Lafayette River Steering Committee Convened by Elizabeth River Project and Foundation

Michael Barbachem, URS Corp. Robert Heide, Citizen/M.D. Libby Norris, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Danny Barker, HRSD Todd Herbert, VA Department of Mike O'Hearn, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership Doug Barnhart, DoodyCalls Conservation and Recreation Kevin Parker, HRSD Betty Baucom, Larchmont Elementary School Noah Hill, VA Department of Chad Peevy, Old Dominion University Ella Baxter, The Elizabeth River Project Conservation and Recreation James Pletl, HRSD Lawrence Bernert, Wilbanks, Julia Hillegass, Josh Priest, The Elizabeth River Project Board Smith & Thomas Asset Planning District Commission Walter Priest, NOAA Pam Boatwright, The Elizabeth River Project Will Hunley, HRSD John Prince, Prince Landscapes Kristie Britt, VA Department Seshadri Iyer, URS Corp. Emma Ramsey, The Elizabeth River Project of Environmental Quality Fleta Jackson, City of Norfolk Joe Rieger, The Elizabeth River Project Jim Cahoon, Bay Environmental Marjorie Jackson, The Elizabeth River Project Joe Rule, The Elizabeth River Project Board Yolima Carr, Hermitage Museum & Gardens Dave Jasinski, Chesapeake Skip Scanlon, Beach Health Department Holly Christopher, Environmental Communications Mark Schneider, Virginia Zoo Norfolk Environmental Commission Rob Johnson, The Elizabeth River Project Juian Shen, Virginia Institute of Marine Science Tom Cinti, U.S. EPA Daniel Jones, City of Norfolk Amy Simons, City of Norfolk Amry Cox, Knitting Mill Creek Yacht Club John Keifer, City of Norfolk Mac Sisson, Virginia Institute of Marine Science Dan Dauer, Old Dominion University Judd Knecht, Citizen John Stewart, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership John Deuel, Norfolk Environmental Commission Andrew Larkin, NOAA Skip Stiles, Wetlands Watch Ken Dierks, Kimley Horn Tommy Leggett, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Randy Stokes, Living River Fred Dobbs, Old Dominion University Kristen Lentz, City of Norfolk Dept. of Utilities Restoration Trust Board Heather Driscoll, FamilyCare Organic Lawn Care Melanie Mathewes, Jill Sunderland, City of Norfolk Kevin Du Bois, City of Norfolk Hermitage Museum & Gardens Christie Sykes, Norfolk Collegiate Katie Duckett, The Elizabeth River Project Karen Mayne, Citizen Leona Tam, Old Dominion University Robin Dunbar, The Elizabeth River Project Steve McLaughlin, City of Virginia Beach Denise Thompson, City of Norfolk Jack Erwin, City of Norfolk Karl Mertig, Kimley Horn Jennifer Tribo, Hampton Roads Christy Everett, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Holly Miller, Hampton Roads Planning District Commission Roger Everton, VA Department Planning District Commission Eric Tucker, City of Norfolk Dept. of Utilities of Environmental Quality Chris Moore, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Natalie Rees Wannamaker, Citizen Paul Forehand, City of Norfolk Ryan Morse, Old Dominion University Ric Wernicke, City of Norfolk Sean Brickell, Brickell & Partners June Moser, City of Norfolk John White, City of Norfolk William Goodson, Virginia Port Authority Margaret Mulholland, Old Dominion University Kate Wilson, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Tim Hare, CH2MHill Mike Nickelsburg, Heather Wood, Virginia Port Authority Sunny Hawkins, Chesapeake Bay Foundation The Elizabeth River Project Board

A Cleaner River Starts Here.

Admirals Landing • 475 Water Street, Suite C103A Portsmouth, VA 23704 • (757) 399-RIVR www.ElizabethRiver.org The Plan for Restoring the Lafayette River Strategies for Community-Wide Action

April 27, 2011

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Prepared by the Swimmable-Fishable Lafayette River Steering Committee Convened by the Elizabeth River Project and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation History of The Lafayette River

The Lafayette River was named in 1907 for a “boy general” from France who, while commanding American troops in Virginia, helped win America’s Independence.

“Should a French fleet now come to Hampton Roads,” wrote the 19-year old Marquis de Lafayette to his superior, General George Washington, on July 31, 1781, “the British army would, I think, be ours.”

The French fleet came and “England lost naval supremacy just long enough to ensure the winning of American independence,” reports Harold Larrabee in Decision at the Chesapeake.

As a result, Marquis de Lafayette was so popular when he returned to Hampton Roads in 1824 that Norfolk threw a three-day party which was remembered at the time as the greatest celebration in city history.

Lafayette – it’s a fitting name for a river that is now the focus of a different kind of revolution, a river revolution.

