RAPPFLOW Currents 2005
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People, Land, and Water of the Upper Thornton River Watershed: a Model for Countywide Watershed Management Planning
People, land, and water of the Upper Thornton River Watershed: A model for countywide watershed management planning Final Report to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation RappFLOW Grant #2005-0001-039 Prepared by Beverly Hunter, Project Director [email protected] Phone: 540 937-4038 This report is available in pdf format from www.rappflow.org November 29, 2006 12/18/2006 1 Introduction Rappahannock Friends and Lovers of Our Watershed (RappFLOW) is a group of volunteers founded in the summer of 2002. We work with many partner organizations as well as local leaders, landowners, and other stakeholders to help preserve, protect and restore the watersheds and water quality in Rappahanock County, Virginia. In this report, we provide highlights of the results, lessons learned and progress made from March 2005 through November 2006 in the project “People, land, and water of the Upper Thornton River Watershed: A model for countywide watershed management planning.” This project was funded in part by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, the County of Rappahannock, nonprofit organizations, and private donors. Several state agencies provided technical assistance and training. Rappahannock County is a rural, scenic county with a population of about 7,000 at the headwaters of the Rappahannock River Basin. Seven hundred and fifty-five (755) stream miles in 1,010 stream segments (National Hydrology Database 2005), many on steep slopes, crisscross our land area of about 267 square miles. The northwestern boundary is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Shenandoah National Park. The Rappahannock River forms the northeastern boundary with Fauquier County. -
Brook Trout Outcome Management Strategy
Brook Trout Outcome Management Strategy Introduction Brook Trout symbolize healthy waters because they rely on clean, cold stream habitat and are sensitive to rising stream temperatures, thereby serving as an aquatic version of a “canary in a coal mine”. Brook Trout are also highly prized by recreational anglers and have been designated as the state fish in many eastern states. They are an essential part of the headwater stream ecosystem, an important part of the upper watershed’s natural heritage and a valuable recreational resource. Land trusts in West Virginia, New York and Virginia have found that the possibility of restoring Brook Trout to local streams can act as a motivator for private landowners to take conservation actions, whether it is installing a fence that will exclude livestock from a waterway or putting their land under a conservation easement. The decline of Brook Trout serves as a warning about the health of local waterways and the lands draining to them. More than a century of declining Brook Trout populations has led to lost economic revenue and recreational fishing opportunities in the Bay’s headwaters. Chesapeake Bay Management Strategy: Brook Trout March 16, 2015 - DRAFT I. Goal, Outcome and Baseline This management strategy identifies approaches for achieving the following goal and outcome: Vital Habitats Goal: Restore, enhance and protect a network of land and water habitats to support fish and wildlife, and to afford other public benefits, including water quality, recreational uses and scenic value across the watershed. Brook Trout Outcome: Restore and sustain naturally reproducing Brook Trout populations in Chesapeake Bay headwater streams, with an eight percent increase in occupied habitat by 2025. -
Appendix – Priority Brook Trout Subwatersheds Within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Appendix – Priority Brook Trout Subwatersheds within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Appendix Table I. Subwatersheds within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that have a priority score ≥ 0.79. HUC 12 Priority HUC 12 Code HUC 12 Name Score Classification 020501060202 Millstone Creek-Schrader Creek 0.86 Intact 020501061302 Upper Bowman Creek 0.87 Intact 020501070401 Little Nescopeck Creek-Nescopeck Creek 0.83 Intact 020501070501 Headwaters Huntington Creek 0.97 Intact 020501070502 Kitchen Creek 0.92 Intact 020501070701 East Branch Fishing Creek 0.86 Intact 020501070702 West Branch Fishing Creek 0.98 Intact 020502010504 Cold Stream 0.89 Intact 020502010505 Sixmile Run 0.94 Reduced 020502010602 Gifford Run-Mosquito Creek 0.88 Reduced 020502010702 Trout Run 0.88 Intact 020502010704 Deer Creek 0.87 Reduced 020502010710 Sterling Run 0.91 Reduced 020502010711 Birch Island Run 1.24 Intact 020502010712 Lower Three Runs-West Branch Susquehanna River 0.99 Intact 020502020102 Sinnemahoning Portage Creek-Driftwood Branch Sinnemahoning Creek 1.03 Intact 020502020203 North Creek 1.06 Reduced 020502020204 West Creek 1.19 Intact 020502020205 Hunts Run 0.99 Intact 020502020206 Sterling Run 1.15 Reduced 020502020301 Upper Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek 1.07 Intact 020502020302 Kersey Run 0.84 Intact 020502020303 Laurel Run 0.93 Reduced 020502020306 Spring Run 1.13 Intact 020502020310 Hicks Run 0.94 Reduced 020502020311 Mix Run 1.19 Intact 020502020312 Lower Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek 1.13 Intact 020502020403 Upper First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek 0.96 -
Most Effective Basins Funding Allocations Rationale May 18, 2020
