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
Green Lick Run is a tributary to Jacobs Creek in the Youghiogheny River watershed (Figure 1). This basin covers an area of 7.2 square miles and contains 14.9 stream miles. It is located in Bullskin Township, Fayette County. The Green Lick Run basin currently has the protected water use designation Warm Water Fishes (WWF) and was evaluated for redesignation as Exceptional Value Waters (EV) as a result of a petition submitted by the Rural Area Concerned Citizens. This report is based on a field survey conducted in October of 2000.
The upper half of the watershed is covered by mostly second growth hardwood
forest with little human disturbance. A mining company has applied for a permit
to operate a large limestone quarry in this area. Land use in the lower half
of the basin is mostly a mixture of low density residential and agriculture,
including cropland and pasture. Green Lick Reservoir used to be located upstream
of State Route 982, but the dam washed out over 20 years ago and the stream
has reverted back to its natural condition. The National Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) built a replacement reservoir downstream of SR 982 in 1971. The
new dam runs underneath T810 and the impoundment stretches back almost to the
T753 bridge.
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 collected at 3 stations in the
Green Lick Run basin during the October 2000 survey (Table
1 & Table 2). These samples indicated
that water quality was generally good. The indigenous aquatic community is a
better indicator of long-term conditions than one-time grab samples and is used
as a measure of ecological significance.
No surface water withdrawals for public water supply and only one NPDES permitted
discharge to surface waters are located in this watershed. The Bullskin Swimming
Pool Club has a discharge on Latta Run (PA0090450). This facility has a seasonal
discharge with a limit of 4,500 gallons/day. This business went bankrupt in
2000 and did not discharge.
Aquatic Biota:
Habitat assessments and biological samplings were conducted at 4 stations
(3 candidate and a reference station) during the October 2000 survey. An evaluation
of physical habitat assessments revealed that Stations 1GLR and 2GLR and reference
station R1 scored in the Optimal category and Station 3LR scored in the Suboptimal
category for benthic macroinvertebrates and fish (Table
3). Habitat scores ranged from 168 to 213 for the Green Lick Run stations.
Low scoring parameters included lack of an adequate riparian zone, vegetative
disruptive pressure, and limited velocity/depth regimes. The reference station
habitat score was 214.
Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected at 3 candidate stations and a reference station (Table 4). Sampling techniques adapted from the EPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols were used during this survey. Taxonomic diversity was average with a mean of 23.3 total taxa per candidate station. Individuals from several genera that are sensitive to water quality degradation such as Ephemerella, Aconeuria, and Diplectrona, were common at Stations 1GLR and 2GLR. The total number of individuals/station was unusually low at Stations 1GLR, 2GLR, and R1. This probably results from acid precipitation and the lack of a natural buffering capacity in these basins.
Between both Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commision (PFBC) and Ecosolutions,
a private consulting firm, a total of 4 species of fish were collected at three
stations (Figure 1 & Table
5). Wild rainbow trout were present at Stations 101 and 1ECO and wild brook
trout were present at Station 2ECO. The other species collected were also cold-water
species. Waters in all portions of the basin were found to support their designated
uses.
BIOLOGICAL USE QUALIFICATIONS
The biological use qualifying criterion applied to Green Lick Run was the integrated benthic macroinvertebrate score test described at § 93.4b(a)(2)(i)(A) http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/025/chapter93/s93.4b.html . This score is calculated from the macroinvertebrate samples referenced above. Because total numbers were low at Stations 1GLR, 2GLR and R1 the total sample was enumerated following the EPA's RBP III protocol (Table 6). A 100-count subsample was used for Station 3LR. Selected benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics were compared to a reference station with a comparable drainage area (Table 7). Both Green Lick Run and the reference stream, Bear Run (38455) are located in the Forested Hills and Mountains subecoregion (69a). Bear Run is a cold water fishery with an Exceptional Value (EV) designation in Chapter 93. All sampling was conducted on the same day 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, Stations 1GLR and 2GLR had biological condition scores greater than 92% of the reference station score which qualifies for an EV designation under the Department's regulatory criterion (§ 93.4b(b)(1)(v)). Station 3LR had a score of 40% of the reference station score. This score does not meet the 83% threshold required for designation as High Quality Waters (§ 93.4b(a)(2)(i)(A)).
None of the other antidegradation qualifying requirements listed in §
93.4b applies to this watershed.
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 2071). A similar notice was also published in the The Daily Courier, Connellsville on April 21, 2000. In addition, Bullskin Township was notified of the evaluation in a letter dated April 19, 2000. No data on water chemistry, instream habitat, or the aquatic community were received in response to these notifications.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on applicable regulatory criteria, the Department recommends that the use designation of the Green Lick Run basin from the source to Latta Run be changed from WWF to EV based on biological condition scores greater than 92% of the reference station score. Also the use designation of the Latta Run basin and Green Lick Run from Latta Run to the T753 Bridge should be changed from the current WWF to CWF based on the presence of reproducing cold-water fish species. These recommendations affect 7.5 stream miles and satisfy the original request by the petitioner since the petition only covered the upper part of the basin.
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Tables
and Figures
Figure 1, Map of Green Lick Run and
stations in Fayette County, Pa. Table 1, Green Lick Run Station Locations,
Fayette County |
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