A Cleaner River Starts Here. We will endow our children with safe

swimming and fishing in a bountiful Lafayette River. —The Lafayette River Steering Committee

This plan is your ticket to a fuller future on the Lafayette. Two non-profits, The Elizabeth River Project and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, convened 100 people from all walks of life - science, government, business and citizen interests – to agree on the goals and strategies needed to restore the Lafayette River to environmental health in balance with a healthy economy.

Join the River Revolution. These students did by growing wetland grasses for the Virginia Zoo.

Goal 1: A Swimmable Lafayette River page 3 Reduce harmful bacteria by 2014 to levels that are safe for swimming in all practical reaches of the Lafayette. What Lafayette Residents Can Do Right Now | page 4 What Your Community Partners are Doing | page 5

Goal 2: Healthy River Life page 6 Achieve healthy, plentiful wildlife in the Lafayette River. What Lafayette Residents Can Do Right Now | page 7 What Your Community Partners are Doing | page 8

Goal 3: Citizens Make the Difference page 10

Encourage river stewardship in the Lafayette River community through public awareness and action.

What Lafayette Residents Can Do Right Now | page 11 What Your Community Partners are Doing | page 12

1 Community Partners Committed to A Cleaner River

■ Chesapeake Bay Foundation ■ Lindenwood Elementary School ** ■ Rosemont Middle School ** ■ Christ the King School** ■ Living River Restoration Trust ■ Sherwood Forest ■ Colonial Place Civic League ■ NOAA Restoration Center Elementary School ** ■ Crossroads Elementary School ** ■ Norfolk Collegiate Lower School ** ■ St. Patrick Catholic School ** ■ Elizabeth River Project ■ Norfolk Collegiate School ** ■ Suburban Park Elementary School** ■ Granby Elementary School ** ■ Norfolk Department of Utilities* ■ Tanners Creek Elementary School ** ■ Hampton Roads Rowing Club * ■ Norfolk Environmental Commission * ■ Virginia Department of Conservation ■ Hermitage Museum and Gardens * ■ Norfolk Southern Lamberts Point * and Recreation ■ Highland Park Civic League ■ Norfolk Stormwater ■ Virginia Department of ■ HRSD * Management Program * Environmental Quality ■ Jacox Elementary School ** ■ Norfolk Yacht and Country Club * ■ Virginia Department of Health – ■ James Monroe Elementary School** ■ Norview Elementary School ** Division of Shellfish Sanitation ■ Knitting Mill Creek Yacht Club * ■ Oakwood Elementary School ** ■ Virginia Institute of Marine Science ■ Lafayette Wetlands Partnership ■ Old Dominion University * ■ Virginia Port Authority * ■ Larchmont Branch Library * ■ Park Place Civic League ■ Virginia Zoo * ■ Larchmont Elementary School ** ■ Roland Park Civic League ■ Willard Model School **

* The RiverStar business and government facilities documenting environmental results with Elizabeth River Project ** The RiverStar schools documenting environmental stewardship projects with Elizabeth River Project in 2009/10

Join the River Revolution. It can make you a star. Become a shining example of river stewardship. Ask about the Elizabeth River Project’s RiverStar programs and discover how you can make a real difference in the health of our home river. For more information, call (757) 399-RIVR.

IndustriesSchools Schools

River restoration is good business. Just This year, 126 RiverStar Schools spent Citizens making a difference at home – ask the more than 80 area corporations the year participating in hands-on that’s RiverStar Homes, the Elizabeth who have made a commitment to learning activities centered around River Project’s new program to help participate in projects that promote the the health and restoration of the households experience the pleasure of health and vitality of the Elizabeth Elizabeth River. There are more than helping bring back the health of their River. From voluntary reduction of 200 public and private schools in the home river through easy-to-do home toxins to building or conserving wildlife Elizabeth River watershed—could projects that reduce pollution. Join us habitats, we can help you make it happen. your school play a starring role, too? on the home team. ElizabethRiver.org ElizabethRiver.org RiverStarHomes.org 2 Help Amelia Bailey, Riverview resident, achieve a swimmable home river. Photo courtesy of Len Rothman

The Challenge

After a heavy rain, most of the Lafayette River is unsafe for swimming due to high Goal1: bacteria levels. Harmful bacteria in the river can come from urban runoff, improper disposal of boat sewage, sewer A Swimmable clogs caused by pouring oil, grease or fat down kitchen sinks, sanitary sewer malfunctions, pet waste, tidal influences and waste from urban resident geese Lafayette River and ducks that no longer migrate.

Reduce harmful bacteria by We’ll know we’ve 2014 to levels that are safe for succeeded when we: ■ Meet state criteria for safe levels of the swimming in all practical bacteria fecal enterococci. reaches of the Lafayette. ■ Hold regular swim meets on the Lafayette.

