Stream Redesignation Evaluation Report
Water Quality Standards Review

Lizard Creek, Schuylkill County
Segment: Basin,
Source To State Route 309
Drainage list: D
Stream code: 03856

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
May 1998
(Revised March 2001)

GENERAL WATERSHED DESCRIPTION

Lizard Creek is a tributary to the Lehigh River in the Delaware River watershed. In response to a petition from West Penn Township, Schuylkill County, Lizard Creek basin from the source to State Route 309 was evaluated for possible redesignation as High Quality Waters (HQ). This portion of Lizard Creek has a drainage area of 18.1 square miles and contains 23.8 stream miles (Figure 1). The Q7-10 of Lizard Creek near State Route 309 is estimated to be 12.9 cubic feet/second. This watershed is located entirely in West Penn Township, Schuylkill County and is currently designated Trout Stocking (TSF). This evaluation is based on field surveys conducted in December 1997 and March 1998.

Currently, the existing land use in this watershed is single-family residential and open fields. There are also a number of small commercial businesses in the watershed. Land use is a mixture of residential (35%), old/open fields (30%), forest (30%) and commercial (5%). There are no major population centers in this basin.

Surface Water

Grab water samples were collected at five stations (Figure 2 & Table 1) in the Lizard Creek basin. Results of analysis are presented in Table 2. No long-term water quality data were available to allow a direct comparison to water quality criteria. Alkalinity at all stations was less than 20 mg/l indicating a potential problem with limited in-stream buffering capacity. This lower level of alkalinity probably results from natural conditions. Stations LC1 and LC5 both recorded elevated zinc levels that may also result from natural conditions in the stream (both are sites on the mainstream of Lizard Creek).

One National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitted discharge began operation in the basin after this investigation was conducted. The Penn Pines Mobile Home Park (NPDES PA-0063827) began discharging about September 2000. This discharge is permitted for 0.086 million gallons per day (MGD). In addition, many streams in the basin are bordered by homes with on-lot sewage systems and some seepage may occur from these systems.

Aquatic Biota

Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected at 5 stations during the December 17, 1997 survey with results presented in Tables 3 and 7. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected using sampling techniques adapted from the EPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols. Taxonomic diversity was good with a mean of 33.8 total taxa per station. The Ephemeroptera/Plecoptera/Trichoptera (EPT) scores were indicative of fair water quality, but these scores were probably influenced by the abundance of Hydropsyche and Cheumatopsyche (Trichoptera).

Overall habitat scores for aquatic biota of all stations were within the sub-optimal range (Table 6). Bank vegetative protection, grazing and disruptive pressures and riparian vegetation zone width were parameters that contributed to sub-optimal and marginal scores.

A total of 11 species of fish were collected at three stations (Table 4). Wild brook and brown trout were only collected upstream of the Dorset Road bridge at station LC1. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission also surveyed Lizard Creek at two sites in September of 1997 (Table 5). Their stations corresponded to LC1, upstream of the Dorset Road bridge and LC5, near the intersection of State Route 309 and Lizard Creek. Wild brook and brown trout were collected at both sites, but were rare at LC5.

There are no known portions of the Lizard Creek basin from its source to State Route 309 which exhibit the characteristics of outstanding national, state, or local resource waters under the Department’s antidegradation regulation.

Selected benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics were compared to reference stations with comparable drainage areas (Table 8). Stations LC1 and LC4 were compared to the West Branch Pine Creek (WBPC) and Stations LC2, LC3, and LC5 were compared to Pine Creek (PC). Both reference stations are currently designated Exceptional Value (EV) in Chapter 93.

The comparisons were done using the following metrics that were selected as being indicative of community health: taxa richness; modified EPT index; modified Hilsenhoff Biotic Index; percent dominant taxon; and percent modified mayflies.

Based on these five metrics, none of the stations in the candidate basin had Biological Condition Scores (BCS) greater than 73% of the reference stations’ (Table 8). Large numbers of tolerant taxa in the semi-quantitative benthic macroinvertebrate collections from the candidate stream contributed to the very poor modified Hilsenhoff values. The abundance of highly sensitive mayflies at the reference stations resulted in low comparison scores for the % modified mayflies metric at four of the five candidate stations.

The Department provided public notice of this redesignation evaluation to and requested any technical data from the general public through publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on December 25, 1999 (29 Pa.B 6524). A similar notice was also published in The Pottsville Republican on December 27, 1999. In addition, West Penn Township was notified of the evaluation in a letter dated December 23, 1999. The Schuylkill County Planning Commission was also notified at the same time. No data on water chemistry, instream habitat or the aquatic community were received in response to these notices.

The Department sent copies of the draft stream evaluation report to West Penn Township and the Schuylkill County Planning and Zoning Commission on May 19, 2000 requesting any comments by June 23, 2000. No additional comments were received during that period.

Based on applicable regulatory criteria, the Department recommends that the Lizard Creek basin from its source to the bridge at Dorset Road be redesignated to Cold Water Fishes (CWF). The section from Dorset Road to State Route 309 should remain Trout Stocking (TSF). This recommendation is different than that requested by the petitioner, but does provide protection to the naturally reproducing trout population found by the PFBC. The redesignation to CWF affects 3 stream miles.

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