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Water Resource Summary Water Resource Summary A Summary Prepared for the Town of Germantown December 2013 This summary provides information for land-use planning and decision-making as requested by the Town of Germantown. It identifies many of the most critical aspects and locations of the town’s water resources. The summary is based on information available to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University. It was gleaned from various complementary, but not necessarily comprehensive, sources and should not be considered a complete inventory. Central to the information in this document is the concept of watersheds. A watershed is the area of land from which water drains into a stream, river, lake or other waterbody. Precipitation flows over and through the landscape into intermittent streams, kills, creeks, rivers, aquifers, wetlands and floodplains of the Hudson Valley to form the watersheds of the Hudson River estuary, providing many necessities and vital benefits to human communities. When these water resources are working with functioning and healthy ecosystems, they deliver clean drinking water, filter pollutants, comprise habitat for plants and animals, absorb floodwaters, and provide numerous recreation opportunities. Local municipalities play a critical role in restoring and maintaining the waters of the Hudson Valley for future generations. To do this, they must consider impacts to water resources during the local decision-making process. To further support land-use and conservation planning efforts in the Town of Germantown, this summary can be supplemented by complementary summaries of natural areas and habitat and climate resilience. These summaries are also being provided to Germantown. This document was created by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program and the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University. The Estuary Program protects and improves the natural and scenic Hudson River watershed for all its residents. It was created in 1987 and covers the river from the Troy dam to upper New York harbor. The Estuary Program is funded by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund. The New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University seeks to foster an understanding of the critical connections between people and the state’s waters. It also seeks to empower communities to make informed decisions about land use that minimize impacts to water resources, including drinking water supplies, floodplains, and aquatic habitats. Additional information about water resources and the state of the Hudson Valley’s waters can be found on DEC’s webpages, starting with Clean Water for the Hudson River Estuary. For more information about this summary or the Estuary The core mission of the Program, please contact: Hudson River Estuary Andrew Meyer, Shoreline Conservation Specialist Program is to: [email protected] • Ensure clean water New York State Department of Environmental Conservation • Protect and restore Hudson River Estuary Program fish, wildlife and their 21 South Putts Corners Road habitats New Paltz, NY 12561 Phone: 845-256-3016 • Fax: 845-255-3649 • Provide water Website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html recreation and river access • Adapt to climate change • Conserve world- famous scenery 2 Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Watershed Characteristics ............................................................................................................................ 8 Watersheds and Subwatersheds......................................................................................................... 8 Land Cover ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Impervious Cover ...................................................................................................................... 15 Forest Cover .............................................................................................................................. 16 Farmlands .................................................................................................................................. 18 Aquifers ............................................................................................................................................. 20 USGS Aquifer Maps ................................................................................................................... 20 Other Sources of Aquifer Information ...................................................................................... 21 Public Drinking Water Supply ................................................................................................... 22 Floodplains and Riparian Buffers ...................................................................................................... 25 Floodplains ................................................................................................................................ 25 Riparian Buffers ......................................................................................................................... 27 Water Quality Standards and Assessments ................................................................................................ 29 Waterbody Classification .................................................................................................................. 29 Waterbody Assessments ................................................................................................................... 33 Lake Assessments...................................................................................................................... 33 Stream Assessments - Biomonitoring ....................................................................................... 33 Waterbody Impairment .................................................................................................................... 37 DRAFT Stream Condition Index ......................................................................................................... 41 Water Infrastructure ................................................................................................................................... 44 Stormwater Management ................................................................................................................. 44 Municipal Separated Storm Sewer System (MS4) .................................................................... 44 Construction Stormwater Management ................................................................................... 44 Post-Construction Stormwater Management and Green Infrastructure ................................. 45 SPDES Permits and Wastewater ....................................................................................................... 46 Dams and other Aquatic Barriers ...................................................................................................... 48 3 Culverts at Road Crossings ........................................................................................................ 49 Dam Replacement or Removal ................................................................................................. 49 References and Resources .......................................................................................................................... 52 Watershed Characteristics ................................................................................................................ 52 Water Quality Standards and Assessments ...................................................................................... 55 Water Infrastructure ......................................................................................................................... 56 Appendix1: Mapping and Background Information ................................................................................... 58 List of Tables Table 1: Subwatersheds and Land Cover/Land Use in Germantown, NY ................................................... 19 Table 2: Public drinking water supplies in Germantown (EPA) .................................................................. 22 Table 3: Stream and Waterbody Classifications in Germantown, NY ......................................................... 31 Table 4: DEC Stream Biomonitoring Unit Data in Germantown, NY ........................................................... 35 Table 5: Stream Segments and Impacted Uses in Germantown, NY (from the Waterbody Inventory/Priority Waterbody List, DEC DOW 2008) .................................................................................. 39 List of Figures Figure 1: Watersheds image. ........................................................................................................................ 8 Figure 2: The Roeliff Jansen Kill Watershed, Subwatersheds and Major Streams ..................................... 10 Figure 3: Subwatersheds ............................................................................................................................. 11 Figure 4: Land Cover and Land Use, including Forests, Agriculture, and Impervious Cover ...................... 14 Figure 5: Impervious Cover and
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