Water quality changes in a watershed can take years of coordinated work, particularly where agricultural activity is widespread. Fleming Creek in northeast Kentucky is an example of a watershed where monitoring, community involvement and conservation investments were followed by measurable improvements in water quality.
The Kentucky Division of Water positioned the 0.0–12.8-mile portion of Fleming Creek on the 2006 Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d) list. The almost 12-mile segment was regarded as impaired (partial support) because of nutrient/eutrophication biological indicator impairments, with animal feeding operations identified as a source.
