Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Plan
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IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN Prepared for: Towns of Irondequoit, Penfield & Webster Monroe County Irondequoit Bay Coordinating Committee New York State Department of State Prepared by: Dufresne-Henry (formerly The Cavendish Partnership) 151 St. Paul Street, Floor 5 Rochester, NY 14604 With: Nutter Associates F-E-S Associates Drake Environmental Consultants November 2003 Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Plan (11/2003) IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN CREDITS Thanks and appreciation to the following: IRONDEQUOIT BAY COORDINATING COMMITTEE Supervisor David Schantz, Town of Irondequoit Supervisor Channing Philbrick, Town of Penfield Supervisor Cathryn Thomas, Town of Webster Tom Goodwin, Monroe County Department of Planning & Development IRONDEQUOIT BAY TECHNICAL STAFF Jeff Beach, New York State Department of State Daina Beckstrand, Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District Rochelle Bell, Monroe County Department of Planning & Development Jim Costello, Town of Penfield Don Hauza, Town of Webster Charlie Knauf, Monroe County Department of Health Krishan Mago, AICP, Town of Irondequoit Ed Sander, Monroe County Fishery Advisory Board Bob Shearer, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Paula Smith, Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE Dan Cappa, Town of Irondequoit Gary Copie, Town of Webster Peter Damick, Town of Webster Lars Lindeqvist, Town of Penfield Ralph Pascale, Town of Irondequoit Bill Richardson, Town of Penfield Thanks also to the following for their participation Louis Amico, Monroe County Parks Department Al Butkas, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Renee Casler, Monroe County Department of Planning & Development Bob Henry, Irondequoit Fish and Game Club Bob Jonas, Monroe County Water Quality Coordinating Committee Dave McLeod, New York State Department of State BMC William Mosgrober, United States Coast Guard Sue Quarterman, Monroe County Environmental Management Council Deputy Bill Reithel, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Steve Scott, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Loretta Simon, New York State Department of State This document was prepared for the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund. Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Plan (11/2003) i IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CREDITS .............................................................................................................. i LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... v LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................ v LIST OF EXHIBITS............................................................................................... v LIST OF ACRONYMS .........................................................................................vi PLAN SUMMARY................................................................................................vii I. HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN AREA ......................................................... 1 I.A Harbor Management Plan Area Boundary.......................................... 1 I.B Regional Context ................................................................................ 1 I.B.1 Population ............................................................................ 1 I.B.2. Transportation ...................................................................... 2 I.B.3 Drainage Basin..................................................................... 3 I.C History of the Irondequoit Bay Ecosystem.......................................... 3 II. INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS OF EXISTING CONDITIONS ......................... 6 II.A Land Use............................................................................................ 6 II.A.1 Existing Land Use and Zoning ............................................ 6 II.A.1.1 Land Use .............................................................. 6 II.A.1.2 Local Land Use Plans........................................... 7 II.A.1.3 Zoning................................................................... 7 II.A.1.4 Subdivision Regulations ....................................... 8 II.A.1.5 Other Regulations................................................. 8 II.A.2 Recreational Facilities and Public Access to the Waterfront .................................................................... 8 II.A.3 Open Space ...................................................................... 10 II.A.4 Recently Developed Sub-Area Plans................................ 10 II.A.4.1 Sea Breeze Revitalization Plan .......................... 10 II.A.4.2 LaSalle’s Landing Development Plan................. 11 II.A.5 Archeological and Historic Resources............................... 12 II.B Water Surface Use........................................................................... 12 II.B.1 Existing Water Surface Use .............................................. 12 II.B.1.1 Boating ............................................................... 13 II.B.1.2 Recreational Activities ........................................ 15 II.B.1.3 Hunting ............................................................... 16 II.B.2 Water Surface Regulations ............................................... 16 II.B.3 Boat Storage Inventory...................................................... 17 II.B.4 Analysis of Boat Usage .................................................... 17 ii Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Plan (11/2003) IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN II.B.4.1 Generators of Boating Activity ............................ 17 II.B.4.2 Characteristics of Boat Traffic ............................ 18 II.B.4.3 Vessel Use Surveys: Usage & Destination......... 19 II.C Environmental Issues ...................................................................... 20 II.C.1 Landforms, Soils and Erosion Potential ............................ 20 II.C.1.1 Soil Characteristics............................................. 21 II.C.1.2 Erosion Potential ................................................ 22 II.C.1.3 Natural Limitations for Homesite Development....................................................... 22 II.C.1.4 Implications for the Harbor Management Plan............................................... 23 II.C.2 Water Quality .................................................................... 23 II.C.2.1 Reduction of Bay Sediment Releases................ 24 II.C.2.2 Stormwater Runoff Management ....................... 24 II.C.2.3 Water Quality Summary and Implications .......... 25 II.C.2.4 Current Water Quality Efforts ............................. 26 II.C.3 Dredging and Navigation Channels .................................. 26 II.C.3.1 Existing Water Depths........................................ 26 II.C.3.2 Water Depth Needs for Various Uses ................ 27 II.C.3.3 Previous Dredging in Irondequoit Bay................ 29 II.C.3.4 Current Dredging Plans and Proposals.............. 30 II.C.3.5 Emergency Dredging.......................................... 31 II.C.4 Aquaculture and Maraculture............................................ 31 II.C.5 Habitats, Vegetation and Other Natural Resources.......... 31 II.C.5.1 Natural Setting.................................................... 31 II.C.5.2 Ecological Communities..................................... 32 II.C.5.3 Threatened and Endangered Species................ 40 II.C.5.4 Habitat Gains and Losses .................................. 40 II.C.5.5 Summary of Biological Study ............................. 41 II.C.6 Aesthetic and Scenic Resources ...................................... 45 II.C.7 Water and Sewer Service ................................................. 46 II.C.7.1 Water Service..................................................... 46 II.C.7.2 Sewer Service .................................................... 46 II.C.8 Waste Sites....................................................................... 47 II.D Legal and Regulatory Issues ........................................................... 47 II.D.1 Regulatory Authority.......................................................... 47 II.D.2 Riparian Rights and Use of Lands under Water................ 49 II.D.3 Construction Regulations for Docks and Other Water Structures ................................................... 51 II.D.3.1 Local Government Regulations .......................... 51 II.D.3.2 State of New York Regulations .......................... 53 II.D.3.3 Federal Regulations ........................................... 58 III. GOALS AND POLICIES.............................................................................. 59 III.A Goals III.A.1 Resource Protection......................................................... 59 III.A.2 Water Surface Use Conflicts ........................................... 59 III.A.3 Public Access................................................................... 60 III.A.4 Economic Development ................................................... 60 III.B Policies and Sub-policies ................................................................ 60 iii Irondequoit Bay Harbor Management Plan (11/2003) IRONDEQUOIT BAY HARBOR MANAGEMENT PLAN IV. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES