In 1995, North Dakota's Richland County SCD began monitoring Antelope Creek for bacteria. 10 years later, a watershed project tackled septic, livestock and farm sources to cut bacteria

For years, bacteria pollution was a concern in Antelope Creek and the Wild Rice River in North Dakota, affecting recreational uses and prompting long-term monitoring. The Richland County Soil Conservation District began monitoring the watershed in 1995. A decade later, it launched a watershed implementation project aimed at tackling the sources behind the problem.

From septic repairs to livestock controls, cover crops and well decommissioning, the work continued for years. The resulting data showed an overall decline in bacteria levels across the watershed, as perU.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Long-Term Best Management Practice Implementation Reduces Bacteria Loading in Antelope Creek and the Wild Rice River.” National Nonpoint Source Success Stories.

How did the bacteria problem begin?

Antelope Creek sits within a 122,923-acre watershed in Richland County and eventually flows into the Wild Rice River in the Red River Basin. Much of the watershed lies across the very flat Lake Agassiz Plain, where large areas have been converted to agricultural production, including corn, soybeans, wheat and sugar beets.


That landscape can respond quickly to intense early-summer storms. Overland runoff and brief periods of high flow can carry pollutants into nearby waterways.

Septic systems were another concern. Failures linked to improper installation, poor site selection, unsuitable system choices and inadequate maintenance were affecting water quality.

In 2004, the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality determined that recreational uses in the Wild Rice River were impaired by pathogens. In 2008, the agency determined that recreational uses in Antelope Creek from its headwaters to the Wild Rice River were impaired by fecal coliform and Escherichia coli.

The waterways also faced sedimentation, siltation and habitat alterations. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality promoted a broader watershed approach because many of the water quality problems shared common sources.

What happened after monitoring began?

The Richland County Soil Conservation District first began monitoring the watershed in 1995. Ten years later, in 2005, the district launched a watershed implementation project to address the identified impairments.

From 2006 through 2025, the SCD focused on practical best management practices designed to address nonpoint source pollution. The work was guided by field reconnaissance, partner input and watershed sampling.

Instead of relying on a single type of project, the effort addressed several sources at once. Producers, landowners and members of the public received one-on-one technical assistance, while the SCD coordinated with local partners and contractors.

That steady approach allowed conservation work to continue over the long term and encouraged participation throughout the watershed.

Which practices helped reduce bacteria?

The conservation work covered cropland, pasture, septic systems and wells.

Among the largest efforts was the use of cover crops, which were implemented across 11,907 acres. More than 20,000 linear feet of fencing were also installed.

Septic problems received significant attention. The project supported 261 onsite wastewater treatment systems, including new and existing systems. The SCD also decommissioned 96 wells and installed six water wells.

Other practices included 211 acres of riparian herbaceous cover, 5,200 linear feet of streambank and shoreline protection, one waste management system and three watering facilities.

These measures were intended to address the different sources contributing to bacteria and other water quality problems.

The project also provided a long-running record of water quality conditions. With more than 20 years of data, researchers and project partners could examine how bacteria levels changed over time as conservation practices and septic system management were put in place.

What did the water quality data show?

The results showed an overall decline in bacteria levels across the watershed when data from Antelope Creek and the Wild Rice River were compared between the period before BMP implementation and Phase V.

There were still exceedances in annual geometric means during Phase I of the project. However, when spatial and seasonal variability was taken into account, bacteria levels in all years were below North Dakota's water quality criterion for E. coli of 126 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters.

The results represent bacteria conditions at the watershed scale rather than individual monitoring sites or specific assessment units.

The strongest reductions were expected from the work on septic systems and wells, which were among the primary BMPs implemented through the project. The data ultimately showed significant reductions in bacteria levels.

The improvement did not mean every location was free from exceedances. Site-level exceedances have continued, including on the Wild Rice River, as reflected in the recently approved 2024 total maximum daily load report for E. coli.

Still, looking at the watershed as a whole shows a substantial improvement over the past two decades.

The long-term monitoring that began in 1995 provided a way to track that change. The watershed project launched in 2005 then brought together septic repairs and replacements, well decommissioning, livestock-related measures, agricultural practices and stream protection.

Together, those efforts produced a measurable downward trend in bacteria levels in Antelope Creek and the Wild Rice River.

The project demonstrates the value of looking at water quality problems across an entire watershed rather than focusing on only one source. For the Antelope Creek Watershed and Wild Rice Corridor Implementation Project, the long record of monitoring provides evidence of progress toward improving watershed health and recreational water quality.

FAQs

When did monitoring begin?
Monitoring began in 1995.

What helped reduce bacteria?
Septic work, livestock controls, cover crops and other BMPs helped.