Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project a Time of Decision Between Centuries of Change

Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project a time of decision between centuries of change

Bryan Largay Director, Tidal Wetland Project

Funding • NOAA Coastal Impact Assistance Program • NOAA Estuarine Reserve Division • California Department of Fish and Game • David and Lucille Packard Foundation • Resources Legacy Fund Foundation Environmental Protection Agency Tidal Wetland Project • Joint Meeting • California Coastal Conservancy Strategic Planning Team & Science Panel JuneJune 3 20092009 OutlineOutline

Brief review of the Tidal Wetland Project and recent activities

Past decision making processes

The Parsons Slough Project

Results for hydrology, geomorphology and sea level rise

Ecosystem based management: Lessons learned ELKHORN SLOUGH NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE

Elkhorn Slough Foundation ProcessProcess forfor settingsetting goals:goals: MeetingsMeetings onon History,History, Ecology,Ecology, HydrologyHydrology BrainstormingBrainstorming GoalsGoals andand ObjectivesObjectives

Goal 1. Conserve Estuarine Habitats More natural rate of change

Goal 2. Restore estuarine habitats Emphasize habitats with highest rates of loss

Goal 3. Restore processes that sustain the system Water and sediment

Objectives call for increasing (or reducing in the rate of loss) of: • salt marsh • tidal brackish marshes • soft sediment habitats • sediment supply for marshes • tidal creeks PlanningPlanning PrinciplesPrinciples (17)(17) GuidelinesGuidelines andand constraintsconstraints

Examples: • Consider the broadest range of approaches

• Accommodate economic activities

• Minimize ongoing maintenance

• Prioritize projects that improve water quality Vision BURNING The Process: QUESTION transform goals Goals Planning principles into actions

Objectives

Management Technical Tradeoffs and alternatives analysis constraints

Recommended alternatives

Technical Technical Analysis: analysis What is possible? What are the tradeoffs? Implementation Marsh loss: Wetland soils and irreversible change 50% of marsh diked and drained (1000 acres) 20% of remaining marsh has died back (200 acres) Seal Bend Parsons Kirby Park 00

5 Channel Depth (m) Channel Depth

0 1 2 Distance from Hwy 1 (km) 7 8 9

Tidal scour: No Action SedimentSediment

••GeomorphologyGeomorphology consensusconsensus statementstatement ArmyArmy CorpsCorps DredgeDredge ReuseReuse PajaroPajaro RiverRiver SedimentSediment –– toto bebe deferreddeferred (June(June 1111 meetingmeeting inin Watsonville)Watsonville)

ShouldShould wewe movemove forwardforward withwith requestingrequesting anan appropriationappropriation forfor ArmyArmy CorpsCorps Involvement?Involvement? OOtherther options:options: BeneficialBeneficial rere--useuse ofof harborharbor dredgedredge materialsmaterials Pick-N-Pull Marsh and the Minhoto property TTechnicalechnical Analysis:Analysis: Purpose:Purpose: toto PredictPredict outcomes,outcomes, describedescribe tradeoffstradeoffs

Project Alternatives

Hydrology, Sediment, & Habitats

Nutrient Dynamics Biological Indicators

Socioeconomic Values Legal / Policy Context

Outcome: Informed decision about restoration strategies Image: Google Earth Management alternative: New Ocean Inlet Management alternative: New Ocean Inlet Restores a sinuous shoaling inlet ManagementManagement alternative:alternative: SillSill atat HighwayHighway 11

Dissipates the energy of the tides

Image: Google Earth HistoricalHistorical referencereference conditioncondition providesprovides aa ConceptualConceptual modelmodel ofof changechange

Before Moss Landing Harbor: the sand bar at the mouth dissipated the energy of Monterey Bay tides

Monterey Bay tides Elkhorn Slough tides

salt marsh thrives

sand bar soft mud accumulates

Monterey Bay sinuous channel Elkhorn Slough PresentPresent conditionsconditions

After Moss Landing Harbor: The deep channel transmits the ocean’s energy into the slough

Monterey Bay tides Elkhorn Slough tides

salt marsh drowns

soft mud is scoured away

Monterey Bay Highway 1 bridge Elkhorn Slough ManagementManagement alternative:alternative: SillSill atat HighwayHighway 11

