-apply as a result of project activities which include weighing all the litter coming from several poultry houses, and spreader calibration demonstrations. As a result of a well-attended seminar held for poultry farmers organized by CES, OCC, NRCS, and the ODA, they are also more informed about the need to handle mass mortality disposal properly.

Producers outside the watershed have learned that they can use litter as a valuable soil amendment in sorghum and wheat projection systems. Producers inside the project have learned they may be better off selling litter than using it as fertilizer.

These educational programs have made project land owners aware of water quality as an issue; and have helped them make the connection between their management and the water quality objectives. There also has been a particularly strong outreach to youth. Youth Water Quality Day Camps were run for 3 days in 1996. Over 60 youth attended educational outings including canoeing on the Illinois River, a walk down a typical Ozark stream, and boating on an area lake. Program contributors from Extension and cooperating agencies helped the campers make the connection between land use practices and the future of our waterways. Numerous Earth Day and other environmental youth activities were conducted in or near the Hydrologic Unit Area's (HUA’s). A seven-session water quality education curriculum, “Lifestyles of the Wet n Wild," was designed by a committee of 4-H, agriculture, and water quality agents. With funding assistance from Oklahoma State University (OSU), materials were purchased for accompanying resource trunks so that teachers and leaders can conduct “Wet 'n Wild" activities with all the equipment they need on hand.

Impacts of information and education activities beyond the project area.

Most of the involved agencies, project representatives, and poultry representatives have jurisdiction for the entire Illinois River Basin and beyond. These representatives pass on information about the project, and share their knowledge with people, producers, and cooperators throughout the Basin. NRCS and CES specialists and technicians that service the project areas also provide assistance and information to producers throughout the Basin. Cooperating producers spread information throughout the Basin through personal contacts outside the project area. Public meetings and tours have attracted participants from surrounding areas. Newspapers with circulation throughout northeastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas have published news articles about the program for distribution throughout the Basin. Poultry industry field representatives distribute information concerning educational activities to all of their contract growers in northeast Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. Cherokee Nation representatives participated in the Youth Camps and presented programs about the tribe’s water quality improvement activities.

All of these contacts and information activities make producers outside the project area aware of the water quality program goals, and provide them a stimulus to try new water quality management techniques. In addition, project representatives have participated in a public process to develop an Illinois River Management Plan. Many of the management practices promoted in the project area and findings about related production and economic factors, have been used in developing the Plan. The Plan has now been adopted by the Oklahoma Scenic River Commissioners.

Forage production plots demonstrating the effect of using litter as a replacement for fertilizer have been developed inside and outside the Illinois River Basin. These plots demonstrate to farmers outside the watershed that litter can improve their production systems. They indicate to producers inside the watershed that they can benefit from selling their litter instead of using it themselves. These plots include bermuda grass production systems, fescue production systems, sorghum production systems, and legume production systems. Field days have been conducted and results have been reported in the Pollution Prevention Bulletin, Illinois River Edition; sponsored by the Hydrologic Unit Area projects.

During 1996, a Waste Management Field Day was conducted which attracted many producers from outside the watershed, as well as poultry company field representatives. Best management practices including litter spreader calibration and pond protection were covered, along with a simulated rainfall runoff demonstration.

Youth water quality activities have attracted many from outside the Basin, and several youth 4-H leaders, adult volunteers, 4-H agents and teachers have learned how to conduct these activities.

Farming and water quality practices, and resource management system implementation.

Since the project was implemented, 96 producers in the unit with poultry and dairy or beef cattle operations have developed waste management plans for their operations. These producers have improved their methods of handling the waste generated by their animals. Many of the producers who have not developed plans, are implementing improved waste handling practices on their own as a result of the program activities.

Looking at when the project was initiated in 1991 until the end of 1996, NRCS technicians have developed and helped implement 26 CFSA long term water quality contract plans, 28 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-OCC 319 long term water quality contract plans, and 11 United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Water Quality Incentive Plans on cooperating producer farms. These contract plans cover 4,397 acres. Practices planned and installed include: 25 waste utilization practices, 7 dead bird disposal systems, 6 waste storage structures, 31 nutrient management plans, and 8 household septic systems. A total of 31 landowners in the project area have installed some type of water quality improvement or protection practice. A total of $154,545 in CFSA funds and $ 39,883 in EPA-OCC funds has been obligated for cost share or incentives to install or implement water quality improvement practices within the unit.

Reduction in Nutrient Use

As a result of the technical assistance and information programs, over 63% of the producers have reduced their waste application rates and/or quit applying waste on unsuitable areas. The plans and practices implemented have significantly reduced the potential amount of nutrients, bacteria, and other pollutants being displaced and carried by runoff into streams or percolating through the soil profile into ground water. Studies within the HU indicate nitrogen applications have been reduced as much as 100 pounds per acre on almost 4,000 acres.

A model has been developed through the combined effort of CES and the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station to estimate the loss of phosphorus and sediment to streams in a watershed. The model, called SIMPLE, has been developed with a grant from EPA for use in the Illinois River Basin. Validation of SIMPLE is near complete from a soil phosphorus perspective; and has some minimum validation in comparing actual to measured phosphorus loadings on the Illinois River above Lake Tenkiller.