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

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 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 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 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