Watershed Management and Issues: A Watershed Dinner Story

Westchester Water Works Conference

October 7, 2013NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Outline

• Quick Estuary Program Overview • Watershed Observations and Characterization • Watershed management strategies

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program

Conserving the Hudson River and its watershed for all its residents

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 1. Protecting fish, wildlife & habitats

The Estuary is crucial habitat for many species, such as sturgeon.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 2. Providing river access for all:

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 3. Adapting to Climate Change Threads through all our work

Sea level is rising

Winter temps up 5 degrees (F)

Water levels at are up 15 inches in the last 150 years NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Waterfronts are flooding

KingstonNYS Department of Environmental in Conservation2005 4. Conserving Renowned Scenery

Our forests, wetlands, mountains & streams are part of this scenic beauty NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 5. Ensuring Clean Water

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation What is a Watershed?

*Typically <1% is actually water

The land and water that drain to a common outlet.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation HR Watershed

Entire watershed ~13,500 mi2

Lower Hudson (below Troy) ~ 5,300 square miles ~ 8,860 miles of mapped streams ~ 65 named direct tribs ~ 1,400 lakes/ponds ~ 324 significant lakes/ponds NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Estuary-tributary connections

Spring Summer • Important coastal habitat • Hydrology – freshwater • Nutrients (e.g., Winter carbon) • Pollutants NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Its also about us

Characterizing the Hudson Estuary Watershed: • Observations • Infrastructure • Quality • And some anecdotes

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Very Nice Streams and Watersheds…

We need to map and highlight healthy waters. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation But, watersheds are changing

Encroaching on streams – removing vegetation NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Disturbing and Paving over the watershed

Roads and parking lots account for a high % of total imperv surface Interrupting hydrologic cycle NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Impervious Surface by County

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Stormwater & Nonpoint Source

• No systematic inventory but everywhere. • Quassaick Watershed - over 100 inventoried ponds. Doesn’t include older developments.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Effects of Impervious Surface on Stream Stability and Health

25-30% <10% Impervious surface increases Stable Unstable Protected Water velocity increases Non-supporting Erosion sediment,NYS Department and nutrient of Environmental loading Conservation Aging Water Infrastructure

We are still relying on these Wallkill R., New Paltz, stormwater pipes in many places overloads wastewater collection system

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Leaky Collection Systems and Sewage Spills Sewage Right to Know Law - 665 spills May through Oct - 84MG - Causes – weather, blockages, and insufficient capacity

Newburgh, 2012

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Troy, , 2013 CSOs on the Hudson Albany Pool - Albany, Rensselaer, Troy, East Greenbush, Bethlehem, & Watervliet: 92 outfalls

Hudson: 10 outfalls

Catskill: 6 outfalls

Kingston: 7 outfalls

Poughkeepsie: 6 outfalls

Newburgh: 12 outfalls

Yonkers: 26 outfalls NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Wastewater Plants

• 373 plants

• 77 needing significant improvements (NYSEFC Intended Use Plan)

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Dams DEC regulated

Almost 2,000 “known” dams

Unknown dams everywhere

Woodbury Creek (Moodna watershed) 3 dams per stream mile

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Aging Dams

• Median date built - 1953 • Design life often 50 years

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Irene Affected Dams

Over 30 dams affected

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Bridges and Culverts • Transportation infrastructure, but we should think of them as water infrastructure as well. • Vulnerable areas of human/nature conflict

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation After A Big Storm

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Road Closures and Damage from TS Irene/Lee

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation River Gages

Approximately 25 gages in the HV set new flood state records during TS Irene

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Damaging the Natural Infrastructure that Protects Water Wetlands, forests, and floodplain - Free - Effective - Sustainable

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Signficant Disturbance to Small Streams

• We treat them as ditches

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Water Supplies in the Hudson

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Community Water Systems in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed • ~2M people served by 700 community public water supply systems in the Hudson River estuary watershed (Non-NYC System)

• Surface water – 131 public systems serving 82% of the population • Groundwater – 569 public systems serving 18% of the population

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Water supply watersheds are threatened

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Boil Water Notices: Irene/Lee

~450,000 customers affected

Average notice lasted for 11 days

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Boil Water Notices During Irene Research • Weak, exposed points in the distribution system played the primary role in whether a BWN was issued – E.g., pipes breaking at on bridges • More forested the water district and distribution area = higher vulnerability • More prior violations (2009) = less vulnerable

– Maintenance helped?NYS Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Measures Change in Streams in Two ways

• Human-based ‘best use’ or classification – Whether it meets CWA “fishable/swimmable goals” • Biological condition based on stream critters

VS. NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Human Based Best Use

• ~20% of streams/rivers don’t meet use (drinking, swimming, fishing propagation, fish survival) – Agriculture and urban/suburban runoff

• ~61% of lakes/reservoirs don’t meet use – Atmos. deposit. and urban/suburban runoff

• Streams being listed as impaired outpaces those being restoredNYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Current Status of Water Quality based on Stream Invertebrates (biomonitoring)

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Biomonitoring Results and Trends

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation ’s Citizen Science Water Quality Study

– 155 testing sites (+ exploratory) – Monthly testing: May –Nov – Enterococcus (“Entero”): a fecal contamination indicator – 74 Hudson River sites – 81 Tributary sites – – – – – – NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Two Terms That I think Describe our Trends

• Urban Stream Syndrome – describes the consistently observed ecological degradation of streams draining urban land. • Migration to Mediocracy – Converging of high and low quality streams to a mediocre state.

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation As Watershed Leaders….

Some Strategies You Should Advocate to Minimize Impacts to Water Resources

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation First and Foremost!

Take a “Watershed Approach”

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Create Partnerships

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 1. Ensure Downstream Needs Have an environmental release/flow policy

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 2. Maximize Green Infrastructure: Minimize Impervious Surfaces http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/58930.html

• Infiltrate stormwater – Don’t lose it to runoff. Capture as groundwater for future needs

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 3. Protect and Restore Streamsides

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 4. Identify and Replace Undersized Stream Crossings and Remove Derelict Dams

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 4. Manage Road Ditches and Runoff Better

They are sediment conduits

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 5. Institute Comprehensive Raw Water Quality Monitoring Prog. • Wadable Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE)

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 6. Advocate for Improvements to Wastewater Infrastructure

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 7. Stay away from streams and out of Floodplains!

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 8. Protect Remaining Wetlands and Priority Forests

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 9. Adopt Local Water Strategies

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Scott Cuppett Hudson River Estuary Program NYS Dept of Env. Conservation Tel. 845/256-3029 [email protected]

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation