West Hickman watershed

​​A watershed is an area of land where all of the rainwater that falls drains to the same place.

The West Hickman Creek watershed is located in south central Fayette County, and northeastern Jessamine County. Most of the 22 square mile watershed is made up of  urban areas within Fayette County, with more rural areas in Jessamine County.

West Hickman Creek flows for about ten miles from its headwaters in Lexington to where it meets Hickman Creek in Jessamine County. The watershed includes Mill Creek, Tates Creek, and Reservoirs No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.

The majority of West Hickman is residential. Possible sources of pollution in the watershed include impervious areas such as roads and parking lots, runoff from yards that includes fertilizer and pet waste and sanitary sewer overflows. 

Watershed health report card

Watershed monitoring is an important tool to improve Lexington's water quality. Lexington recently finished a multi-year project to take water quality tests at different stream locations to help determine what pollutants to focus on to improve water quality. Each watershed has its own health report card. 

E. coli (Primary Contact
Recreation:  Swimming)		 Sewage, animal waste, livestock manure Very Poor
E. coli (Secondary Contact
Recreation:  Wading)		 Sewage, animal waste, livestock manure Poor
Total Suspended Solids Upland or channel soil erosion; muddy water Very Good
Temperature Runoff from excessively hot parking lots or roads; lack of shade
typically provided by trees growing along creek banks		 Very Good
Dissolved Oxygen Availability of oxygen for fish and other organisms to breathe Very Good
pH The presence of too much acidity or too much alkalinity; neutral levels are needed
for fish and other organisms		 Very Good
Conductivity Dissolved solids, various salts, organic matter Very Poor
Chlorine Water line break, swimming pool discharge Very Good
Detergents Sewage, graywater, outdoor washing of vehicles, floor mats, etc.  Very Good 
Ammonia-Nitrogen Sewage, animal waste, livestock manure Very Good
Nitrate-Nitrogen Excess fertilizer / manure runoff; too much can promote algae growth Fair 
Total Phosphorus Excess fertilizer / manure runoff; too much can promote algae growth Very Good
Stream Habitat Places where fish and other organisms can live Poor
Aquatic Bugs / Critters
at Upstream Sampling Sites		 Conditions that support fish and other aquatic life Poor
Aquatic Bugs / Critters
at Downstream Sampling Sites		 Conditions that support fish and other aquatic life Fair

 

West Hickman sewer projects

Map

West Hickman Sanitary Sewer Projects

  • Equalization Tank
  • Main Trunk A
  • Main Trunk B
  • Main Trunk C
  • Lansdowne South Trunk
  • Main Trunk D
  • Merrick Trunk
  • Ecton Trunk
  • Southeastern Hills Trunk
  • Main Trunk E
  • Main Trunk F
  • Sutherland Trunk
  • Idle Hour Trunk
  • Centre Parkway Trunk
  • The Island Trunk
  • Woodhill Trunk
  • Prather Road Trunk
  • Richmond Road Trunk
  • Wildwood Park Trunk
  • Wastewater Treatment Plant Equalization Tank

 

 

West Hickman Stormwater Projects 

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