33 Goal 1: A Swimmable Lafayette River

Lafayette Residents: What You Can Do Right Now

1. Scoop the poop. Pick up after your dog in 4. Properly pump out boat sewage. Do not your yard as well as on walks. Throw pet poop discharge sewage from your boat into the Lafayette! in the trash. 5. Encourage geese and ducks to migrate — 2. Report suspected sewer problems. If you don’t feed them. Canada geese populations see or suspect a sewer problem in the Lafayette have increased dramatically across the US, leading to area, immediately call 823-1000, Norfolk Depart- excess bacteria in waterways. In addition to human ment of Utilities' 24-hour response line. handouts, geese like to feast on heavily fertilized, manicured lawns. An un-mowed 6-foot wide shore- 3. Keep grease out of your sink drain. line buffer of tall native grasses discourages geese. Pour fat, oil and grease into an empty container. Dogs are also effective goose chasers. When the grease hardens, throw the can in the trash. Grease is one cause of clogged sewer 6. Become a RiverStar Home. systems and can lead to polluted runoff reaching Pledge your commitment to the the river. For more on what you can do, visit Lafayette by becoming a Star. FatFreeDrains.com. See page 2 to learn more about our RiverStar Homes program.

For more on these AND OTHER ACTIONS that can make a difference, visit RiverStarHomes.org and cbf.org.

A Cleaner River Starts With You.

4 Photo courtesy of Kenn Jolemore Goal 1: A Swimmable Lafayette River

Groups: Join the Public-Private Momentum Actions already underway to achieve a swimmable Partner Action Begins Lafayette River include:

■ The City of Norfolk is investing ■ Testing of bacteria levels in the Lafayette millions of dollars in renewing the wastewater River has been expanded to more than 15 sites collection system infrastructure throughout the City. thanks to partners listed in this plan. Since 2002, Norfolk has spent $76 million in sanitary ■ A "pollution limit" for bacteria - known as sewer improvement projects in the Lafayette River the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) has watershed - more than any other city in Hampton been set by Virginia Department of Environmental Roads, VA. To prevent stormwater from overwhelming Quality. The TMDL attempts to establish the amount sewer lines, Norfolk is phasing in the upgrade of all of bacteria that can safely be discharged into the river 17,000 manholes to add steel inserts that keep while meeting state water quality criteria. stormwater out. Norfolk is replacing leaking sewer pipes and is part of a regional effort to address leaking ■ Elizabeth River Project’s efforts include: lines on private property. • Installing 15 “scoop the poop” stations in Lafayette neighborhoods Lafayette River Watershed • Pursuing the goal to enlist all 7 Lafayette River Wastewater Projects | 2002 - Present marinas as Virginia Clean Marinas and as participants Project Name Amount in Elizabeth River Project’s RiverStars business program. • Assisting Virginia Zoo to vegetate the banks Titustown Pump Station $326,838.00 of a duck pond to stabilize soil and prevent Annual Gravity Sewer Contract $16,258,893.81 Park Place Pump Station $10,624,642.48 contaminated runoff, while adding a man-made Talbot Park $4,406,857.66 “floating wetland” to absorb pollution. Glencove / Lochhaven $4,477,511.25 ■ The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is installing Colonial Place Pump Station $3,568,526.45 300 storm drain medallions on strategic storm drains Fairmount Park $28,500,182.22 throughout the Lafayette River watershed. (Storm North Shore Road Force Main $1,197,856.30 Huntersville $6,700,551.01 drain medallions are small metal disks placed on storm ______drain covers to remind people not to put anything Total $76,061,859.18 down the drain.)

Keep the Momentum Going Community partners must now take these next steps:

■ Develop and carry out a plan for staying ■ Conduct a boater education forum below the Total Maximum Daily Load Allocation for to consider a “no discharge”zone. bacteria in the Lafayette River (all stakeholders). ■ Provide citizen training for identifying ■ Support further large-scale improvements and reporting pollution problems. to the sewer systems and stormwater system in the ■ Develop pro-active plans to address Lafayette drainage area (watershed). sea level elevation changes. ■ Begin public swim meets in 2014. 5 The great white egret is just one of the Lafayette River birds that depends on you for a cleaner river. Photo courtesy of Kenn Jolemore

Healthy River Life Achieve healthy, plentiful Goal2: wildlife in the Lafayette River

