The Pawcatuck River Estuary and Little Narragansett Bay
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The Pawcatuck River Estuary and Little Narragansett Bay: An Interstate Management Plan Adopted July 14, 1992 This document was prepared for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Counci l and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Long Island Sound Programs by Timothy P. Dillingham Rush Abrams Alan Desbonnet Jeffrey M. Willis Project Coordinators: Timothy P. Dillingham Marybeth G. Hart Published July 1993 The preparation of this publication was financed by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admini str ati on, under t he provi sions of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (Publ ic Law 92-583). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This plan i s the culmination of the ef forts of many indi vidual s who's concern for the Pawcatuck River estuary and Little Narragansett Bay has persevered throughout the Project's four year history. Without all of them, the Project would not have been a success. We would like to thank the members of the Project's Citizens Advisory Committee, who gave generousl y of their time, energy, and thought in developing this plan during their three year involvement in the Pr oject. They demanded special att enti on be given to the valuable resources of the estuary and backed up their concerns with i deas and suggestions on how to successfully complete the Project. Their participation throughout the Project's numerous meetings and planning process contributed significantly to the final form of the plan. Members of the Planning and Procedures Subcommit tee of the Rhode Isl and Coastal Resources Management Council also attended meetings, providing their expertise in dealing with coastal resources management issues. The staff of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection particularly the staff at the Office of Long Island Sound Programs (formerly the Coastal Resources Management Division) deserve considerable thanks for their expertise in their review and comment on the vari ous technical repor ts and drafts of thi s plan. Par ti cularl y, our thanks to James Citak, Linda Gunn, Art Maguer, Peter Minta, Dan Rothenberg, and Ron Rozsa. Special thanks are also extended to the entire staff of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council for their insights and comments to the technical reports and draf ts of the pl an. Also, thanks to the staff of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, parti cularl y Jim Boyd, Lynn Carlson, Chris Deacutis, Art Ganz, Mark Gibson, Joe Migliore, Elizabeth Scott and Dick Sisson for their continued review and comments to the technical reports and draft of the plan. Thanks are also given to Scott Millar of the Division of Planning for hi s comments. The planning staffs of Stonington and Westerly, both past and present, provided invaluable assistance, guidance, expertise, and comment during the course of the Project. Special thanks i s given to Bob Birmingham and Pat Nickles of the Town of Stoningt on, and James Walsh and Nancy Hess of the Town of Westerly for all their help. Also, Barry Col e, Counci lmember of the Town of Westerly, is given considerable thanks for his insight and dedication to the Project. Special consideration and appreciati on is given to Joanne Moore of the Rhode I sland xiii Coastal Resources Management Council for her diligence and dedication to typing and retyping the drafts of the plan. Thank you very much for your patience. Nei l Christerson, graduate student at the University of Rhode Island provided the Project with base maps of the estuary. PHOTO CREDITS Cover photo, RI CRMC; Chapters 1 and 7 Title pages, Jason Parker; Chapter 4 Title page, Kay Howard-Strobel; All other Chapter Title pages, Alan Desbonnet. xiv DEDI CATI ON This Interstate Management Plan is dedicated in memory t o Clement Griscom, Ph.D. His love of the estuar y and his foresight toward its protecti on led to this plan, and shaped many of its goals. His contr ibut ions were greatl y appreciated and his participation will be missed. xv TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ................................................................................ i Table of Contents ................................................................................... ix Acknowledgments .................................................................................. xiii Participating Committee Members ............................................................. xv List of Figures ........................................................................................ xvii List of Tables ......................................................................................... xix CHAPTER I : Introduction Section 100 Findings of Fact .................................................................... 3 110. An Interstate Management Plan ................................................ 3 120. Issue Area Goals ..................................................................... 4 CHAPTER I I: Framework of Management Section 210 Findings of Fact .................................................................... 9 210.1 Management Authorities ........................................................ 9 Section 220 Management Policies and Recommendations ............................. 11 220.1 Interstate Notice Procedures ................................................... 11 220.2 Interstate Memorandums of Agreements .................................. 12 220.3 Coordinated Review for Large Scale Projects ............................ 12 220.4 Pawcatuck River Bi-State Commission ..................................... 13 CHAPTER III: The Watershed Environment and Impacts to Water Quality Section 310 Findings of Fact .................................................................... 17 310.1 Introduction .......................................................................... 17 310.2 Natural Features Affecting Water Quality ................................. 18 310.3 Land Use Along the Estuary .................................................... 20 310.4 Water Quality Status ............................................................. 24 310.5 Other Management Issues ...................................................... 41 Section 320 Management Regulations and Initiatives .................................... 47 320.1 Watershed Controls for Surface Water Runoff ........................... 47 320.2 Regional Wastewater Management ...................................... 51 320.3 Controls for Managing Recreational Boat Sewage ...................... 55 320.4 Pilot Mari na Non-Point Source Pollut ion Management Program ........................................................ 58 320.5 Interstate Coordination on Discharge Regulation and Water Quality Management ........................... 60 320.6 Controls on Freshwater Withdrawals ....................................... 62 320.7 Future Initiatives .................................................................... 63 CHAPTER IV: Habitat Protection and Restoration ix Section 410 Findings of Fact ..................................................................... 67 410.1 Introduction .......................................................................... 67 410.2 The Open Water and Aquatic Habitat ....................................... 67 410.3 The Wetlands Habitat ............................................................ 81 410.4 Upland Habitat ...................................................................... 88 410.5 Coastal Barrier Habitats ..................................................... 88 410.6 Buffer Zones ......................................................................... 91 410.7 Areas of Signi fi cance to Endangered, Threatened, or Species of Special Concern ........................... 92 Section 420 Management Regulations and Initiatives .................................... 96 420.1 Protection of Critical Habitat Areas .......................................... 96 420.2 Acquisition and Protection of Wetland Complexes ...................... 98 420.3 Restoring Impaired Wildlife Habitat .......................................... 101 420.4 Land Use Management and Wildlife Habitat Protection ................ 108 420.5 Dredging Management ........................................................... 111 420.6 Future Research Needs ........................................................... 115 CHAPTER V: Recreational Uses Section 510 Findings of Fact ..................................................................... 121 510.1 Introduction .......................................................................... 121 510.2 The Estuary as a Regional Recreational Resource ....................... 122 510.3 Low Intensity Recreational Uses .............................................. 122 510.4 Marina Development and In-Water Structures ............................ 124 510.5 Alternative Access to the Estuary ............................................ 141 510.6 Boating Saf ety, Enf orcement, and Harbormaster Coordination ................................................. 147 510.7 Harbor Management Commissions ........................................... 150 510.8 Dredging .............................................................................. 153 510.9 Protecting Water Dependent Uses ........................................... 156 Section 520 Management Regulations and Initiatives .................................... 157 520.1 Boat Launching Ramps ........................................................... 157 520.2 Moorings .............................................................................