U.S. Environmental Protection Agency New England Region Boston, Massachusetts Ecological Characterization Of The Housatonic River September 2002 Environmental Remediation Contract General Electric (GE)/Housatonic River Project Pittsfield, Massachusetts Contract No. DACW33-94-D-0009/032 www.woodlotalt.com Ecological Characterization Of The Housatonic River September 2002 Prepared by Woodlot Alternatives, Inc. Topsham, Maine 04086 Prepared under EPA Contract No. DACW33-94-D-0009/032 with Weston Solutions, Inc. Prepared for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 Boston, Massachusetts TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page SECTION I INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ I-0 1.0 Introduction........................................................................................................ I-1 1.1 Purpose of Report......................................................................................... I-1 2.0 Report Organization........................................................................................... I-2 3.0 Relationship to Previous and Ongoing Studies.................................................. I-4 3.1 Previous Ecological Investigations .............................................................. I-4 3.1.1 Preliminary Wetland Characterization and FVA ................................. I-4 3.1.2 Preliminary Ecological Characterization ............................................. I-5 3.2 Risk Assessment Support............................................................................. I-6 3.2.1 Amphibian Reproductive Study........................................................... I-6 3.2.2 Wood Frog and Leopard Frog Collections........................................... I-6 3.2.3 Aquatic Macrophyte Sampling............................................................. I-7 3.2.4 Fish Tissue and Biomass Sampling...................................................... I-7 3.2.5 Waterfowl Collection and Tissue Sampling......................................... I-7 3.2.6 Soil Invertebrate Sampling................................................................... I-8 4.0 Literature Cited .................................................................................................. I-9 SECTION II STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION................................................................. II-0 1.0 Introduction....................................................................................................... II-1 2.0 Land Use Patterns and Population Trends........................................................ II-1 2.1 Historical Land Use Patterns and Population Trends.................................. II-1 2.2 Current Land Use Patterns and Population Trends ..................................... II-4 3.0 Biophysical Setting........................................................................................... II-5 3.1 Climate ........................................................................................................ II-6 3.2 Geology ....................................................................................................... II-6 3.2.1 Regional Geological Setting................................................................ II-6 3.2.2 Bedrock Geology................................................................................. II-7 3.2.3 Glacial Geology................................................................................... II-8 3.2.4 Soils..................................................................................................... II-8 3.3 Hydrology.................................................................................................. II-10 3.3.1 Ground Water.................................................................................... II-10 3.3.2 Surface Waters .................................................................................. II-10 3.4 Natural Communities ................................................................................ II-13 4.0 Reference Areas.............................................................................................. II-15 4.1 Hinsdale Flats State Wildlife Management Area...................................... II-15 4.2 October Mountain State Forest ................................................................. II-16 4.3 Ashley Lake............................................................................................... II-16 4.4 Threemile Pond State Wildlife Management Area ................................... II-17 5.0 Literature Cited ............................................................................................... II-18 SECTION III ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION.................................................III-0 Chapter 1 Natural Communities and Rare Plants .........................................................1-1 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Section Page 1.0 Introduction........................................................................................................1-1 2.0 Methods .............................................................................................................1-3 2.1 Background ..................................................................................................1-3 2.2 Literature review ..........................................................................................1-4 2.3 Aerial Photograph Interpretation..................................................................1-4 2.4 Field Surveys................................................................................................1-5 3.0 Natural Community Descriptions ......................................................................1-6 3.1 Lacustrine Communities ............................................................................1-17 3.2 Riverine Communities................................................................................1-17 3.3 Palustrine Communities .............................................................................1-18 3.4 Terrestrial Communities.............................................................................1-19 3.5 Rare Natural Communities and Plants .......................................................1-20 3.5.1 Rare Natural Communities.................................................................1-20 3.5.2 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants..........................................1-22 4.0 Developed Communities..................................................................................1-54 4.1 Agricultural Lands......................................................................................1-55 4.2 Residential, Commercial, and Public Development...................................1-55 4.3 Transportation ............................................................................................1-56 4.4 Recreational Facilities................................................................................1-56 5.0 Literature Cited ................................................................................................1-57 Chapter 2 Macroinvertebrates.......................................................................................2-1 1.0 Introduction........................................................................................................2-1 2.0 Methods .............................................................................................................2-1 2.1 Incidental Observations................................................................................2-1 2.2 Mussel Survey..............................................................................................2-1 2.3 Dragonfly Surveys........................................................................................2-3 2.3.1 Exuvia Collection.................................................................................2-3 2.3.2 Adult Collection ...................................................................................2-5 2.4 Vernal Pool Invertebrate Survey..................................................................2-6 2.5 Earthworm Sampling....................................................................................2-6 2.6 Terrestrial Litter Invertebrate Survey...........................................................2-6 3.0 Macroinvertebrate Community Descriptions.....................................................2-7 3.1 Aquatic Macroinvertebrates .........................................................................2-7 3.1.1 Mussels.................................................................................................2-7 3.1.2 Dragonflies.........................................................................................2-14 3.1.3 Vernal Pool Invertebrates...................................................................2-21 3.2 Terrestrial Macroinvertebrates ...................................................................2-38 3.2.1 Earthworms ........................................................................................2-38 3.2.2 Litter Invertebrates .............................................................................2-38 4.0 Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Macroinvertebrates..................................2-41 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Section Page 5.0 Literature Cited ................................................................................................2-47 Chapter 3 Fish...............................................................................................................3-1