The Challenge We’ll know we’ve succeeded when we: A massive algal bloom (“red tide”) emerges each summer in the Lafayette. From there, it spreads ■ Reduce red tide to non-harmful into the Elizabeth and lower Chesapeake Bay, levels by 2020. robbing these waters of oxygen and compromising ■ Eliminate fish kills. marine life. An excess of lawn fertilizers is a leading culprit. ■ Reach the 2014 goal of “restricted” rather than “prohibited” oyster harvesting, based Elevated nutrient levels in the Lafayette are raising serious concerns. on reduced bacteria. Strive for open oyster Excess lawn fertilizers and other sources of nutrients in runoff harvesting by 2020. are leading to harmful levels of algae and can cause fish kills. Harmful bacteria in the Lafayette are contaminating oysters, making ■ Increase or enhance functioning wetlands them unsafe for human consumption. The disappearance of by 10 acres. natural filters for controlling algae, including oysters, wetland ■ Increase oyster reefs by 10 acres, grasses and other native vegetation along the shore, compounds including “oyster reef balls*.” the problem. Air pollution, another contributor to excess nutrients, is often ignored. As much as 34 percent of the nutrient problem ■ Identify and protect priority land. in the Chesapeake Bay is attributed to pollutants in the air that eventually fall either to the ground, where they can wash into ■ Develop pro-active plans to address the water, or directly into the water itself. Rising sea levels can also rising sea levels. disrupt the ecosystem balance. The Virginia Department of *Reef Ball: a conical concrete structure used in groups as an artificial Emergency Management anticipates a sea level rise of two feet reef to provide oyster habitat and shoreline protection. in the next hundred years.

6 Goal 2: Healthy River Life

Lafayette Residents: What You Can Do Right Now

1. Make your yard truly “green.” 3. Switch to re-usable shopping bags. Disposable plastic bags look like tasty jelly fish to shore ■ Reduce or eliminate fertilizers on lawns. birds and other marine life. As many as 25 percent of The typical American applies many times the shore birds have plastic bags in their stomachs. recommended amount of fertilizer. This leading source of harmful nutrients washes into the river, 4. Wash your car at a car wash that recycles resulting in oxygen depletion and fish kills. the water. If you wash your car on your driveway, the detergent – which may include harmful ■ Test your soil to determine nutrient needs phosphates – as well as the dirt and grease are before fertilizing: Send a soil sample for analysis likely to run into the storm drain and out to the river. and recommendation to Virginia Tech Soil Testing Laboratory. Soil sample boxes can be found at your 5. Reduce air pollution. Air pollution contributes library or the Cooperative Extension Office, as much as a third of excess nutrients in the Lafayette. 830 Southampton Ave. Suite 2069, Norfolk, 683-2816. Support mass transit alternatives like Norfolk’s light rail, the Tide. Walk, carpool or ride your bike. Switch ■ If you must fertilize, fall is generally the less to a push mower or electric mower. Mowing your harmful season due to less rain. Follow lawn for one hour with a conventional gas lawn directions, and avoid applications if rain is forecast mower can cause more air pollution than driving from and avoid sidewalks and streets. Choose natural Norfolk to Charlottesville and back in a new car. fertilizers over chemicals. 6. Install rain barrels, rain gardens and ■ Line your shore with trees, shrubs and pervious pavement to absorb storm wetland grasses. The zone along the shore is water. Instead of creating polluted runoff, collect called the "buffer," a critical place to keep well- the rain water from your gutters in a rain barrel or vegetated to absorb and filter polluted runoff. cistern and re-use it to water your yard. Consider ■ Plant trees for Mayor Fraim’s planting a rain garden, a planting area strategically “Celebrate Trees” initiative. placed to collect and absorb rain water from your Visit celebratetrees.norfolk.gov to learn how. property before it can run off. Use pervious pavers ■ Plant natives. Native species of plants, bushes that absorb rain for your patio or driveway. and trees have evolved to provide food and 7. Move your car on street-sweeping day. habitat for indigenous wildlife while requiring When the city sweeps your street, it prevents less fertilizer and water. debris from entering the storm sewers, and parked ■ Compost mowed grass clippings. cars reduce the effectiveness of this important effort. Visit Norfolk.gov/publicworks/stormwater 2. Only rain down the storm drain. Don't for a map showing the sweeping schedule by sweep or dump leaves, grass clippings, litter, motor neighborhood. oil or anything else into the river, the street or your storm drain. In Norfolk, your storm drains lead directly to the river, even if you live blocks away.

For more on these AND OTHER ACTIONS that can make a difference, visit RiverStarHomes.org and cbf.org. 7 Goal 2: Healthy River LIfe

Groups: Join the Public-Private Momentum Our partners already have dozens of projects underway to turn the Partner Action Begins Lafayette into a thriving wildlife habitat.

