Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Section (DSB)
Division of Water Quality Assessment And Standards
Bureau of Water Supply and Wastewater Management
Department of Environmental Protection
January 2001
Revised October 2002
GENERAL WATERSHED DESCRIPTION
Pine Creek is a tributary to Oil Creek in the Allegheny River watershed. This basin has a drainage area of 84.8 square miles and contains 155.0 stream miles. The Q7?10 at the mouth of the creek is estimated to be 6.87 cubic feet/second. This watershed is located in Oil Creek and Rome Townships and Titusville Borough, Crawford County; Harmony Township, Forest County; Oil Creek and Allegheny Townships and Pleasantville Borough, Venango County; and Southwest, Eldred, Triumph, Deerfield, and Pittsfield Townships, Warren County. Pine Creek is currently designated Cold Water Fishes (CWF) except for Caldwell Creek, a major tributary, which has a High Quality?Cold Water Fishes (HQ?CWF) designation. In response to a request from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) this basin was evaluated for possible redesignation as HQ-CWF. This evaluation is based on field surveys conducted in October 1995, April 1996, and April 2000.
Ten macroinvertebrate stations were sampled in 1995 but most of these samples were compared to reference stations in the Spring Creek (56113) watershed that has a designated use of HQ-CWF. Changes to the Department's regulations require that only streams with Exceptional Value Waters (EV) use designations be used as reference watersheds. As a result, 6 out of the 10 stations were resurveyed in 2000 and compared to EV reference stations sampled at the same time.
This watershed has a low population density. There are no major population
centers in this basin. The entire basin is privately owned. Land use is a mixture
of forest (70%), pasture (10%), residential (10%), industrial (5%) and agriculture
(5%). In the past, this basin supported much oil and gas production, but currently
oil production has virtually ceased and gas production has been greatly reduced.
The National Wetland Inventory Maps indicate the presence of several extensive
wetland areas. The flood plains of the main stem of Pine Creek (from 1 mile
above Station 3PC to the mouth of Caldwell Creek), Caldwell Creek (from Route
127 to the mouth), and West Branch Caldwell Creek (from just below Station 12WB
to the mouth) are mostly forested swamp. Other areas in this basin contain scrub/shrub
swamp and emergent marsh. All of these wetland expressions of surface water
within the study area are considered part of the respective basins for purposes
of this evaluation.
WATER QUALITY AND USES
Surface Water
No long-term water quality data were available to allow a direct comparison
to water quality criteria. Grab samples were taken at 19 stations throughout
the watershed (Figure 1 and Table
1). Results from these samples show alkalinities less than 20 mg/l at 12
stations (Table 2). This indicates a very limited
buffering capacity and probably results from natural conditions. Sulfate (SO4)
levels were elevated at Stations 10CC and 13WB. These values seemed anomalous
because readings upstream and downstream of these stations were considerably
lower. These two stations were resampled and sulfate levels typical of the rest
of the basin were recorded the second time (Table
2, page 3). Station 4GR, at the mouth of Golby Run, was also resampled because
of high chloride (Cl) levels, and elevated conductivity and hardness values.
The resample showed chloride levels, hardness, and conductivity greatly reduced.
The elevated levels in the first sample might have resulted from a brine discharge
from an oil or gas well. However, the instantaneous nature of grab samples precludes
comparison to applicable water quality criteria. The indigenous aquatic community
is a better indicator of long-term conditions and is used as a measure of both
water quality and ecological significance.
Despite its predominantly forested nature, the Pine Creek watershed contains six NPDES permitted discharges (Table 3) and one surface water withdrawal (not a public water supply). The discharges consist of one ground water clean-up (GTE), one boiler blowdown (Weyerhaeuser), one cooling tower blowdown (PFV), and four discharges from small sewage treatment facilities. See Table 3 for the permitted and actual flow volumes of these discharges.
Aquatic Biota
Overall habitat scores for aquatic biota were within the optimal range at all
but 2 of the stations (Table 4). These two
stations fell just below the optimal score. Streams within the Pine Creek watershed
support all designated uses. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected
at ten stations during the October 1995 and April 2000 surveys. The results
of these sampling efforts are presented in Table
5. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected using sampling techniques adapted
from the EPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols. Taxonomic diversity was good with
a mean of 32.7 total taxa per station. EPT scores were high with many genera
that are considered sensitive to water quality degradation present.
A total of 29 species of fish were collected at eight stations (Table 6). Wild brown trout were present throughout the basin. Wild brook trout occurred in the headwaters of Caldwell Creek and the West Branch Caldwell Creek. Other cold water species included mottled sculpin and redside dace. The diversity of darters was good with six species present.
