Soque River

Watershed Protection Plan

Prepared by the Soque River Watershed Partnership

March 2008

Lead Organization: City of Clarkesville

Project Manager: Soque River Watershed Association

Partners:

North Georgia Technical College GA Cooperative Extension Service

GA DNR Wildlife Resources Division GA Forestry Commission

City of Cornelia U.S. Forest Service

Habersham Co. Chamber of Commerce City of Demorest

GA Poultry Federation Habersham County

City of Baldwin Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper

Natural Resources Conservation Service City of Mount Airy

Fieldale Farms Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC&D

GA Soil & Water Conservation Commission GA Mountains RDC

Habersham / White Co Homebuilders Association

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………... iii

List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………. iii

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………. iv

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………... 1

Watershed Conditions.…………………………………………………………………… 3

Pollutant Sources and Causes………………………………………………………….. 7

Pollutant Load Reductions………………………………………………………………. 9

NPS Management Measures……………………………………………………………. 11

Educational Component…………………………………………………………………. 18

Implementation Schedule………………………………………………………………… 19

Interim Milestones…………………………………………………………………………. 20

Monitoring Plan……………………………………………………………………………. 21

Additional Recommendations……………………………………………………………. 22

Technical and Financial Assistance Needed…………………………………………… 23

References…………………………………………………………………………………. 28

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1. Location of Habersham County and the Soque River Watershed………. 1

Figure 2. Subwatersheds of the Soque River Watershed…………………………… 4

Figure 3. 303(d) listed stream segments…………………………………………….. 5

Figure 4. Landcover in the Soque River Watershed…………………………………. 6

Figure 5. Bacterial sample locations………………………………………………….. 8

Figure 6. NPDES permitted discharges and priority sites for corrective action

(bacterial)………………………………………………………………………. 16

Figure 7. Priority sites for corrective action (sediment – dirt roads and

streambank erosion)…………………………………………………………. 17

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1. Stream segments not supporting designated uses in the Soque River

Watershed………………………………………………………………………. 2

Table 2. Area and landcover for subwatersheds of the Soque River………………. 3

Table 3. Bacterial sample sites by subwatershed……………………………………. 7

Table 4. NPS fecal coliform production loadings – entire Soque River

Watershed………………………………………………………………………. 9

Table 5. Bacterial load reductions needed to meet water quality standards by

subwatershed…………………………………………………………………. 9

Table 6. Suspended sediment load and yield by subwatershed……………………. 10

Table 7. Three year implementation project budget…………………………………. 25

Table 8. Roles and responsibilities of participating partner organizations………… 27

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Soque River is the northeastern-most tributary of the Chattahoochee River and has a number of beneficial uses both locally and regionally within the State. The river serves as the drinking water source for the City of Clarkesville and tributaries to the river provide water for other localities in Habersham County. Additionally, the river supplies an estimated 1/6 of the inflow to Lake Lanier, the major drinking water reservoir for the City of Atlanta. The Soque is also renowned for the recreational opportunities it provides; primarily fishing. The watershed covers approximately 160 square miles and rests wholly within Habersham County, thus presenting a unique opportunity for watershed protection and management while avoiding jurisdictional conflicts.

As in much of Georgia, rapid population growth in Habersham County is expected to increase the demand for water supplies while adding stressors to aquatic systems. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs documented a 30% increase in the population of Habersham County between 1990 and 2000 (GADCA 2006). Growth estimates by the State Office of Planning and Budget forecast an additional 37% increase in population in the County between 2000 and 2015 (GAOPB 2005). These figures together represent a near doubling of the population of the county in a 25 year span.

The Soque River Watershed Partnership (the Partnership) was formed to take advantage of the opportunity for local protection of water resources and in response to water quality concerns and the anticipated impacts of rapid growth in the watershed. The Partnership is comprised of numerous local and state agencies and organizations and is guided by a Steering Committee of stakeholders and a Technical Advisory Committee of scientific and resource professionals. Partnership formation was driven by a concern for the sustainability of local water supplies and the identification of impaired waters in the watershed.

Recent surveys by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GAEPD) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) identified stream segments in the watershed that do not meet state water quality standards. These stream segments have subsequently been placed on the State’s 303(d) list of impaired waters. Specifically, two segments of the Soque River (totaling 35 miles) are not supporting designated uses due to violations of the fecal coliform bacteria standard from unspecified non-point source (NPS) pollution. Additionally, two segments of Hazel Creek (totaling nine miles), a tributary to the Soque, are not supporting designated uses due to NPS sediment impacts on instream habitat and biota (GAEPD 2008).