Photos left to right: A newly installed “floating wetland” at Virginia Zoo; the belted kingfisher is a common Lafayette visitor; a volunteer plants native grasses on the banks on the Lafayette;

■ The City of Norfolk has launched ■ Partners continue to stock two native “Celebrate Trees” with a goal to increase tree oyster sanctuary reefs constructed by Chesapeake canopy cover from 33 percent to 40 percent. Bay Foundation, Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Rotary Club of Norfolk. ■ Norfolk is conducting wetland restorations in Colley Bay and at Larchmont Elementary. ■ Norfolk is leading the region with the The City is the regional leader in voluntary wetland first light rail system. Fewer cars on the road restorations dating back to 1997 with the Birdsong will reduce the air pollution that ends up in waterways. Wetland. Imagine the environmental benefits if “The Tide” could be extended into the Lafayette watershed. ■ The Virginia Zoo with Elizabeth River Project is installing two “floating ■ River Star business and government wetlands” (engineered wetland islands) to absorb facilities in the Lafayette watershed nutrients from a duck pond. The Zoo also plans to continue to document pollution prevention install sediment filters at the inlets to 20 stormwater and habitat restoration progress: Hampton drains. Prior Zoo efforts, implemented as River Star Roads Rowing Club, Hermitage Museum and Gardens, projects with The Elizabeth River Project, include a HRSD, Knitting Mill Creek Yacht Club, Larchmont Library, wetland restoration and three environmental exhibits. Norfolk Environmental Commission, Norfolk Stormwater Management Program, Norfolk Yacht and Country Club, ■ The Elizabeth River Project is planting Old Dominion University, Virginia Port Authority, Marine 150 trees native to Virginia in the Lafayette Repair Services – Container Maintenance Corporation, watershed to absorb excess nutrients. Norfolk Southern Lambert’s Point, U.S. Maritime ■ The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Administration – Division of Atlantic Operations, and partners are installing three rain gardens Virginia Zoo. in the Lafayette watershed to absorb nutrients ■ Prior wetland restorations on the Lafayette and sediment, and recruiting 30 families for spat-on-shell include a model "living shoreline" constructed oyster gardening, an innovative approach to growing oysters at the Hermitage to demonstrate natural erosion that will result in 30,000 oysters in the Lafayette. control; a demonstration wetland restoration along ■ The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the the Virginia Zoo parking lot; and Lafayette Wetlands Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Partnership's restoration at 46th Street and Colley Avenue. and volunteers are completing an oyster population assessment in the Lafayette River.

8 Keep the Momentum Going Community partners must now take these next steps:

a spadefish, one of the diverse species scientists found in the Lafayette in 2010; the Hermitage Museum and Gardens as seen from the Lafayette; river otters are frequently sighted on the Lafayette.

■ Reduce harmful bacteria in shellfish to levels ■ Identify and achieve long-term conservation that allow the Virginia Department of Health to change for undeveloped areas with the most the status of shellfish harvesting from prohibited to watershed benefit. restricted (requires "relay" of the shellfish from the ■ The Living River Restoration Trust is Lafayette to a clean waterway for a brief period before taking a new role in urban land conservation on harvesting) by 2014. Strive to achieve open harvest the Elizabeth. conditions for all practical reaches of the Lafayette by 2020. ■ Recruit the majority of high-priority businesses in the Lafayette watershed into the ■ Implement 10 more acres of restored or Elizabeth River Project's RiverStar program for enhanced wetlands; 10 acres of oyster businesses and government facilities, emphasizing reefs, including reef balls; and 10 acres of nutrient and bacteria reduction projects. forested shore. If feasible, restore submerged aquatic vegetation as water quality improves. Potential ■ Evaluate artificial aeration as a way to increase wetlands and oyster sites include: dissolved oxygen in the Lafayette River. Similar to an • Knitting Mill Creek • Highland Park air pump in an aquarium, rivers like the Thames in • Talbot Hall • Roland Park London receive dissolved oxygen from aeration vessels • Myrtle Avenue • Virginia Zoo (the “Thames Bubbler”). • Colley Bay • Hermitage Museum • Old Dominion and Gardens sites ■ Conduct studies to determine if algal University • Norfolk International blooms can be converted into biofuels. • 49th Street Terminals ■ Identify and implement strategies to address sea level rise. ■ Implement large stormwater improvements to reduce nutrients entering the ■ Continue monitoring of nutrients in Lafayette through stormwater. City of Norfolk and the Lafayette by HRSD, Virginia Department of partners to accomplish at potential sites including: Environmental Quality and Old Dominion University. • Haven Creek • WHRO parking lot ■ Collect natural resources data through seining • “Tree box filters”at storm drains on Granby Street and trawling surveys for abundance and diversity of and Colonial Place fishes. • Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center • Virginia Zoo

9 Volunteers join Chesapeake Bay Foundation to install “oyster reef balls” at Hermitage Museum and Gardens.

The Challenge:

Inspiring people like you to join the action for a healthy Lafayette River.

