Surface Water - Alabama Department of Environmental Management

Mulberry Fork (0316-0109)
Sub-Watershed: Duck Creek NRCS Sub-Watershed Number 020
Landuse: The Duck Creek sub-watershed drains approximately 63 mi 2 in Cullman County.
Pasture, forest, and crop land were the main land cover types within the sub-watershed.
One construction/stormwater authorization, one semi-public/private NPDES permit, and
10 CAFO registrations have been issued in the sub-watershed (Appendix B). A 2.0 mile
segment of Long Branch is impaired by ammonia, organic enrichment/dissolved oxygen,
and pathogens from pasture grazing and intensive animal feeding operations. The entire
length of Duck Creek is impaired by organic enrichment/low dissolved oxygen from
pasture grazing and intensive animal feeding operations. The TMDLs for these pollutants
were approved in 2003. Implementation is pending.
Percent land cover estimated by local SWCD (Appendix A, ASWCC 1998)
Forest Row crop Pasture Mining Urban Open Water Other
36% 11% 45% 0% 2% 1% 4%
NPS impairment potential: Duck Creek was identified as a NPS priority sub-watershed in
1997. A roadside survey conducted by ADEM in 1997 indicated the sub-watershed to have
the highest concentration of poultry operations (ADEM 1999a).
Based on the 1998 SWCD sub-watershed assessment information, the main NPS
concerns within the sub-watershed were animal husbandry and runoff from pasture, crop,
and forestry lands. Poultry broilers comprised 92% of the total animal units estimated for
the sub-watershed (Appendix H). The overall potential for NPS impairment was estimated
as high. Duck Creek was given a 1 st priority sub-watershed rating by the local SWCD.
Resource concerns included excessive erosion on cropland, nutrients, pesticides, bacteria
in surface waters, and livestock in streams (Appendix I).
Ratings for each NPS category based on values estimated during the SWCD sub-watershed assessment.
Category
Overall
Potential
Animal
husbandry
Aquaculture
Row
crop
Pasture Mining Forestry Sediment
Value 21 3.39 AU/ac 0.00% 11% 45% 0% 34% 1.1 tons/ac/yr
NPS Potential H H L M H L M L
Appendix D H H A A A I I
Assessments: Duck River was assessed at one location during the 2002 NPS screening
assessment (Appendix F). A second location was assessed during GSA’s assessment of
Mulberry Fork (Appendix E, Shepard et al. 2001, Shepard et al. 2002). One location on
Duck River has been evaluated annually in conjunction with ADEM’s ALAMAP Program.
Smith Branch was evaluated during ADEM’s 1998 ALAMAP Program (Appendix E,
Appendix T).
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