1 Watershed Assessment Basics Emily Vail Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation NYS Water Resources Institute at Cornell University August 1, 2016 2 Presentation Outline . Hudson River Estuary Program . Why watershed planning? . What does a watershed assessment include? . What are the key steps? . Case Study: Quassaick Creek . What can you do next? Photo by Riverkeeper 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 Hudson River Estuary Watershed . Hudson River Estuary watershed = 5,300 mi2 . Saw Kill Creek watershed = 22 mi2 New York City 5 Watershed issues – Water Quality . Sediment . Nutrients . Heavy metals . Road salt . Sewage . Pesticides . Oil and grease . Trash Photo by Liz LoGiudice 6 Watershed issues – Water Quantity . Flooding . Erosion . Droughts . Low base flow in streams Photos by Liz LoGiudice 7 Watershed issues – Habitat . Aquatic connectivity . Terrestrial connectivity . Invasive species Photo by Saw Kill Watershed Community 8 Watershed issues – Trends Map from Dutchess County NRI . Development . Climate change . Watershed resiliency 9 Why watershed planning? . Brings together stakeholders . Consolidates information . Creates a shared vision, builds consensus . Unified approach across the watershed . Identifies strategies & projects . Helps justify grants and other funding Photo by Saw Kill Watershed Community 10 Watershed Plans and Assessments Hudson River Watershed Alliance - Examples of watershed plans Casperkill Creek Quassaick Creek Map courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County 11 Types of watershed plans . Comprehensive watershed plan . Example: Quassaick Creek . Focus on particular subwatershed or issue . Example: Lower Esopus Creek River Reconnaissance Report . Geomorphology, flooding 12 What are the key steps? . Delineate a watershed (appropriate scale) . Bring together stakeholders . Collect & compile data . Prioritize issues . Create goals . Specify actions . Implement the plan! . Measure progress and adapt if necessary 13 Delineate a watershed . Saw Kill watershed . 22 mi2 . 4 municipalities (1 county) . USGS watershed delineations (1 HUC 12) . DEC waterbody segments (1 segment in the Priority Waterbodies List) 14 Bring together stakeholders . Municipalities . Government agencies . Academic institutions . Non-profits . City and regional planners . Community groups . Property-owners . Businesses . Residents Photo from Hudson River Watershed Alliance 15 Collect & compile data . Physical characteristics . Topography, geology, soils, subwatersheds . Land use/land cover . Forests, wetlands, farmlands, development 16 Collect & compile data . Water resources/stream condition . Streams, lakes, wetlands, aquifers . Water quality, water quantity, floodplains, riparian buffers . Water infrastructure . Wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, dams, culverts . Habitat and biodiversity . Aquatic, terrestrial 17 Collect & compile data . Demographics & other social data . Historic or cultural sites, access . Local laws and municipal programs . Code and ordinance review . Existing plans . Pg. 22 – Useful mapping data People are important resources, too! 18 Where does the data go? . Maps . Charts Watershed characterization . Graphs report . Narrative 19 Where does the data go? 20 Prioritize issues & identify gaps . Are there priority locations or issues to focus on? . What additional information is needed? Photo by Saw Kill Watershed Community 21 Moving from assessing to planning . What actions will improve conditions? . Watershed vision -> more specific goals -> objectives . Each project should have specific location, partners and (ideally) funding source identified . Implement the plan! 22 Measure progress and adapt . What are you measuring? (indicators) . How do you know if conditions are improving? . Adaptive management . Assessment can provide baseline 23 Warning! . Don’t discount stakeholders . Don’t be overly general . Don’t take on too much, too quickly . Don’t keep the document on the shelf . Don’t spend all your energy on planning 24 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) 25 Quassaick Creek Case Study Quassaick Creek Watershed Management Recommendations 26 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 27 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 28 What you can do . What is your goal? . Review existing watershed assessments . 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? 29 In summary… . Watershed planning helps come to consensus on strategic next steps to improve watershed health . 1st step - watershed assessment and characterization . Depends on local priorities . Grants & other resources available 30 Thank You! . Emily Vail Connect with us: . Watershed Outreach Specialist Facebook: www.facebook.com/NYSDEC Twitter: twitter.com/NYSDEC . Hudson River Estuary Program Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nysdec . [email protected] . (845) 256-3145 .