In the end, the restoration of a river depends on the degree to which citizens are actively engaged in stewardship practices. On the Lafayette, many partners are conducting environmental Goal3: education, but the state of the river is evidence that aware- ness and action have not yet reached a critical mass. Citizens Make We’ll know we’ve succeeded when we: the Difference ■ Count 1,000 “RiverStar Homes” making a difference. Encourage river stewardship ■ Enlist all civic leagues in the Lafayette in the Lafayette River community. community through public ■ Engage all socio-economic levels. awareness and action. ■ Enlist all Lafayette schools as “RiverStar Schools”. ■ Secure the necessary resources for this plan through the support of elected officials and other community leaders. 10 Goal 3: Citizens Make the Difference

Lafayette Residents: What You Can Do Right Now

1. Learn more, volunteer and participate. 2. Become an advocate. Learn what’s going on and The partners to this plan offer a wide range of ways to plan to speak up at government meetings on decisions learn more about river restoration, as well as ways to affecting the health of the river. get involved by volunteering or taking part in an inspiring • Report pollution to Norfolk’s hotline, 664-4529 outdoor activity. Shop this list to find out what’s just • Check the calendar for the Norfolk Wetlands Board right for you: meetings at norfolk.gov/Planning/Wetlands-Board.asp Chesapeake Bay Foundation cbf.org • 622-1964 • Attend a hearing. The Virginia Marine Resources • Paddle a Discovery Canoe Trip. Commission holds pertinent hearings on the protection • Take an oyster growing workshop. of river resources. For more information, please visit • Help install storm drain medallions. mrc.state.va.us/commission_agendas/ Elizabeth River Project elizabethriver.org • 399-RIVR commagendaindex.shtm. Ah, the joy of doing your • Schedule a student field trip aboard Learning Barge, the part! This student world’s first floating wetland classroom. helped plant wetlands • Sign up for River Star Homes, River Star Schools or River with Elizabeth River Project. Star Industries – free recognition and assistance in ex- change for “doin’ right by the river”. • Volunteer, display your art or just come by to enjoy the festivities at RIVERFest on the Lafayette, an annual festival. Hermitage Museum and Gardens hermitagefoundation.org • 423-2052 • Sign up for Wetlands Enrichment Tours, go to native plant sales and visit the “living shoreline” to learn about natural erosion control. Norfolk Stormwater, 823-4000 • Learn about workshops for lawn care companies. Norfolk’s Bureau of Environmental Services • Sign up for a one-day wetlands educational seminar. Contact Kevin DuBois at [email protected]. Ernie Morgan Environmental Action Center NorfolkBeautiful.org • 441-1347 • Attend an Eco-Do-It-Yourself Workshop and learn sustainable building practices, observe native landscaping, get the scoop on recycling and more. While you’re there, sign up for Norfolk’s Adopt-a-Spot program to keep your For more on these shoreline or street clean. AND OTHER ACTIONS that Lafayette Wetlands Partnership LRWPartners.org, can make a difference, visit • Take a free wetland stewardship workshop with RiverStarHomes.org and cbf.org. Norfolk’s Neighborhood University, 823-4210. Virginia Zoo Virginiazoo.org • 441-2374 • Visit the Virginia Zoo’s environmental exhibits including a wetland restoration with education signage next to the main parking lot. A Cleaner River Starts With You. 11 Goal 3: Citizens Making the Difference

Groups: Join the Public-Private Momentum Our partners are committed to raising awareness and Partner Action Begins engaging community.

■ To raise awareness of this action plan, project partners will introduce it at the inaugural RIVERFest on the Lafayette, a community-wide celebration held on April 30, 2011 (rain date May 1).

■ Elizabeth River Project is launching the River Star Homes program on April 30, 2011 at River Fest. HRSD has provided $103,000 in a two-year grant to launch the program.

■ Chesapeake Bay Foundation is training volunteers to be river stewards. Citizens meet weekly for eight weeks and provide 60 volunteer hours each on projects to improve the health of our rivers and waterways.

■ River Star Schools in the Lafayette watershed are actively involved in hands-on environmental stewardship projects.

Keep the Momentum Going The critical next steps we MUST take to achieve our goal

■ Conduct a "Scoop the Poop" social marketing campaign.

■ Conduct outreach and cleanup projects that involve all sectors of the community.

■ Develop a campaign to urge citizens to reduce excess fertilizers in runoff.

■ Safeguard the Lafayette through active citizen participation in city policy decisions.

■ Secure broad funding sources for this plan.

■ Collect stories from Lafayette River citizens on the river's history.

■ Increase public access to the Lafayette River.

For more on these AND OTHER ACTIONS that can make a difference, visit RiverStarHomes.org and cbf.org.

12 A Cleaner River Starts Here. About this plan

The purpose of this plan is to describe the strategies that are needed to restore the environmental health of the Lafayette River, a branch of the Elizabeth River on the lower Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. Elevated levels of bacteria make most of the Lafayette River unsafe for swimming and unsafe for harvesting oysters. Meanwhile, excess levels of nutrients contribute to algal blooms which stress aquatic life. This plan sets goals for making the Lafayette safe for swimming and limited harvest of oysters (“relay” harvest) by 2014 and safe for open harvest of oysters by 2020.

