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Watershed Planning Basics Emily Vail Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation NYS Water Resources Institute at Cornell University
May 19, 2016 2
Presentation Outline
. Hudson River Estuary Program . Regional watershed issues . Why watershed planning? . What does a watershed plan look like? . What are the key steps? . Case Studies: Quassaick Creek & Wappinger Creek . What can you do next? 3
Hudson River Estuary Program Six Benefits: . Clean water . Resilient communities . Vital estuary ecosystem . Estuary fish, wildlife, and their habitats . Scenic river landscape . Education, river access, recreation, and inspiration 4 Albany Catskill Hudson River Creek Estuary Watershed . Hudson River Estuary watershed = 5,300 mi2
. Catskill Creek watershed = 415 mi2 (3rd largest sub-watershed)
New York City 5
What is a watershed?
. The land area that drains to a common body of water . Geographic feature . Includes political, and social boundaries . Scalable
Map courtesy of Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District 6
What is a watershed?
. The land area that drains to a common body of water . Geographic feature . Includes political, and social boundaries . Scalable
Map courtesy of Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District 7 Watershed Assessments and Plans
Map courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County 8
Why watershed planning?
. Protect healthy streams . Restore impaired waters . Drinking water, swimming, fishing, recreation, wildlife, scenery, flooding…
Photo by Larry Federman 9
Watershed issues – Water Quality
. Sediment . Nutrients . Heavy metals . Road salt . Sewage . Pesticides . Oil and grease
. Trash Photo by Liz LoGiudice 10
Watershed issues – Water Quantity
. Flooding . Erosion . Droughts . Low base flow in streams
Photos by Liz LoGiudice 11
Watershed issues – Habitat
. Aquatic connectivity . Terrestrial connectivity . Invasive species 12
Watershed issues Hurricane Irene - – Trends Photos by Liz LoGiudice . Development . Climate change . Watershed resiliency 13
Why watershed planning?
. Brings together stakeholders (including municipalities) . Consolidates information . Unified approach, communities work together across the watershed . Creates a shared vision, builds consensus . Identifies strategies & projects Photo by Liz LoGiudice . Helps justify grants and other funding 14
Types of watershed plans
. Total Maximum Daily Load – TMDL/303(d) list . Reduce loads of a pollutant in impaired watersheds . Example: Chesapeake Bay
. EPA 9 element watershed plan . Similar to TMDL, but more of a planning process . Example: Genesee River 15
Types of watershed plans
. DOS watershed plan . Example: Quassaick Creek
. Can focus on particular subwatershed or issue . Example: Lower Esopus Creek River Reconnaissance Report . Geomorphic assessment, flooding Map from Lower Esopus Creek River Reconnaissance Report Appendix 16
At the end of the planning process…
. Group of stakeholders on board to work on issues/priorities . Maps and other representations of existing information . Understand information gaps . Prioritized, specific, and strategic actions to improve watershed health 17
Priorities from Catskill Creek Summit (10/15/15)
Opportunities: Challenges: . Recreation . Flooding, erosion, . Education sedimentation . Tourism . Education . Habitat protection . Protecting habitat . Planning, zoning, . Infrastructure comprehensive plans 18
What are the key steps?
. Delineate a watershed (appropriate scale) . Bring together stakeholders . Compile existing data . Prioritize issues . Create goals . Specify actions . Implement the plan! . Measure progress and adapt if necessary 19
Delineate a watershed
. Catskill Creek watershed . ~40 miles long, 415 mi2 watershed . 16 municipalities . 4 counties . USGS watershed delineations . DEC waterbody segments Map courtesy Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District 20
Bring together stakeholders . Municipalities . Government agencies . Academic institutions . Non-profits . City and regional planners . Community groups . Property-owners . Businesses
. Developers Photo from Hudson River Watershed Alliance 21
Compile existing data . Physical characteristics . Water quality . Water quantity People are important . Land use/land cover resources, too! . Habitat . Water infrastructure . Demographics & other social data . Local laws . Previous plans 22
Identify gaps & prioritize issues
. What additional information is needed? . Can use planning process to conduct studies or have a priority project in the plan to address the needs . Are there priority locations or issues to focus on?