A submerged tidal barrier near the mouth of the slough dissipates tidal energy

Monterey Bay tides Elkhorn Slough tides

salt marsh survives

Sill soft mud deposits

Moss Landing Elkhorn Slough Harbor Trade-offs: Identify constraints Eliminate alternatives Key: Define objectives, rank goals

Comparison of two infrequent hypoxia objectives but more tidal scour management options improve water quality (dissolved oxygen) all marshes lost less scour invertebratebut frequentcommunity hypoxia crashes

reduce tidal scour (tidal energy) Tradeoffs: Uncertainty, Adaptive Management Know what you don’t know

Reality sets in less hypoxia more tidal scour improve water quality fewer (dissolved oxygen) options

all marshes lost? invertebrate communitymore hypoxia crashes? less tidal scour

reduce tidal scour (tidal energy) AnAn EcosystemEcosystem BasedBased ManagementManagement Approach:Approach: Tradeoffs, Uncertainty, Science directed towards Implementation Project Leads • MBARI - Ken Johnson & Judy Kildow • ESNERR - Kerstin Wasson, Becky Suarez, Eric Van Dyke • ESF - Mark Silberstein • Ocean Foundation – Linwood Pendleton

Consulting Team • Philip Williams and Associates, Ltd. & H.T. Harvey & Associates

Modeling Advisory Team • CSUMB, USGS, USF, SFEI, UC-Davis, Consultants

Funding – The Packard Foundation & Resources Legacy Fund Foundation StrategicStrategic PlanningPlanning TeamTeam Role: Primary decision-making body

FEDERAL • Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary • National Marine Protected Areas • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers LOCAL • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • Monterey County • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • Moss Landing Harbor District

FEDERAL & STATE NONPROFIT, ACADEMIC, CORPORTATE • Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research • Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Reserve – NOAA/CA DFG (lead)* • CA State University Monterey Bay • Elkhorn Slough Foundation STATE • San Francisco Estuary Institute • CA Coastal Commission • The Nature Conservancy • CA Coastal Conservancy • The Ocean Conservancy • CA Department of Fish and Game • University of San Francisco • Union Pacific Railroad TheThe decisiondecision approachapproach forfor largelarge scalescale alternativesalternatives

•• OriginalOriginal concept:concept: ‘‘electionelection stylestyle’’ votingvoting forfor differentdifferent alternativesalternatives •• PreviouslyPreviously wewe identifiedidentified broadbroad goalsgoals (protect(protect marsh)marsh) butbut diddid notnot identifyidentify constraintsconstraints oror acceptableacceptable tradeoffs.tradeoffs. •• PreferPrefer prioritizationprioritization (habitats,(habitats, species,species, costs)costs) andand moremore specificspecific criteriacriteria •• BrockBrock Bernstein:Bernstein: workingworking withwith usus toto developdevelop thisthis approachapproach overover thethe comingcoming months.months. Today:Today: ParsonsParsons SloughSlough ProjectProject

•• FocusedFocused onon thethe narrowernarrower decisiondecision ofof whetherwhether toto movemove aheadahead AA startingstarting place:place: AA tidaltidal barrierbarrier atat ParsonsParsons SloughSlough

Slightly reduce tidal exchange to Parsons Slough Slow currents throughout Elkhorn Slough

sill location

Elkhorn Parsons Slough Slough

Approach (under development): • An adjustable structure • With detailed monitoring • That triggers management actions • To minimize risk to water quality, animal movement Restore Parsons Slough ______

also:

Sediment Additions to subsided areas

No Action

Data: PWA

ParsonsParsons SloughSlough RestorationRestoration PlanPlan

Parsons Slough Team

• Trish Chapman (Coastal Conservancy) • Ross Clark and Katie Morange (Coastal Commission) • Jacob Martin and Mary Root (USFWS) • Jim Oakden (Moss Landing Marine Labs) • Peter Von Langen (Regional Water Quality Control Board) • Melissa Scianni and Suzanne Marr (US EPA) (Cheryl McGovern earlier) • Lisa Windham Myers (USGS) • Andrea Woolfolk (ESNERR) • Becky Suarez (ESNERR) • Eric Van Dyke (ESNERR) Timeline for the Parsons Slough Project

Prehistory to Extensive tracts of tidal marsh 1870 1870 Southern Pacific Railroad 1870-1982 Diked and drained 1982-83 Breaching of dikes returns tidal exchange 2005 Tidal Wetland Project identifies Parsons Slough

