Waterbody Improved: Agricultural nutrients, cattle with access to the creek or tributaries, and sediment erosion in pasture land contributed nonpoint source pollution to Mississippi’s Orphan Creek. Water quality monitoring conducted in 2001 and 2003 indicated that Orphan Creek was not attaining aquatic life designated use support, which is intended to assure that a waterbody is healthy enough to support the propagation of fish and wildlife that use the water. As a result, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality added Orphan Creek to the state’s 2006 Clean Water Act section 303(d) list for aquatic life use impairment.
The Dead Tiger/Orphan Creek Nonpoint Source Project significantly reduced sediment and nutrients entering Orphan Creek through the implementation of best management practices. Using the data collected in 2009, Orphan Creek was assessed as attaining aquatic life use support as part of the 2012 Clean Water Act section 305(b) statewide assessment process.
The Complete Success Story can be found at http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/nps/success319/ms_orphan.cfm.
Source: US EPA