Photo by Liz LoGiudice 23
Specify actions to improve conditions
. Watershed vision -> more specific goals -> objectives . Each project should have specific location, partners and (ideally) funding source identified . Implement the plan! 24
Measure progress and adapt
. What are you measuring? (indicators) . How do you know if conditions are improving? . Adaptive management
Photo by Liz LoGiudice 25
Warning!
. Don’t discount stakeholders . Don’t be overly general . Don’t take on too much, too quickly . Don’t keep the plan on the shelf . Don’t spend all your energy on planning 26
Don’t wait for a plan!
. Trees for Tribs . Culvert Project . Implement green infrastructure . Natural Resource Inventories . Climate Smart Communities . Water quality assessments with WAVE Trees for Tribs at Bayard Elsbree Park . Community clean ups 27
Quassaick Creek Case Study . 56 mi2 . 2 counties and 5 munis . Funding - DOS, Orange County Water Authority . Watershed Management Plan . 54 recommendations . 10 priority actions . 2 year process (2012-2014) 28
Quassaick Creek Case Study
Quassaick Creek Watershed Management Recommendations 29
What can we learn from the Quassaick?
. High-capacity advisory committee . Municipalities participated, planning depts from both counties . Leveraged funds to fill gaps . Plan is specific . Plan is being implemented . Quassaick Creek Watershed Alliance continued their work 30 Wappinger Creek Case Study
• 210 mi2 • Dutchess County – 12 municipalities • Rural, suburban, & urban land use
The headwaters of the Creek at Thompson Pond, Pine Plains, NY
The mouth of the Creek at the DUTCHESS COUNTY New Hamburg Train Station 31
Wappinger Lake • NYS 303d list of impaired waterbodies • TMDL = Total Maximum Daily Load
Wappinger Lake 32 Wappinger Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council • Began as Wappinger Creek Watershed Planning Committee (1995) • Natural Resource Mgmt Plan (1995-1999) • Water quality study: (Summer 97 – Spring 2000) • Community Leadership Alliance (May 1999) Participants of the CLA Meeting – May 1999 • Formed Intermunicipal Council (first meeting 1/2001, signed IMA 6/2004) 33 Structure Recognition by Senator Gipson Council Membership and Assemblywoman Barrett . 2 representatives per member municipality (Supervisor/Mayor & other) . One vote per member municipality (13) . Ex-officio & Volunteer members(non-voting) • CCEDC, DCSWCD, County Planning, HREP, etc… . Meets Quarterly Working Group . Advisory & Volunteer Committee . Meets monthly Bylaws . Establish a chair, vice-chair & secretary Tree for Tribs Planting at Greenvale Park, Goals Poughkeepsie, NY 34 Accomplishments • Better Site Design Roundtables • Stakeholder Survey of municipal leaders and residents with Cornell University faculty . on beliefs, perceptions and practices related to water quality Educating residents at the Picnic in the • Wappinger Creek Week & Watershed Awareness Park celebration Month 2009 – 2012 Monitoring in • Outreach materials, publications & presentations Hunns Lake Creek • Monitoring Study of stream temperature in tributaries • Designation of Inland Waterway • Shared Service Grants • DOS Local Waterfront Revitalization Grant 35
Resources
. Hudson River Estuary Program – Grants and technical assistance . NYS Dept of State – guidebook . EPA – Occasional grants, resources . Hudson River Watershed Alliance - Examples of watershed plans . Center for Watershed Protection - Resources on planning 36
What you can do
. What is your goal? . Review existing watershed plans . Model to replicate? Lessons learned? . Who should be at the table? . What issues are most important in your watershed? . What data are available? . Where are there existing plans? . Where are there gaps? 37
In summary…
. Watershed planning brings people together, helps come to consensus on strategic next steps to improve watershed health . Depends on local priorities . Grants & other resources available Photo by Jeff Anzevino 38
Thank You!
. Emily Vail . Carolyn Klocker . Watershed Outreach Specialist . Sr. Water Resource Educator . Hudson River Estuary Program . Cornell Cooperative Extension . [email protected] Dutchess County . (845) 256-3145 . [email protected] . 845-677-8223, ext. 135 Connect with us: Facebook: www.facebook.com/NYSDEC Twitter: twitter.com/NYSDEC Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nysdec