2007 USEPA, the Coastal Conservancy and the David and Lucille Packard Foundation support development of the Parsons Slough Restoration Plan, for completion in March, 2009

2008, Bond Freeze December

2009 January Tidal Wetland Project Staff continue to collaborate with the through present consultants using other funds.

1.5 to 5 years Construction of the project could be completed, depending into the future on funding and final planning steps CostCost ofof SedimentSediment AdditionsAdditions

•• ByBy TruckTruck == $55$55 million;million; •• ByBy RailRail == $35$35 million;million; •• ByBy DredgeDredge FromFrom Ocean/HarborOcean/Harbor == $41$41 million;million; andand •• ByBy SlurrySlurry LineLine FromFrom UpstreamUpstream QuarryQuarry == $14$14 toto $22$22 MillionMillion SetSet--Up,Up, PlusPlus $700,000$700,000 toto $900,000$900,000 AnnuallyAnnually forfor 33 toto 55 Years.Years. AlternativesAlternatives EliminatedEliminated andand ThoseThose RemainingRemaining

•• EliminatedEliminated tidaltidal mutingmuting alternativesalternatives –– AlternativeAlternative 11 –– AlternativeAlternative 3,3, allall mutingmuting scenariosscenarios •• RetainedRetained alternativesalternatives withwith nono tidaltidal mutingmuting –– AlternativeAlternative 22 –– AlternativeAlternative 33 withwith nono muting,muting, butbut withwith containmentcontainment dikesdikes CostCost ConsiderationsConsiderations ofof EachEach AlternativeAlternative

Alternative Total Cost Area Relative Restored Rate of Restoring Marsh 2 $50 Million 460 Acres Large-scale fills - slower over time

3 $25-$28 229 Acres Incremental Million fills - more rapid over time AA ParsonsParsons SloughSlough SillSill AA ParsonsParsons SloughSlough SillSill EffectEffect onon currentcurrent velocityvelocity inin ElkhornElkhorn SloughSlough

Current velocity in Elkhorn Slough downstream of Parsons under the Narrow and Deep configuration of a submerged sill at Parsons Slough 5 existing condtions 4

3 Narrow, Deep configuration

y 2

(feet/sec) 0 current velocit current -1

-2

-3

-4 12/14/05 12/15/05 12/16/05 12/17/05 12/18/05 12/19/05 Analysis: Moffatt and Nichol simulation date Water surface elevation in Parsons Slough under the Narrow and Deep configuration of a submerged sill at Parsons Slough 10.00 9.00 existing conditions 8.00 Narrow, Deep Configuration 7.00 n 6.00 5.00 4.00 EffectEffect (feet) 3.00 2.00

water surface elevatio 1.00 onon tidaltidal 0.00 -1.00 -2.00 heightsheights -3.00 12/14/05 12/15/05 12/16/05 12/17/05 12/18/05 12/19/05 12/20/05 Analysis: Moffatt and Nichol simulation date TheThe ParsonsParsons SloughSlough SillSill

•• ProsPros •• ConsCons StrawStraw ManMan ManagementManagement TargetTarget

EXAMPLE:EXAMPLE: DissolvedDissolved OxygenOxygen OptionOption 1:1: StandardStandard forfor estuarineestuarine fishfish habitathabitat asas thethe beneficialbeneficial useuse

DissolvedDissolved oxygenoxygen lessless thanthan 85%85% saturation.saturation. shouldshould occuroccur lessless thanthan 25%25% ofof thethe timetime

IfIf criteriacriteria isis metmet –– increaseincrease restrictionrestriction IfIf criteriacriteria isis notnot metmet –– decreasedecrease restrictionrestriction ManagementManagement TargetsTargets andand MonitoringMonitoring

ParsonsParsons SloughSlough OnlyOnly •• Purpose:Purpose: MinimizeMinimize riskrisk toto ParsonsParsons

AllAll ofof ElkhornElkhorn SloughSlough •• TrackTrack progressprogress towardstowards goalsgoals •• InformInform wholewhole sloughslough managementmanagement ManagementManagement TargetsTargets andand MonitoringMonitoring

TopTop PrioritiesPriorities Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project Ecosystem Based Management

optimization of ecologic resources

Please Stay Tuned www.elkhornslough.org Bryan Largay [email protected]