WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) and Clayton County developed a Watershed Management Plan in 2001 to support permitting of our water reclamation facilities and to protect our water supply watersheds. The watershed planning effort, initiated in 1999, investigated stream health throughout Clayton County by looking at water chemistry, biology, and habitat conditions. Based on this information, a Watershed Management Plan was developed to protect water quality both now and in the future. The CCWA Watershed Management Plan outlines our programs for protecting and enhancing watersheds and streams in Clayton County. The overall goal of the Watershed Management Program is to protect and restore water quality and stream habitat conditions in Clayton County.
In addition to the CCWA Watershed Management Plan, local governments in Clayton County are required to implement the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District's (District) Watershed Management Plan. The District comprised of 16 counties within the metropolitan Atlanta area including Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Paulding, Rockdale and Walton. The District Watershed Management Plan presents programs for effective watershed management and the control of stormwater runoff. The overall goal of the District Watershed Management Plan is to meet or maintain water quality standards of waterbodies in the District.
The following summarizes the Clayton County's Watershed Management programs. These programs are intended to meet the requirements of the CCWA and District Watershed Management Plans:
Local governments in Clayton County are required by the District Watershed Management Plan to model and map the extent of floodprone areas along watercourses in the County based on future build-out condition and manage the uses of these areas. The objectives of this program are to minimize disturbance to the streams, reduce flooding and protect water quality.
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The Total Maximum Daily Load specifies the maximum amount of pollutant (point-source or non-point source pollution) that a waterbody can receive without violating the State's water quality standards. The State specifies different standards for different waterbodies depending on their classifications. The classifications for water use include drinking water supplies, recreation, fishing, wild river, scenic river and coastal fishing. Georgia's Rules and Regulations for Water Quality Control specifies water quality standards for each of these classifications.
Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires that once a waterbody violates the State's water quality standard and the stream segment is listed on the State's list of impaired waters, a Total Maximum Daily Load must be developed for that stream. Clayton County is required by the District Watershed Management Plan to implement stormwater management program activities to implement the TMDL. Additionally, the County is required to monitor these stream segments to remove them from the list of impaired waters.
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CCWA monitors several streams in the County to assess the performance of the watershed and stormwater management programs. Additionally, the sampling data are used to remove stream segments that are on the State's list of impaired streams. The data also helps CCWA to understand the water quality trend of the stream. Any data that deviate from the trend may be identified as possible pollution. In some cases, CCWA may monitor the stream to look for sources of pollution and eliminate the pollutant at its source before it reaches County streams.
CCWA monitors the stream for chemical and biological. Biological monitoring is performed annually at different locations in several watersheds. Chemical monitoring is performed monthly. Chemical parameters that are monitored include pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, total suspended solids, nitrogen and phosphorus. Geometric fecal coliform monitoring is performed quarterly for delisting impaired waters.
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CCWA and Clayton County are required by the District Watershed Management Plan to improve water quality of streams in the County by retrofitting water quality control measures into existing stormwater management facilities or restoring degraded waters. Potential water quality control measures include stormwater management ponds, constructed wetlands and bioretention facilities. Some examples of restoration measures include stream and wetlands restoration.
CCWA has studied selected streams in the Camp Creek and Jesters Creek watersheds and created a master plan that prioritizes stream improvement projects. Approximately 30 miles of stream in Clayton County were included in the master plan. Stream improvement projects could include stream restoration, streambank stabilization, or improvements to stormwater drainage.
The following shows stream improvement projects that have been completed by CCWA:
- 2,300 linear feet of East Jesters Creek downstream of Huie Road
- 2,000 linear feet of East Jesters Creek upstream and downstream of Reynolds Road
East Jesters Creek Restoration at Reynolds Road - BEFORE (Sep 2004)
East Jesters Creek Restoration at Reynolds Road - AFTER (Jun 2005)
The restored segments of East Jesters Creek used to be straight and incised, with stream banks ranging from 8 to 10 feet high. The stream suffered from excessive sedimentation, poor water quality and poor habitat condition. The width of the stream bed used to be at least 15 feet wide and the stream bed continued to widen as the County urbanizes due to increased flow of stormwater runoff into the stream. The project intends to return the stream back to its natural condition by:
- Placing biodegradable mat and planting vegetation to stabilize stream banks and reduce soil erosion.
- Creating meanders to control the velocity of water and reduce erosion.
- Adding rock cross vanes to enhance aquatic habitat, improve water quality and increase the capacity of the stream to transport sediment.
- Creating floodprone storage to store flood waters.
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