Harrods Creek Watershed

Only a small portion of the Harrods Creek Watershed is within Jefferson County. The entire drainage basin for Harrods Creek is approximately 92 square miles and it is located in north-eastern Jefferson County, and in parts of Oldham and Henry Counties. The headwaters originate just east of LaGrange, approximately 17 miles upstream from Jefferson County. For the purpose of this report, only a 15.3 square mile portion of this watershed, containing 53.5 stream miles is included.

The table below shows the various land use percentages for the watershed.

Water Quality Impacts

The Harrods Creek Watershed has fewer point source discharges than many of the watersheds within Jefferson County. There are a number of small treatment plants scattered throughout the watershed. Storm water runoff from construction sites, along with agricultural and commercial development, has produced a degraded stream with dramatically reduced habitat. Levels of phosphorus and nitrogen are very high because of fertilizers used on lawns, golf courses and farmland. Faulty wastewater treatment plants and seepage from septic systems add nutrients too. About one-third of all fecal bacteria samples exceed recreational standards. Tree removal along stream banks has contributed to elevated water temperatures and algae growth, reducing oxygen in the stream. In addition, dredging has removed in-stream habitats.

The following table summarizes point sources in the Harrods Creek Watershed.

Monitoring

MSD has performed monitoring activities within the Harrods Creek Watershed.

Strategies

MSD is currently in the process of prioritizing Jefferson County watersheds for development of a water quality-based evaluation tool. A schedule has not been established for the development of a water quality tool for the Harrods Creek Watershed.

Project Implementation

MSD has undertaken one flow reduction project within the Harrods Creek Watershed.

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