Covington County

1
(No Transcript)
2
We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity
belonging to us. When we see land as a commodity
to which we belong, we may begin to use it with
love and respect. -Aldo Leopold(1886-1948)
3
Covington County, AlabamaSoil and Water
Conservation District

• Dirt Road Sedimentation Project
• Presented by Bill Godwin,
• Secretary-Treasurer
• Covington County SWCD

4
Covington County

• A total land mass of 667,000 acres
• 506,000 Forested acres
• 54,000 Cropland
• 38,000 Pasture Hayfields

5

• Our soils are sandy and highly erodible.
• Terraces, tile outlets and waterways are the most
  commonly used conservation practices.
• Approximately 90 of our cropland is planted
  using conservation tillage.
• A larger portion of our EQIP monies are used to
  install grazing systems and animal waste
  facilities for poultry.

6

• Covington County contains 670 miles of dirt
  roads.
• Sedimentation from these roads at stream
  crossings is a significant problem
• The Covington County Soil and Water Conservation
  District in conjunction with the National
  Resources Conservation Service has addressed this
  problem for several years using PL 566 funds.

7

• During the 1990s a PL 566 project called the
  Northeast Yellow River Watershed Project was
  implemented
• It stabilized ditches and gullies which drained
  into Frank Jackson Lake.
• This is a 1000 acre lake within Frank Jackson
  State Park.
• NRCS geologist quantified the amount of sediment
  entering the lake.

8

• In 1998, a portion of the Conecuh River,
• which encompasses Gantt Lake, was
• placed on a 303(d) list of impaired streams
• by ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental
  Management
• Sediment caused this impairment , primarily from
  dirt roads adjoining the lake
• Watershed Assessment completed in 1997 supported
  the 303(d) findings of ADEM.
• The assessment was updated in 2007.

9

• In 2000, the Covington County Soil Water
  Conservation District submitted
• a Clean Water Act Section 319 (h)
• Workplan to address the sediment
• problems in Gantt Lake and Point A Lake
• These two reservoirs are adjacent to each other
  along the impacted area of the Conecuh River.

10

• The Workplan was approved and the Cooperative
  agreement signed by the District and ADEM in
  October 2001
• Under this agreement, 350,000 of Federal funds
  were committed to this program
• The Covington County Commission agreed to supply
  the equipment and construct best management
  practices
• Federal dollars would pay for materials and labor
• Covington County Commission is responsible for
• Operation and Maintenance of the project

11

• GSA (Geological Survey of Alabama) was contracted
  to determine the effectiveness of the BMPs
• They monitored rain events for 1 year prior to
  BMP installation and one year after installation.
  
• These results will be displayed later in this
  program.

12

• Dirt road stabilization with rip rap ditches and
  crushed limestone has traditionally been the way
  to stabilize these problem areas in south Alabama
• We decided to try a new approach, adding curbs
  and gutters to some roads with the Covington
  County Commission paying to put chip seal on
  roads
• This action provided a more permanent solution to
  the road problems
• Cost to the Federal government was actually less.
  The curb and gutter cost was 24.37 per foot
  compared to 31.87 per foot using the
  traditional method
• This yielded a significant savings in cost for
  the project.
• 23

13
This created a disagreement with ADEM and the
Covington County SWCD concerning the definition
of paved roads.

• If you always do what you have always done
• You always get what you always got.!

14
A dirt road committee was formed to address the
specialized needs of dirt road sediment.

• The committee consists of local and state leaders
• Their primary purpose is to find ways to decrease
  sediment into our waters and then to find the
  funding to support the projects
• Examples dirt road inventory, Clean Water
  Partnerships etc.

15
Dirt Road Committee
16
Point A Isle Road before 2000Treated area from
the river to the crest of the hill
17
Point A Isle road after 2000(curb and gutter)
18
Holiday Hill before conservation efforts
19
Holiday Hill after(curb and gutter)
20
Les Roberts can go to his home on Holiday Hill
Road without a 4 wheel drive now. He has
observed a decrease in severe washing beside the
road bed and improved road use for the area
residents.
21
Green pit during
22
Green pit after(rip rap)
23
Steamplant before
24
Steamplant before
25
Steamplant after(rip rap)
26
Brogden Road(soil stabilizer applied with
vegetation)
27
GSA Findings
Estimated total sediment loads for project
streams during the pre- and post-treatment
monitoring periods and reductions of sediment
loads estimated during the post-treatment
monitoring period.
28
Covington County Conservation District presents
a check for construction completion to the
Covington County Commission

• The 319 grant was positive in many ways
• It supplied funds to the county to repair roads
• Increased awareness of the SWCDs importance to
  the County Commission, hopefully resulting in
  continued financial support
• Decreased sediment going into Gantt and Point A
  Lakes
• The District also received seven percent of the
  contract for administrative support

29
IndispensableWhen youre feeling so
important,And your ego is in bloomWhen you
simply take for grantedYoure the wisest in the
roomWhen you feel your very absenceWould leave
a great big hole,Just follow these
instructionsThey will humble any soul.Take a
bucket filled with waterPut your hand in to the
wrist,Pull it out, the hole remainingIs how
much you will be missed.Splash wildly when you
enter, Stir a lot and splash galore,Then stop,
and in a minute,It looks just like before.The
moral of this story Is do the best you canBe
proud, but please remember,Theres no
indispensable man.Anonymous