Most Effective Basins Funding Allocations Rationale May 18, 2020 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Chesapeake Bay Program Office Most Effective Basins Funding In the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Appropriations Conference Report, an increase to the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) Budget was provided in the amount of $6 million for “state-based implementation in the most effective basins.” This document describes the methodology EPA followed to establish the most effective use of these funds and the best locations for these practices to be implemented to make the greatest progress toward achieving water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay. The most effective basins to reduce the effects of excess nutrient loading to the Bay were determined considering two factors: cost effectiveness and load effectiveness. Cost effectiveness was considered as a factor to assure these additional funds result in state-based implementation of practices that achieve the greatest benefit to water quality overall. It was evaluated by looking at what the jurisdictions have reported in their Phase III Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) as the focus of their upcoming efforts, and by looking at the average cost per pound of reduction for BMP implementation by sector. Past analyses of cost per pound of reduction have shown that reducing nitrogen is less costly by far than reducing phosphorus1. Based on that fact, EPA determined that the focus of this evaluation would be to target nitrogen reductions in the watershed. Evaluating the load reduction targets in all the jurisdictions’ Phase III WIPs shows that the agricultural sector is targeted for 86 percent of the overall reductions identified to meet the 2025 targets collectively set by the jurisdictions. -
The Lower Rush River Subwatershed in Rappahannock County, Virginia
The Lower Rush River Subwatershed in Rappahannock County, Virginia A subwatershed analysis and goals prepared by RappFLOW Volunteers and Partners. This work is supported in part by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. WORKING DRAFT September 9, 2006 Landowners, community leaders, and conservation experts are invited to help complete this analysis and provide vision for the future. Please give comments and suggestions to Beverly Hunter (540) 937-4744 [email protected] RappFLOW volunteers collecting water samples in Rush River in July 2006. Photo by Ellie Clark. Lower Rush Subwatershed DRAFT 1 September 5, 2006 Table of Contents The Lower Rush River Subwatershed in Rappahannock County, Virginia.......................................................................................................................................... 1 1) Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2) Overview.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Purposes.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... -
Easygrants ID: 18695 NFWF/Legacy Grant Project ID: 0603.09.018695
Easygrants ID: 18695 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NFWF/Legacy Grant Project ID: 0603.09.018695 Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grants 2009 - Submit Final Programmatic Report (Activities) Grantee Organization: Trout Unlimited, Inc. Project Title: Thornton River Dam Removal (VA) Project Period 09/01/2009 - 12/31/2010 Award Amount $72,933.00 Matching Contributions $18,460.00 Project Location Description (from Proposal) The project site is approximately 1 km downstream of the confluence of the North Fork and South Fork of the Thornton River on the main stem Thornton River, in Sperryville, VA. Project Summary (from Proposal) Removed an aging four foot high, 80 foot long dam on the Thornton River that blocks fish migration. Project allowed four species of diadromous fish that formerly migrated into the Rappahannock watershed to access 93 kilometers of high quality upstream habitat. Summary of Accomplishments Trout Unlimited has met all objectives stated for the Thornton River Dam Removal Project. In December 2009, the dam was removed from the Thornton River by contractors using heavy equipment. The old dam material was buried offsite in the floodplain and incorporated into the two constructed floodplains that were made. Two large rock vanes using quarry stone were constructed as designed spanning the river channel and both active floodplains. Woody debris was incorporated into the rock vanes, which were tied into the floodplain elevation. The old mill raceway located between the dam and the old Fletcher’s Mill was blocked with large rock and material to eliminate the threat of a channel avulsion. A constructed wetland was created on the east margin on the upstream constructed floodplain. -
The Nature Conservancy's Watershed Approach To
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY’S WATERSHED APPROACH TO COMPENSATION PLANNING FOR THE VIRGINIA AQUATIC RESTORATION TRUST FUND December 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE: THE NATURE CONSERVANCY’S CONSERVATION BY DESIGN .... 2 Background ..................................................................................................................... 2 The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation By Design ..................................................... 3 Element I: Geographic service area delineation ............................................................ 4 Elements ii, iii and iv: Threats Assessment ................................................................... 8 Elements v and vi: Aquatic resource goals / objectives and a prioritization strategy.. 10 Element xii. Satisfying Criteria for Use of Preservation ............................................. 13 Element viii. A description of any public and private stakeholder involvement in the plan ................................................................................................................................ 13 Element ix. Long-term protection and management strategies ................................... 15 Element x. Monitoring and Evaluating Progress .......................................................... 15 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 17 PART II. OVERVIEW OF ECOREGIONAL PRIORITY CONSERVATION AREAS BY DEQ/CORPS SERVICE AREAS ............................................................................. -
Upper Hazel River TMDL Implementation Plan 1