In recognition of these water quality impairments from NPS pollution, the Partnership applied for and received CWA §319(h) funding from the USEPA and administered through GAEPD. The funding was to complete a comprehensive watershed assessment to document current biological, chemical, and physical conditions in the watershed. The data was then used to draft this watershed protection plan for use by citizens and municipalities to make informed decisions about the future use and protection of water resources in the watershed.

INTRODUCTION

The Soque River Watershed comprises 160 square miles, or 57% of the land area of Habersham County (Figure 1). The watershed is unique for its size in that it lies wholly within the boundaries of a single county. This presents a rare opportunity for local resource protection while avoiding jurisdictional conflicts.

The headwaters of the river flow from National Forest lands off of Tray Mountain and run together in the Blue Ridge Physiographic province (Level IV ecoregion 66d – Southern Crystalline Ridges and Mountains) to form the main-stem of the Soque. The river continues down through the Piedmont (Level IV ecoregion 45a – Southern Inner Piedmont) to the confluence with the Chattahoochee River. The Soque is the northeastern most tributary to the Upper Chattahoochee River (8-digit HUC 03130001).

Figure 1. Location of Habersham County and the Soque River Watershed

The river serves as the water supply for the City of Clarkesville. Additionally, Hazel Creek and Camp Creek, tributaries to the Soque, supply water for the City of Cornelia. Other localities in Habersham County, the cities of Demorest and Baldwin, obtain drinking water from the Chattahoochee River below the confluence with the Soque. Municipal water supplies for Mount Airy and Alto come from groundwater wells within the watershed. Nearly every Habersham County resident who drinks water from a public supply drinks at least some water from the Soque River. The river is also important to the local economy. The two biggest sources of revenue in the county are agriculture and tourism – both highly dependant on the river and watershed, both for resource availability (agriculture) and aesthetic beauty (tourism). The Soque is also nationally renowned as a trophy trout stream, a status that requires high quality, clean water.

In response to problems already identified in several stream segments and threats from rapid development and other sources, a broad coalition of groups, known as the Soque River Watershed Partnership, joined together to perform a watershed-wide assessment of surface water quality. This assessment has was funded by a 319(h) grant awarded to the City of Clarkesville, which began in 2004 and concluded in March, 2008. The purpose of that first-round 319 grant-funded project was to gather data needed to complete a Watershed Protection Plan, through which the Partnership can address the highest priority threats to water quality and watershed integrity.

Measures to eliminate pollution sources that have contributed to the designation of four stream segments in the watershed as “Impaired Waters” by the State of Georgia and the U.S. EPA will be the highest priorities in this protection plan (Table 1). A map showing the 303(d) listed stream segments in red is also included in Figure 3. The goal of the plan is to implement management strategies to improve water quality in the listed stream segments to the point that they are removed from the list of impaired waters. Other streams and sub-watershed areas will also be targeted as high priorities for corrective and protective actions, due to findings of significant water quality problems in those areas. Further, the corrective actions proposed here will carry out portions of the pertinent Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation plans (State of Georgia, Recommended Tier 2 TMDL Implementation Plan: Hazel Creek; Recommended Tier 2 TMDL Implementation Plan: Soque River, Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center, 2004).

Table 1. Stream segments not supporting designated uses in the Soque River Watershed

Waterbody

Reach Location

Criterion Violated

Potential Cause

Designated Use

Extent

Soque River

Goshen Creek to SR 17, Clarkesville

Fecal Coliform

Non-point Source Pollution

Fishing

29 miles

Soque River

SR 17, Clarkesville to Chattahoochee

Fecal Coliform

Urban Runoff

Fishing

6 miles

Hazel Creek

Law Creek to Soque River

Biological Impairment – Macroinvertebrate from Sediment

Non-point Source

Pollution

Fishing

5 miles

Hazel Creek

Reservoir No. 12 to Law Creek

Biological Impairment – Fish from Sediment

Non-point Source Pollution

Fishing

4 miles

Source: State of Georgia 2008 Draft 305(b)/303(d) List

All watershed protection and management strategies detailed in this plan should be evaluated and adapted to best meet local needs and ensure progress towards the attainment of water quality standards. Furthermore, action should not be limited to the contents of this plan. Other alternatives should be considered as additional information or resources become available.

WATERSHED CONDITIONS

For the purpose of this plan, the Soque River Watershed has been further divided into tributary sub-watersheds (Figure 2). This division will enhance the identification, prioritization, and implementation of protection efforts and corrective actions. A summary of landcover for sub-watersheds (and for the entire Soque River Watershed) used in this plan is included in Table 2. Subwatersheds will be listed in all tables in the order in which they enter the main-stem of the river from north to south.

Table 2. Area and landcover for subwatersheds of the Soque River