410000_Potential Stream Standard Violation_20190408

ROY COOPER
Governor
MICHAEL S. REGAN
secretary
LINDA CULPEPPER
Director
Mr. Shawn Dennis
5800 Bethel Church Road
McLeansville, NC 27301
NORTH CAROLINA
Environmental Quality
April 8, 2019
SUBJECT: Potential Stream Standard Violation
5806 Bethel Church Rd, McLeansville (Guilford Co.)
Dear Mr. Dennis:
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On February 7, 2019, staff from the State's Division of Water Resources Winston-Salem Regional Office
(DWR-WSRO) visited a property located at 5806 Bethel Church Rd, McLeansville, NC and collected surface
water samples. This visit was in response to an anonymous complaint alleging the run-off of sediment and
animal waste into a tributary to Little Alamance Creek from a pig pen located at the above address. We
are grateful for the cooperation received from Ms. Linda Carter as stream samples were obtained and the
complaint was investigated.
Site Visit Observations
Four pigs were noted on approximately % acre of the subject property. The ground surface was denuded
with very little grass or vegetation present. A watering hole was located opposite the stream within the
pig pen and was retaining water with no runoff noted from it at the time of the investigation. The
enclosure resulted in approximately 75 linear feet of impact and the runoff of sediment and animal waste
into an unnamed tributary to Little Alamance Creek.
Please note that the unnamed tributary and the property are located within the Water Supply IV
Watershed (WS-IV), are nutrient sensitive waters (NSW), and ultimately drain to Little Alamance Creek
(WS-IV, NSW). Surface water classifications are designations applied to surface water bodies, such as
streams, rivers, and lakes, which define the. best uses to be protected within these waters (for example
swimming, fishing, drinking water supply, etc.) and carry with them an associated set of water quality
standards to protect those uses. These waters are protected for Water Supply IV (sources of water supply
for drinking, culinary, or food processing purposes) and Class C uses (secondary recreation, fishing,
wildlife, fish consumption, aquatic life including propagation, survival and maintenance of biological
integrity, and agriculture). NSW waters are designated as such to provide additional nutrient management
as they are subject to excessive growth of microscopic or macroscopic vegetation.
Samples were taken in two locations to rule out any upstream influences to the data results. The upstream
sample was collected at the road, below the culvert but prior to entering the pig pen fence line. The
downstream sample was collected just after the stream exited the fence of the pig pen. Fecal coliform
bacteria tests confirm that 154 colonies/100 ml were present in the stream at the property line upstream
of the pig pen, and >12,000 colonies/100 ml downstream of the pig pen. Stream samples were also
obtained and analyzed for dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, specific conductance, nutrient levels, biochemical
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oxygen demand (BOD), turbidity. The final laboratory results are attached for your records. See below for
specific sample results:
Upstream of Pis Pen
'Fecal coliform = 154
'DO = 8.49 mg/L
3 pH = 5.27
°Turbidity 21 NTU
NH3 = 0.02 mg/L
TKN = 0.73 mg/L
NO2+NO3 = 0.08 mg/L
Total P = 0.08 mg/L
Specific conductance = 53.5 µs
BOD = 4.7 mg/L
Downstream of Pis Pen
Fecal coliform = >12,000
DO = 8.89 mg/L
pH = 6.18
Turbidity = 30 NTU
NH3 = 0.05 mg/L
TKN =1.2 mg/L
NO2+NO3 = 0.07 mg/L
Total P = 0.13 mg/L
Specific conductance = 53.8 µs
BOD = 5.6 mg/L
1 Measured as colonies per 100 mL. The NC water quality standard for fecal coliform is <_200 colonies/100
mL (maximum, geometric mean of five consecutive samples in 30 days).
2 The NC water quality standard for dissolved oxygen in this stream is 2!5.0 mg/L, with a minimum instantaneous
value of not less than 4 mg/L..
3 The NC water quality standard for pH is 6.0 - 9.0 units.
4 The NC water quality standard for turbidity in this stream is <_50 NTU (maximum).
There are no water quality standards for specific conductance, nutrients, or BOD.
Potential Violations ,
The frequent use and no vegetative buffer within the pig pen is creating a potential surface water standard
violation. This would become a violation should this office collect more than two (2) samples that result
in fecal coliform levels of greater than 400 colonies/mL within a 30-day period. As discussed with you over
the phone, using the tributary as a water source for your livestock is not a violation of State rules and
regulations. However, this office recommends either providing an alternative water source for the animals
or limiting the space in which the animals can access the tributary in order to minimize impact and prevent
potential future violations of surface water standards. Establishing a permanent, protective a vegetative
buffer between the pig's paddock and the tributary will help to reduce or eliminate rainwater runoff from
the paddock into the tributary also. Your local Guilford County Soil and Water Conservation office may be
a useful resource should you pursue implementing these changes or reconfiguring your pig pen.
Your assistance in this matter greatly appreciated. If you have questions concerning this correspondence,
please contact Rebecca Chandler at [phone] or by email at [e-mail].
Sincerely,
Lon Snider
Assistant Regional Supervisor
Water Quality Regional Operations Section
Division of Water Resources, NCDEQ— WSRO
cc: NCDEQ DWR-Animal Waste Feeding Operations
Guilford County Soil and Water Conservation District
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