(SAMP) UPPER TURKEY CREEK WATERSHED Prepared by Frank Austenfeld, Executive Director
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SPECIAL AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN (SAMP) UPPER TURKEY CREEK WATERSHED Prepared by Frank Austenfeld, Executive Director Watershed Institute, Inc. Windmill Village, Bldg Four 7211 W. 98th Terr., Suite 140 Overland Park, Kansas 66212 (913) 685-4600 www.WatershedInstitute.biz The Upper Turkey Creek Watershed Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) is part of a grant request sponsored by the Kansas Water Office to be funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the benefit of the stakeholders in the Upper Turkey Creek Watershed. Phase one has already been completed and was funded by the EPA. The following discusses the SAMP goals, phases, and history. SAMP GOALS 1. Establish an Upper Turkey Creek Advisory Committee (UTAC)—from the stakeholder list— Through the assistance of the Turkey Creek SAMP Coordinator, Frank Austenfeld, Executive Director of the Watershed Institute, Inc. (TWI), to identify, coordinate, and implement actions that address Turkey Creek resource needs. 2. Improve Turkey Creek water quality to support native aquatic communities and enhance and maintain high-quality aquatic and terrestrial habitat in the Turkey Creek watershed. 3. Identify opportunities and mechanisms to educate and involve the public in enhancement of Turkey Creek. 4. Develop detailed comprehensive statements of policies, standards, and criteria to guide public and private uses of lands and waters as well as outline of mechanisms for implementation. 5. Establish a regulatory component addressing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 permits, Stormwater permits, and EPA regulatory information as well as other relevant regulatory components identified and agreed to through Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the various agencies and stakeholders giving some sense of continuity and predictability based on a watershed area approach. The SAMP process consists of four phases: Phase one (already completed July 31, 2005 through April 30, 2006): a. Through the assistance of the Turkey Creek SAMP Coordinator, Frank Austenfeld, Executive Director of the Watershed Institute, Inc. and TWI staff, identify potential stakeholders, including local, state and federal government agencies within the Upper Turkey Creek Watershed (the Watershed). b. Gather information and copies of studies, reports, plans, and other available information concerning natural resources, hydrology, water quality monitoring, GIS layers, soils, capital improvement and infrastructure programs, economic development programs and projects, parks and trails, and neighborhood plans, etc. related to the Upper Turkey Creek Watershed. c. Review all information that has been collected for the Watershed. d. Identify data gaps and potential information sources that are needed to complete a SAMP or an Advance Identification (ADID) for the Watershed. See http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/fact28.html e. Preliminary Summary Report for the Watershed identifying the following: 2 1. Past and present projects and planning efforts, including who, what, when and where. 2. Existing information sources. 3. Relevant studies. 4. Current conditions, problems, technical challenges and restoration opportunities. 5. Preliminary goals and objectives of a Strategic Area Management Plan (SAMP). 6. Additional information needs that need to be developed for the Watershed. Phase 2: Upper Turkey Creek Advisory Committee (UTAC) and Issue Identification Establish an Upper Turkey Creek Advisory Committee (UTAC)—from stakeholder list— to be chaired by the SAMP COORDINATOR to identify, characterize, and document key issues that address Turkey Creek resource needs Phase 3: Development and Prioritization of Strategies Through the UTAC, develop, prioritize, and document strategies to address the issues; a. Through the UTAC develop and document an implementation plan called a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) identifying who, what, how and when action items will be implemented 3 b. The SAMP is a locally grass roots developed comprehensive plan providing for natural resource protection and reasonable urban-dependent economic growth with consideration to restoration of aquatic resources and protection. c. The SAMP contains detailed comprehensive statements of policies, standards, and criteria to guide public and private uses of lands and waters as well as outlines of mechanisms for implementation. d. Such a SAMP would contain a regulatory component addressing USACE 404 permits, Stormwater permits, and EPA regulatory information as well as other relevant regulatory components identified and agreed to through Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the various agencies and stakeholders giving some sense of continuity and predictability based on a watershed area approach. Phase 4: Implementation, Monitoring, and Updating Through the UTAC develop a dynamic process to implement, monitor and update the SAMP over time. A web site would be developed and maintained by the SAMP Coordinator. Information gathering and other collaboration would be maintained with Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) and others to maintain some uniformity of Urban Watershed Management through the region. Because this is the first SAMP ever established in the mid-west, there would be some benefit and expectation that the SAMP Coordinator would include time to give, attend and arrange facilitated workshops relating to SAMPs and watershed management. The Upper Turkey Creek SAMP would also act as a model for further Urban SAMPs and watershed plans throughout the Mid-West and the United States. 4 Upper Turkey Creek History 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Upper Turkey Creek Basin (UTC) of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, Kansas is heavily urbanized being comprised of residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. Lying in the southwest Kansas City metropolitan area, the Turkey Creek channel and floodplain have become a common location for public infrastructure including utilities, transportation, drainage diversions, homes, businesses, and public areas. Flood control measures implemented in the early 1900’s increased development activity leading to floodplain fill, channel incision, channel straightening, concrete channel lining, channel enclosure, streambank armoring, and road and utility crossings. Extensive development in the uplands has resulted in concrete lining or pipe enclosure of many Turkey Creek tributaries. Few, if any, undisturbed reaches of Turkey Creek or its tributaries exist today. Historically, efforts to reduce flood damage in the Turkey Creek Basin focused on structural measures with minor consideration of environmental impacts from the proposed actions. While environmental impacts were to be minimized and offset, the primary objective was to reduce flood damage and associated economic losses. Despite ongoing efforts to reduce flooding, extensive development of the floodplain, uplands, and stream channels has resulted in increased flood frequency, peak flood flows, flood flow volumes, and channel velocities. Additionally, these modifications have shortened the lag time from peak precipitation to peak flow. In contrast to historical projects, the UTC now benefits from recent congressional actions encouraging a watershed approach to future water resource development proposals. Though the traditional goal of flood damage reduction remains a key, planning now includes opportunities for environmental restoration and sustainable solutions throughout the watershed. In response, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) completed a Reconnaissance Study and has initiated a Feasibility Study to identify watershed-wide actions to reduce flood damage while incorporating comprehensive measures for environmental enhancement. In addition to the USACE’s efforts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed interest in developing a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) for the UTC. To 5 consider the potential for development of a SAMP, the EPA contracted the Watershed Institute, Inc. (TWI) to conduct initial background research by completing phase one setforth above. 2.0 SAMP PROCESS The goal of a SAMP is to attain a balance between aquatic resource conservation, infrastructure maintenance, and sound economic development to minimize the individual and cumulative impacts of future projects. Stakeholder participation—including local government, businesses, citizens, state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, etc.—is essential to successful development and implementation of a SAMP. At the end of the SAMP process, there should be areas identified for protection, preservation, and enhancement, as well as areas where future activities would be allowed to occur, provided that they meet criteria developed for protection of the watershed. 3.0 EXISTING INFORMATION SOURCES FEDERAL • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Michael Wolfender, (816) 983-3108, [email protected]. • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kathleen Mulder, (913) 551-7542, [email protected]. • U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Michelle McNulty, (785) 539-3473, [email protected]. STATE • Kansas Department of Agriculture, David L. Pope, (785) 296-3710, [email protected]. • Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Donald D. Snethen, (785) 296-5567, • [email protected]. • Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, James Hays, (620) 672-5911, [email protected]. LOCAL 6 • Johnson County AIMS, Jay Heermann, (913) 715-1536, [email protected]. • Johnson County Park & Recreation District, James Wilson, (913) 894-3344, [email protected]. • Johnson