Mill River Watershed Based Plan prepared by SEPTEMBER 2018 Acknowledgements We would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their contributions of time and effort to the development of this plan: Project Steering Committee Carl Amento, South Central Region Council of Governments Rebecca Andreucci, South Central Region Council of Governments Mark Austin, Hamden Town Engineer Bill Brown, Eli Whitney Museum Aaron Budris, Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments Kim Digiovanni, Quinnipiac University Sean Duffy, Quinnipiac University/Albert Schweitzer Institute Alex Felson, Director, Yale Urban Ecology & Design Mark Foran, Whitneyville Civic Association Dawn Henning, City of New Haven Engineering Daniel W. Kops, Hamden Town Planner Elsa Loehmann, Cheshire Land Trust JR Logan, Mill River Trail Advocates Chris Malik, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Connie Matheson, Whitneyville Civic Association Kevin McCarthy, Friends of East Rock Park/Mill River Trail Advocates Mary Mushinsky, River Advocates of South Central Connecticut Pamela Roach, Cheshire Land Trust Nancy Rosembalm, Hamden Land Trust Joy Vanderlek, Cheshire Land Trust Ron Walters, South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority Aicha Woods, New Haven City Planning Anthony Zemba, Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. Gary Zrelak, Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority Other Involved Stakeholders Gabe Benoit, Yale FES Professor, Hixon Center Director Rebecca Bombero, Director of New Haven Parks, Recreation, and Trees Lee Cruz, Community Foundation of Greater New Haven Matthew Davis, Town of Hamden Assistant Town Planner Kathy Fay, Neighborhood Housing Services Joe Gerhard, Author, Photographer: Mill River (2011) Aaron Goode, New Haven Green Fund Florence S. McBride, Filmmaker: The Mill River—Water and Wildlife Mill River Streamwalk Volunteers Nick Motmans, Cheshire Land Trust Suzanne Simone, Town of Cheshire Environmental Planner Town of Bethany Town of North Haven Town of Prospect Town of Wallingford Eliza Valk, Reed Hilderbrand Whitneyville Civic Association Giovanni Zinn, City Engineer, City of New Haven Mill River Watershed Based Plan Save the Sound/Connecticut Fund for the Environment Gwen Macdonald, Director of Green Projects Kevin Dahms, Green Infrastructure Project Manager Anna Marshall, Green Projects Associate Annalisa Paltauf, Green Project Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Davis, Mill River Watershed Coordinator Jon Vander Werff, Seasonal Fisheries Biologist Kendall Barberry, Emeritus Consultant – Fuss & O’Neill, Inc. Erik Mas, P.E; Julianne Busa, Ph.D.; Stefan Bengtson, MSc; Phil Cassidy Cover photos taken and provided by Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound Funding support for this plan was provided by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection through a U.S. EPA Clean Water Act Section 319 grant, a grant awarded to Connecticut Fund for the Environment from Connecticut Community Foundation, and The Watershed Fund of the Regional Water Authority. Mill River Watershed Based Plan Table of Contents Mill River Watershed Based Plan 1 Introduction ................................................................................ 5 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 Prior Watershed Planning .................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Why Develop a Watershed Plan? ..................................................................................... 12 1.4 Watershed Management Goals and Objectives ................................................................ 13 1.5 Plan Development Process ............................................................................................... 15 1.6 Public Participation and Outreach .................................................................................... 18 2 Watershed Characterization ................................................... 20 2.1 Watershed Description ..................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Water Quality ................................................................................................................... 20 2.3 Land Use and Land Cover ................................................................................................. 23 2.3.1 Land Cover................................................................................................................ 23 2.3.2 Land Use ................................................................................................................... 23 2.3.3 Historic Land Use ...................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Impervious Cover ............................................................................................................. 25 2.5 Open Space ...................................................................................................................... 26 2.6 Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................. 26 2.7 Wetlands and Endangered Species ................................................................................... 28 2.7.1 Wetlands .................................................................................................................. 28 2.7.2 Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Species .......................................... 28 2.8 Water Infrastructure ........................................................................................................ 28 2.8.1 Dams ........................................................................................................................ 28 2.8.2 Water Supply ............................................................................................................ 29 2.8.3 Wastewater .............................................................................................................. 29 2.8.4 Stormwater .............................................................................................................. 31 2.8.5 Flood Zones .............................................................................................................. 31 3 Management Recommendations .......................................... 33 3.1 Capacity Building/Plan Oversight ..................................................................................... 34 3.1.1 Establish a Framework and Lead Entity ................................................................... 34 3.1.2 Promote Inter-Municipal Coordination .................................................................... 37 3.1.3 Promote Regional Collaboration .............................................................................. 37 3.1.4 Identify and Pursue Funding .................................................................................... 38 3.1.5 Conduct Streamwalk Assessments ........................................................................... 38 3.1.6 Prepare and Implement Subwatershed Action Plans............................................... 41 3.2 Education and Outreach ................................................................................................... 43 3.2.1 Implement a Public Outreach Campaign.................................................................. 43 3.2.2 Homeowner Education and Outreach...................................................................... 49 3.2.3 Outreach to Municipalities and Volunteer Groups .................................................. 51 Mill River Watershed Based Plan i Table of Contents Mill River Watershed Based Plan 3.2.4 Outreach to Business Community ............................................................................ 52 3.2.5 Outreach to Institutional Property Owners ............................................................. 53 3.2.6 Promote Community Engagement Events ............................................................... 53 3.2.7 Promote Youth Education, Community Service, and Stewardship Programs .......... 53 3.2.8 Address Homeless Encampments ............................................................................ 54 3.3 Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment ...................................................................... 55 3.4 Urban/Suburban BMPs .................................................................................................... 59 3.4.1 Combined Sewer Overflows ..................................................................................... 59 3.4.2 Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development ............................................... 60 3.4.3 Residential Low Impact Development ..................................................................... 65 3.4.4 Municipal Stormwater Management Programs ....................................................... 69 3.4.5 Land Use Regulations ............................................................................................... 71 3.4.6 Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems ...................................................................... 77 3.4.7 Illicit Connections and Discharges ............................................................................ 81 3.4.8 Commercial and Industrial Land Use ....................................................................... 84 3.4.9 Wildlife