This plan is intended to serve as a guide for citizens, governments, schools, businesses and non-profits. Under each goal, a special box highlights vital actions needed from citizens, while other sections address what partner organizations already have underway or need to do next.

This plan was prepared by the Lafayette River Steering Committee. A group consisting of more than 100 people representing science, government, business and citizen interests who met from March 15, 2009 to May 6, 2010 to agree on the goals and strategies prescribed. The group was convened by the non-profit Elizabeth River Project, working to restore the environmental quality of the Elizabeth River and its tributaries including the Lafayette, and the Hampton Roads office of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the largest non-profit working to restore the Chesapeake Bay.

Editing and publication of this plan, along with start up projects, are made possible by:

■ Donors to the Elizabeth River Project’s Education Initiative with special thanks to Frank and Aimee Batten and Macon and Joan Brock.

■ Grantors also helped make possible the deliberations of the steering committee and startup projects: • A Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, using funds from the US Environmental Protection Agency. • A grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to the Elizabeth River Project. • A grant from HRSD to The Elizabeth River Project.

For a full report on the goals and strategies outlined in this plan, visit ElizabethRiver.org.

Special thanks to: Photographer Kenn Jolemore for his photographs of wildlife along the Lafayette River.

For more information:

■ Chesapeake Bay Foundation • 757-622-1964 • cbf.org Hampton Roads Office, 142 West York Street, Suite 618, Norfolk, VA 23510

■ Elizabeth River Project • 757-399-7487 • elizabethriver.org 475 Water Street C103A, Portsmouth, Virginia 23704

Published April 27, 2011 by The Elizabeth River Project in cooperation with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and community partners. This plan is printed on recycled paper with environmentally-friendly inks. 13 River Star Industries Over 80 area corporations who have made a Lafayette River commitment to participate in projects that promote the health and vitality of the Elizabeth River. These Little Creek Road Treasure Hunt are the ones located in The Lafayette watershed. Use this map as you explore the Lafayette River and see how many answers to this quiz you can ★1 Hermitage Lochhaven Wards Corner Museum & Gardens find along the way. (Corresponds to orange numbers on map) 8 ★2 Norfolk Yacht ★1 ▲▲▲ 64 1 | What unusual statue faces the river here? & Country Club Riverfront ★6 2 | What famous novelist once lived on this creek?

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e it Highland e 12 Answers to Treasure Hunt 1) A nine-foot Lady Liberty rises from a n River. These River Star Schools are located in the v ▲▲▲ 8 K Haven Creek a ★ 11 house on Orleans Circle. 2) Leon Uris’s novel, QBII, mentions

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4 d Lafayette watershed. ★ crabbing in Knitting Mill Creek. 3) Lafayette Park dates to 1892 ▲▲▲ Lafayette Shores when it served as Norfolk’s first zoo. 4) Former Governor Colgate ★1 St Patrick’s Catholic School Darden Jr. lived in Algonquin Park. 5) Elaine Panneton of Lexan Riverview Crescent saw a grey seal on her dock, Feb. 7, 2010. 6) Birdsong 2 Larchmont Elementary Wetland became the first wetland restoration on the Elizabeth River ★ in 1997. 7) The Granby Street Bridge is a popular night-fishing spot 8 for striped bass. 8) Hermitage Museum and Gardens built a “living ★ 3 ★3 James Monroe Elementary shoreline” with education signage. 9) Talbot Hall was spared because of a seal over the fireplace. 10) Gloria Peek 4 Granby Elementary ▲▲▲ coaches at Barraud Park’s Boxing Center. 11) O’Sullivan’s Wharf is ★ ★7 worth the paddle for tasty oysters and brew. 12) Unlike in most of the Lafayette, freshwater plants like arrow arum thrive here. Lafayette/ 5 3 G ★9 Suburban Park Elementary r ★ ★ a Winona n b 1 y

6 Norfolk Collegiate Middle S t ★ r e & Upper School e yette Boule The Lafayette River Watershed t afa var L d e If you live anywhere in the green area, your land t Bridg 7 th Stree ★Norfolk Collegiate Lower School 26 drains to the Lafayette - and your help counts! ★ 6 8 Willard Elementary School ★ Lindenwood Legend ★9 Christ the King School ★5 ★10 LAFAYETTE RIVER Ghent Oyster Reefs 10 ★10 Lindenwood Elementary Barraud Park Rain Garden ★11 Jacox Elementary ★11 Lafayette River Star businesses & schools not shown on map Public Access for Norfolk Department of Utilities • Norfolk Stormwater Management Program Small Boats U.S. Maritime Administration, Division of Atlantic Operations • Virginia Port Authority Sherwood Forest Elementary • Rosemont Elementary • Tanner’s Creek Elementary 757/399-RIVR • www.ElizabethRiver.org ▲▲▲ Wetland Restoration Norview Elementary • Sherwood Forest Elementary • Crossroads Elementary A Cleaner River Starts With You 1 2 3 4 5 6 Top 2 things you can do to make a difference:

1) Reduce Fertilizer in Your MARSH LIFE of the Lafayette Ya r d . Save money and reduce 1 - Salt Marsh Snail, this cause of algae blooms that Melampus bidentatus can lead to fish kills. Only about a half-inch long, this snail lives in the "high marsh" or the salt marsh bushes along the highest areas of the wetland. Black ducks, among those in decline, love to eat these snails. Marsh and farmland until the first 2) Say “Boo” to Poo 2 - Periwinkle Snail, Littorina littorea street car crossed the 26th Street and Grease and This snail lives at lower elevations in the marsh. It can't live under water, so it moves up and down the grass stems with Feeding the Geese! the tides. Clapper rail birds prey on this snail. bridge in 1899, the Lafayette River respresents one of the last-developed Dog, human and goose poop 3 - Virginia Oyster, Crassostrea virginica wildernesses in urban Norfolk, Virginia. Today this tidal river promises make the river unsafe for Oysters in the Lafayette and the rest of the Elizabeth were once sold commercially as the famous "Norfolk oyster." Their to become the first branch of the Elizabeth River to return to health – with swimming. Everyone can help: Keep grease out of your kitchen harvest is now banned for health reasons, but multiple efforts are underway to bring back the native oyster. your help. The Elizabeth River Project, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 4 - Fiddler Crab, Uca pugnax drain (causes sewer overflows), Males of this species feature one large claw, displayed when they are ready to mate. They live in burrows along the river. the City of Norfolk and dozens more partners are working toward a goal scoop dog poop, encourage geese 5 - Square-backed Marsh Crab, Armases cinereum to make the Lafayette safe again for swimming and eating the once famous to migrate by not feeding them, and pump out your boat sewage. Note the rich purple color of this crab. It lives in the salt bushes in the highest elevations of the marsh. You see it climbing “Norfolk oyster” – by 2014. Our plan depends on you, for easy things around on bulkheads. you can do at home, school and work that make a big difference. A cleaner Find out how these 6 - Ghost Crab, Ocypode quadrata river starts with you. actions and more This crab burrows into beach sands. Beach habitat has mostly disappeared on the Lafayette, but this "ghost" is still to be can make you a star! found in patches of beach. To help make the Lafayette swimmable and fishable 7 - Atlantic Ribbed Mussel, Geukensia demissa RiverStarHomes.Org • 399-RIVR by 2014, visit ElizabethRiver.org and CBF.org This species is eaten in restaurants in other regions but joins banned shellfish here. The rib mussel secretes a thread to at- tach to other mussels, forming dense clumps that help stabilize the marsh.

BIRDS of the Lafayette Population: 113,058 8 - Canvas-back Duck, Aythya valisineria Size: 21 square mile “watershed” or These striking ducks, with red heads and white backs, spend the winter in the Lafayette after migrating here from colder land draining into the Lafayette regions of Canada. Populations are declining. Named for: Marquis de Lafayette, “Boy General” 9 - Green Heron, Butorides virescens of the American Revolution One of the smaller herons that feeds in shallows along the Lafayette. Commercial harvest 10 - Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nyctanassa violacea. of blue crabs in 2009: 54,588 pounds This distinctive bird is plentiful throughout the Lafayette River, nesting in tall pines. Fiddler crabs are a favorite diet. Number of commercial watermen: 3 Open harvest of oysters banned since: 11- Clapper rail, Rallus longirostris About 1925 Reason for ban: You don't see it a lot, but it's fairly common on the Lafayette. You know it's there more from its call, a harsh sound like Harmful bacteria clapping a stick along a rail. The clapper rail weaves wetland grasses together to nest in the marsh and feeds on snails Number of waterfront homes: 1,134 and fiddler crabs. Reason for state advisory against swimming: Harmful bacteria Special thanks to scientist Walter Priest, NOAA, for identifying the Suspected sources of bacteria: Pet and wild animal waste in stormwater runoff, wildlife of the Lafayette. aging sewer systems, boats pumping sewage directly in the river, and naturally occuring bacteria. A potential cause in your kitchen: Grease down the sink can clog sewer lines and cause an overflow No. 1 cause of low dissolved oxygen for fish: Harmful algal blooms (“red tide”) Sources of algal blooms: Excess nutrients from lawn fertilizing are a major source 7 8 9 10 11 Percent storm drains leading directly Name That Critter to the Lafayette with no filtering: 100 percent Fast Facts