The Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan
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The Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan Volume I of II Background, History and Watershed Description March 2004 Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan i. Foreword It is the distinct pleasure of the Sullivan County Soil and Water Conservation District to release Parts I and II of the Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan. After three years of teamwork by many dedicated individuals, the initial objectives of this undertaking have been reached, and the Management Plan has come together. Part I of the Management Plan will be a “reference manual” complete with graphs, tables, pictures, and facts about the stream. It will serve as a guide for broad-based in-depth studies of Chestnut Creek and its tributaries. Part II will be a condensed “field manual” that will serve as a quick guide for general information and will be able to be utilized in the field for application of on the ground work. It is the hope and desire of the Soil and Water Conservation District that this Management Plan will continue to grow and be updated with time. A plan such as this is never complete; it must be amended and updated continually as needs, suggestions, concerns, zoning, etc. change within the community. We sincerely hope that this plan will serve as a valuable reference tool for many years to come! Brian Brustman District Manager Sullivan County Soil & Water Conservation District February 2004 Front cover photo of Hilltop Road Bridge, 2001. Photo taken by Leslie Kirby, SCSWCD. 1 Forward Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan ii. Acknowledgements The creation of the Chestnut Creek Management Plan has been enabled by the concentrated efforts of many people, working as a team, over the past three years. Firstly, we appreciate the efforts of Lori Kerrigan, Leslie Kirby, and Brian Brustman, Sullivan County Soil and Water Conservation District (SCSWCD) staff, who helped oversee much of the field effort and the project coordination, and drafted many sections of this management plan. We recognize the contribution of our current Technical Assistant and former AmeriCorps, Barbara Barone, as well as past AmeriCorps, Derrick Kelly and seasonal field crews, especially Christina Falk, for undertaking the tedious process of documentation and data collection. We would also like to thank the NYC Department of Environmental Protection Stream Management Program (DEP SMP) staff for initiating this stewardship effort, and providing training and technical assistance and for their continued support, especially that of Sarah Miller, Beth Reichheld, Dan Davis, Phil Eskeli, and Beth Gelber. We wish to thank the Chestnut Creek Project Advisory Committee, a team of 35 who are identified in Section 2.0. We especially appreciate the participation of Russel Scheirer who has actively served as liaison to and representative of the landowners on the PAC, with co-representative Carol Smythe, Town Historian who volunteered time and information for the historical section of the plan. We recognize local organizations such as the Beaver Dam Club, the Grahamsville Rod and Gun Club, Sullivan County Community College Geology Department, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Fisheries and Habitat divisions, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County (CCE) and DEP Division of Water Quality Control (Grahamsville), for their written contributions to the stream management plan. We would like to acknowledge the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) for providing support for the Demonstration Restoration Project. We also recognize the cooperation of Town Supervisor Georgianna Lepke in helping make this effort a reality for the Chestnut Creek Watershed. We appreciate Gary VanValkenburg and the Town of Neversink Highway Department for lending equipment and operators for restoration projects along the Chestnut Creek. We want to thank Barbara Restaino, landscape architect, who also put in many volunteer hours to help design and implement the Demonstration Project. We are grateful for the advice and guidance of Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and CCE. We also thank Crystal Falls Farm for supplying so many of the materials needed for the project. We wish to acknowledge Integrated River Solutions (IRS) for the effort they have expended to better the restoration project. A special thanks is extended to both IRS and Clear Creeks Consulting for providing recommendations and analysis for the stream management plan and management units. We recognize the contribution of the staff of the Sullivan County SWCD who showed great support for their colleagues throughout the development of the plan and the completion of the Grahamsville Town Hall demonstration project in Fall 2003 This stream management plan would not have been possible without its funders, and we thank the DEP SMP through the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (WRDA), WAC, and the US Army Corps of Engineers under the Watershed Environmental Assistance Program. Acknowledgments 2 Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan iii. Table of Contents The Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan Volume I – Reference Manual Background, History and Watershed Description Section Page i. Foreword 1 ii. Acknowledgments 2 iii. Table of Contents 3 iv. List of Figures and Tables 6 I. Introduction and Purpose 8 A. Introduction: What is a Stream Management Plan for the Chestnut Creek? 