1 Death By A 1,000 Culverts
and What Communities are Doing to Reconnect Their Streams
Moodna Intermunicipal Watershed Council October 26th, 2017
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Hudson River Estuary Program Building a future for nature & people in the Hudson Valley
1. Clean water
2. Resilient communities A healthy ecosystem supports AdaptingProtectingDefines our to signature climate home; provideschange; species & 3. A vital estuary ecosystem An accessiblehealthy communities gem - understood, the webinspiration,Watershedguided of life bythat recreation tonature supports river; & them treasured, & protected by all watershedeconomic to vitality faucet 4. Fish, wildlife, & habitat
5. Natural scenery
6. Access & education 3 Aquatic Connectivity
• Streams are highways
• Problem culverts and dams are Fox Creek road blocks
• Connected streams are stronger
Otter Kill Hollowville Creek Connected Streams 4
Barriers Impact: • Habitat • Maintenance/Replacement costs • Aquatic communities • Damowner liability • Sediment and debris • Dam failure potential • Water quality • Recreation value • Hydrology • Property value 5 Albany Quassaick Creek 6
NYC 7 Quassaick Creek, Newburgh 3500
3000 2500 2000 1500 1000
500 Glass Eels Caught/Day Eels Glass 0 3/7/17 3/21/17 4/4/17 4/18/17 5/2/17 5/16/17 8 Culvert Prioritization Project
1. Assess culverts and bridges on public roads for passability and capacity 2. Work with municipalities to replace problem culverts 9 10 11 12 Case study for Disconnections reconnection
Town of Ancram 13
Town of Ancram
• We assessed their culverts in 2014 • They got a grant to fix 2 problem culverts in 2015 • Two problem culverts got upsized and better passage in 2016 and 2017 14
Town of Ancram
• Wrote their own grant • $220,000 for tributary restoration • 3 culvert replacement designs, replace 2
The Saga Continues… • With Trout Unlimited, just got a $50K grant to prioritize all town culverts
15 Case study for Disconnections reconnection
Town of Stony Point
Saw Kill 16
Town of Stony Point
• Townwide culvert management plan • County and regional Soil and Water Conservation District • Adding in: • surveys of privately owned culverts • condition of the crossing • risk to town from flooding and failure • Stream Simulation modeling for highest priority location
17 Case study for City reconnection of Troy
Wynants Kill 18 19 20 21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nj8HASjG3I&feature=youtu.be 22
Funding Grants!!!! • Tributary Restoration grants from the Hudson River Estuary Program • Federal money and help • NYSDEC Water Quality Improvement Project Ancram • Climate Smart Communities, hazard mitigation grants, municipal budgets
Rt. 9, Stuyvesant Rt. 7, Ancram Foundry Brook 23
Thanks Connect with us: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NYSDEC Andrew Meyer Twitter: twitter.com/NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nysdec New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in cooperation with Cornell University NYS Water Resources Institute
[email protected] 845-256-3135 Connect with us: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NYSDEC Twitter: twitter.com/NYSDEC Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nysdec