BIOLOGICAL USE QUALIFICATIONS
The biological use qualifying criteria applied to Pine Creek were the integrated benthic macroinvertebrate score test described at § 93.4b(a)(2)(i)(A) and § 93.4b(b)(1)(v). This score was calculated from a 100-count subsample which was randomly selected from the total sample and enumerated following EPA's RBP III protocol (Table 7). Selected benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics generated from the subsamples were compared to reference stations with comparable drainage areas (Table 8). Stations IPC, 3PC, 5PC, and 7PC were compared to Station R3 in the Arnot Run (55499) basin. The remaining stations in the Pine Creek basin were compared to Stations R1 and R2 in the Cross Fork (23765) watershed. See Table 1 for the location of these reference stations. Both of these reference watersheds have an Exceptional Value (EV) designation. All sampling was conducted over a three day period to minimize the effects of seasonal variation. This comparison was done using the following metrics which were selected as being indicative of community health: taxa richness; modified EPT index (total number of intolerant Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa); modified Hilsenhoff Biotic Index; percent dominant taxon; and percent modified mayflies.
Based on these five metrics, all stations in the Pine Creek basin above the confluence with Caldwell Creek (1PC, 3PC, 5PC, and 7PC) had Biological Condition Scores between 83 and 91% of the reference stations scores. Scores from stations in the Caldwell Creek basin (12WB, 13WB, 15CC, and 17CC) were greater than 92% of the reference station scores except for Station 10CC which had a score of 53% of the reference station score. Station 19PC (Pine Creek below the confluence with Caldwell Creek) had a score that was 67% of the reference station score. Based on the Department's regulatory criteria, scores greater than or equal to 92% of the reference station score support an EV designation (§ 93.4b(b)(1)(v)), scores greater than or equal to 83% but less than 92% qualify for HQ, and scores less than 83% do not meet the threshold for an HQ designation (§ 93.4b(a)(2)(i)(A)).
The PFBC has designated the West Branch Caldwell Creek, from Three Bridge Run to the mouth, as "Class A" Wild Trout Waters based on a biomass of wild brown trout of 57.3 kg/ha. The main stems of Pine Creek and Caldwell Creek are stocked with trout, and the public heavily fishes this basin.
No special conditions were found during this survey that would qualify the
Pine Creek basin as a "surface water of exceptional significance"
or any other attribute listed in §93.4b at http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/025/chapter93/s93.4b.html
.
PUBLIC RESPONSE AND PARTICIPATION SUMMARY
The Department provided public notice of this redesignation evaluation and requested any technical data from the general public through publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on April 22, 2000 (30 Pa.B 2427). A similar notice was also published in the Titusville Herald on May 12, 2000. In addition, the Crawford County Planning Commission, City of Titusville and Oil Creek and Rome Townships, Crawford County; Warren County Planning and Zoning Commission and Deerfield, Eldred, Pittsfield, Southwest, and Triumph Townships, Warren County; Pleasantville Borough and Allegheny and Oil Creek Townships, Venango County; and Harmony Township, Forest County, were notified of the evaluation in a letter dated May 10, 2000. No data were received as a result of these inquiries.
RECOMMENDATION
Based on applicable regulatory definitions the Department recommends the following changes to Chapter 93:
Pine Creek basin (source to Caldwell Creek)
-Change current CWF designation to HQ-CWF
-Based on: waters with Biological Condition Scores between 83% and 92% of the
reference
-Affects 52.9 stream miles
Caldwell Creek basin (source to West Branch Caldwell Creek)
-Retain current HQ?CWF designation
West Branch Caldwell Creek basin (source to mouth)
-Change current HQ?CWF designation to Exceptional Value (EV)
-Based on: waters with Biological Condition Scores greater than 92% of the reference
-Affects 38.9 stream miles
Caldwell Creek basin (West Branch Caldwell Creek to mouth)
-Change current HQ?CWF designation to EV
-Based on: waters with Biological Condition Scores greater than 92% of the reference
-Affects 26.3 stream miles
Pine Creek basin (Caldwell Creek to mouth)
-Retain the current CWF designation
This recommendation differs from the original Fish and Boat Commission request
in that the West Branch Caldwell Creek basin and Caldwell Creek basin (from
West Branch to mouth) have been recommended for a higher level of protection
than requested. Also Pine Creek from Caldwell Creek to the mouth retains the
current CWF designation. The remainder of the watershed complies with the original
request.
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Tables and Figures
Figure 1, Map of Pine Creek including
stations Table 1, Pine Creek Station Locations |
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