9 B. Purpose: Why Develop a Management Plan for the Chestnut Creek? 9 C. Goals and Objectives for this Management Plan 11 1. Flooding and Erosion Threats 2. Water Quality 3. Ecological Health 4. Coordination D. Guide to Using this Stream Management Plan 13 E. Methodology used to Accomplish Goals 13 1. Existing Information 2. Watershed Assessment II. Project Partners 20 A. Introduction 21 B. Chestnut Creek Stakeholders 22 C. Project Advisory Committee (PAC) Members List 23 III. Introduction to Stream Processes and Ecology 26 A. Streams 101 27 1. Stream Hydrology and Stream Flow 2. Stream Formation 3. Stream Dynamics 3 Table of Contents Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan B. Stream and Riparian Ecology 31 1. Habitat: Inside and Out 2. Water Quality 3. Conclusions C. Stream Morphology and Classification 33 1. Stream flow (Q) 2. Slope (S) 3. Channel average depth (d) 4. Channel width (w) 5. Channel roughness (n) 6. Sinuosity (k) 7. Radius of curvature (Rc) 8. Sediment size (D50) 9. Bank Cohesiveness 10. Sediment discharge (Qs) 11. Entrenchment D. Applying the Science of Stream Form and Function to Stream Management 37 IV. Chestnut Creek Watershed Description 40 A. Community History and Current Conditions 41 1. Background 2. Recreational Opportunities in Chestnut Creek 3. A History of the Beaver Dam Club 4. Grahamsville Rod and Gun Club B. Physical Stream and Valley Characteristics 54 1. Geology 55 a. Introduction b. Physiography c. Chestnut Creek Geology 2. Hydrology and Flood History 60 a. Introduction b. Chestnut Creek Statistics c. Streamflow d. Chestnut Creek Flood History e. Conclusion 3. Riparian Vegetation Issues in Stream Management 66 a. Natural Disturbance and its Effects on Riparian Vegetation b. Human Disturbance and its Effects on Riparian Vegetation c. Invasive plants and Riparian Vegetation d. Forest History and Composition in the Chestnut Creek Watershed 4. Water Quality and Ecological Health 76 Table of Contents 4 Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan a. Chestnut Creek Fisheries Management b. Chestnut Creek Surface Water Monitoring c. Chestnut Creek Biomonitoring Results 5. Public Infrastructure Concerns and Interests 89 a. Concerns by Management Unit b. General Concerns 6. Landowner Concerns and Interests 95 V. Glossary of Terms 98 Italicized words are defined within the Glossary at the end of each Volume. VI. Appendices 108 A. Chestnut Creek Landowner Survey, 2001. B. Landowner Survey Results. C. Chestnut Creek News meeting minutes. 5 Table of Contents Chestnut Creek Stream Management Plan iv. List of Figures and Tables Figures by Section III. Introduction to Stream Processes and Ecology Figure 1. Diagram of a watershed. Figure 2. Stream types from Rosgen, 1996. IV. Chestnut Creek Watershed Description A. Community History and Current Conditions Figure 1. Breakdown of Occupation, Town of Neversink Census 2000. Figure 2. Town of Neversink Timeline B. Physical Stream and Valley Characteristics 1. Geology Figure 1. Catskill Mountains, N.Y. Figure 2. Surficial Geology of Chestnut Creek, Neversink, N.Y. 2. Hydrology and Flood History Figure 1. Stream gage height hydrograph for USGS 01365500, Chestnut Creek at Grahamsville, from July 31, 2003 to August 7, 2003. Figure 2. Stream discharge (cfs) hydrograph for USGS 01365500, Chestnut Creek at Grahamsville, from July 31, 2003 to August 7, 2003. Figure 3. Daily discharge of Chestnut Creek from August 1, 2002 to August 1, 2003. Figure 4. Annual maximum stream flow at USGS 01365500, Chestnut Creek at Grahamsville, for the period of record, 1939 - 2001. 4. Water Quality a. Chestnut Creek Surface Water Monitoring Figure 1. Median conductivity in Chestnut and surrounding streams. Figure 2. Median chloride concentration in Chestnut and surrounding streams. Figure 3. Median turbidity in Chestnut and surrounding streams. Figure 4. Median fecal coliform concentrations in Chestnut and surrounding streams. Figure 5. Median dissolved oxygen concentration in Chestnut and surrounding streams. Figure 6. Median phosphorous concentration in Chestnut and surrounding streams. b. Chestnut Creek Biomonitoring Figure 1. Aerial photograph locations of DEP stream biomonitoring sites on Chestnut Creek. List of Figures