Focus Watershed: North Fork of Kentucky River

The North Fork of the Kentucky River, which passes through Breathitt County, is listed as an impaired waterbody.  Local contributing impaired streams include Quicksand Creek and Troublesome Creek.  Listed causes of impairment include siltation, dissolved solids, turbidity, pathogens and suspended solids.  Surface mining, improper logging, inadequate sewage treatment plants and straight pipe sewage discharge are sources of these impairments.

Community awareness is the primary need for our county before attempts to improve the watershed can be successful.  The community partners for this project were selected intentionally since each (4-H, Community Learning Center, and Girl Scouts) has a strong focus on service projects.  Educating these youth and facilitating efforts for them to improve community awareness about water quality and watersheds will lead naturally to improvement projects. 

This project proposal combines three individual focus activities to achieve the common goal of increased community awareness and therefore lead to improvement projects.  Many of the purchased items are durable and can be used in future years with additional youth and adult groups.  The 4-H and Community Learning Center Afterschool Program will conduct stream sampling and outreach through various community outlets.  The Girls Scouts program will learn through an overnight outing focusing on a water quality theme.  A Resource Library and Teacher Training will provide water models, activity kits, reference materials and background for watershed education in the county.