The Beaver Creek and Grand Lake St. Marys (Wabash) Watershed TMDL

Background

The Beaver Creek and Grand Lake St. Marys Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) report was approved by U.S. EPA on September 28, 2007. The report is the twenty-eighth Ohio TMDL project approved by U.S. EPA under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. TMDL reports identify and evaluate water quality problems in impaired water bodies and propose solutions to bring those waters into attainment with water quality standards.

The Beaver Creek and Grand Lake St. Marys watershed drains approximately 171 square miles near the Ohio-Indiana border in west-central Ohio, consisting of mostly agricultural land. The watershed lies mostly within Mercer County with a small portion in Auglaize County. Cities within the watershed include Coldwater, St. Henry, Celina, Montezuma, Chickasaw, and St. Marys. This watershed is part of the larger Wabash River watershed (TMDL report available below). Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio’s largest inland lake, is the drinking water supply for the City of Celina. The population of the watershed is approximately 25,000 people. According to the agricultural statistics, there are 295,400 “animal units” of hogs, poultry and cows in the watershed.

The causes of impairment are stream channelization, drainage tiles, loss of floodplains and streamside vegetation, manure runoff and untreated sewage flowing from failing home septic systems and small communities without any wastewater collection or treatment. TMDLs were calculated for fecal coliform bacteria, total phosphorus and nitrate. Some of the recommendations for improvement include managing livestock manure to reduce nutrient runoff, improving erosion and sediment control in all areas, and eliminating the pervasive bacteria problems.

The TMDL Report

• TMDL Report [PDF 1,672K]
  • Appendix A: Load Duration Curves [PDF 792K]
  • Appendix B: BATHTUB Modeling [PDF 368K] - corrected on 2/25/08
  • Appendix C: TMDL Summary Tables [PDF 139K]
  • Appendix D: Beaver Creek and Grand Lake St. Marys Water Quality Information [PDF 57K]
  • Appendix E: Public Comment Response Summary [PDF 57K] 
  • Appendix F: Manure and Excess Nutrient Alternatives for West Central Ohio (Ohio Department of Natural Resources) [PDF 18K]

Many of the documents referenced in the TMDL report can be found under Forms and Publications on the Ohio EPA Division of Surface Water Web page.

Supplemental information

The following documents provide background information on the Beaver Creek and Grand Lake St. Marys watershed.

• News Release - October 10, 2007
• A meeting to discuss the project took place on February 21, 2007, in the Central Services Building, 220 West Livingston St., Celina. See the February 12, 2007 News Release. At the meeting, Ohio EPA staff were joined by the Grand Lake/Wabash Watershed Alliance and a Tetra Tech consultant to discuss the Agency’s findings. Public feedback at the meeting was used to complete the TMDL report.
• Fact Sheet - October 2007 [PDF 427K]
• Executive Summary - Biological and Water Quality Survey of the Wabash River Basin, 1999 (includes Beaver Creek and Grand Lake St. Marys). April 1, 2002, Revised August 12, 2008 [PDF 781K]
• The Wabash infographic [PDF 771K]
• The Wabash River Watershed TMDL

Groups Active in the Watershed

• Lake Improvement Association
• Grand Lake/Wabash Watershed Alliance (Mercer County Soil and Water Conservation District)
• Saving Grand Lake St. Marys
• Auglaize County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Grand Lake St. Marys State Park

For more information contact:

Katie McKibben
Ohio EPA
Northwest District Office
347 North Dunbridge Road
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
e-mail: katie.mckibben@epa.state.oh.us
telephone: (419) 373-3013

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