Upper Hazel River Bacteria Total Maximum Daily Load Plan Technical Report Submitted to: Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Prepared by: Engineering Concepts, Inc. Submitted: June 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLES ..........................................................................................................................................3 FIGURES.........................................................................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................4 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.....................................................................................................5 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 5 Review of TMDL Study ............................................................................................................. 6 Public Participation..................................................................................................................... 6 Implementation Actions.............................................................................................................. 7 Measurable Goals and Milestones for Attaining Water Quality Standards................................ 8 Stakeholder’s Roles and Responsibilities .................................................................................. -
Geologic Map of the Shenandoah National Park Region, Virginia
Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service Geologic Map of the Shenandoah National Park Region, Virginia By Scott Southworth, John N. Aleinikoff, Christopher M. Bailey, William C. Burton, E.A. Crider, Paul C. Hackley, Joseph P. Smoot, and Richard P. Tollo Open-File Report 2009–1153 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2009 Revised and reprinted: 2009 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Suggested citation: Southworth, Scott, Aleinikoff, J.N., Bailey, C.M., Burton, W.C., Crider, E.A., Hackley, P.C., Smoot, J.P., and Tollo, R.P., 2009, Geologic map of the Shenandoah National Park region Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009–1153, 96 p., 1 plate, scale 1:100,000. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. ii Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................... -
Drainage Areas of Selected Streams in Virginia
Prepared in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Drainage Areas of Selected Streams in Virginia Open-File Report 2006–1308 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Drainage Areas of Selected Streams in Virginia By Donald C. Hayes and Ute Wiegand Prepared in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Open-File Report 2006–1308 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior Dirk A. Kempthorne, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2006 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Hayes, D.C., and Wiegand, Ute, 2006, Drainage areas of selected streams in Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Open- File Report 2006–1308, 51 p., available online at http://pubs.water.usgs.gov/ofr2006-1308 iii Contents -
Hazel River Success Story
Implementing Best Management Practices and Other Restoration Efforts to Improve the Quality of Streams in the Upper Hazel Watershed Impaired Waterbody Improved: The Hazel River watershed covers approximately 225,990 acres and includes the Hughes, Rush, Thornton and Hazel Rivers (Figure 1). The Hazel River originates in Rappahannock County and continues downstream to its confluence with the Rappahannock River. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) first listed the Hazel River and its tributaries on Virginia’s 303(d) list of impaired waters for violations of the bacteria water quality standard in 2002 and 2004. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) study was completed to address these impairments in 2007. In June 2009, a TMDL Implementation Plan (IP) was completed, followed by a 319 grant funded implementation project that began in July 2009. Additionally, this project has been awarded a Section 319(h) funds for implementation through June 2019. To reduce bacteria loadings, various agricultural and residential best management practices (BMPs) have been employed; through a mix of 319(h) and other federal, state, landowner, and private foundation funds and incentives. Implementing agricultural and septic system BMPS on the ground and providing sewer service to approximately 98 households/businesses in the Rush River watershed has reduced bacterial inputs both from point and non-point sources. Stream quality is beginning to respond to these efforts, as can be seen in Figure 2 and Figure 3. Figure 1. Map of the Upper Hazel River TMDL IP Watershed. Cleaning up the Hazel: The Actions of Many Even before the IP was developed, diverse partnerships formed to address the impaired streams in the area. -
Table 1. Study Sites and Their Identifying Information. [DD
Table 1. Study sites and their identifying information. [DD, decimal degrees; mi2, square miles; --, not determined] Station number Station description Latitude (DD) Longitude (DD) Drainage area Long-term continuous record stations 01484800 Guy Creek at Route 606 near Nassawadox, Va. 37.503745 -75.872432 1.9 01613900 Hogue Creek at Route 614 near Hayfield, Va. 39.214548 -78.288059 15.9 01614830 Opequon Creek at Route 11 near Stephens City, Va. 39.108995 -78.205001 15.2 01615000 Opequon Creek above Route 7 near Berryville, Va. 39.174722 -78.078333 58.2 01615500 Abrams Creek at railroad bridge at Winchester, Va. 39.163993 -78.170556 5.89 01616000 Abrams Creek above Route 659 near Winchester, Va. 39.177882 -78.085833 17 01616100 Dry Marsh Run at Route 645 near Berryville, Va. 39.192592 -78.068631 11 01620500 North River above Forest Road near Stokesville, Va. 38.335000 -79.239167 17.3 01621050 Muddy Creek at Route 726 at Mount Clinton, Va. 38.486790 -78.960307 14.3 01622000 North River along Route 693 near Burketown, Va. 38.340405 -78.913639 376 01624000 Bell Creek at Route 732 at Franks Mill near Staunton, Va. 38.219574 -79.109476 9.81 01624300 Middle River at Route 742 near Verona, Va. 38.243463 -79.035307 179 01624800 Christians Creek at Route 794 near Fishersville, Va. 38.128467 -78.994471 73 01625000 Middle River at Route 769 near Grottoes, Va. 38.261796 -78.861970 373 01625900 Back Creek at Route 624 at Lyndhurst, Va. 38.029026 -78.932524 40.8 01626000 South River at Route 664 near Waynesboro, Va.