NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION AMERICAN RECOVERY & REINVESTMENT ACT GREEN PROJECT RESERVE APPLICATION Respectfully Submitted May 28, 2009 to Utah Division of Water Quality Shelly Andrews 801-538-6516, [email protected] 288 North 1460 West, 3rd Floor, Cannon Bldg; PO Box 144870 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4870 OGDEN RIVER RESTORATION Applicant: Ogden City 133 West 29th St., Ogden, Utah 84401 Applicant is a municipal government agency, TAX ID # D30467 Project and recipient are both located in Utah’s 1st Congressional District. Congressman Rob Bishop CONTACT: Mayor Mathew Godfrey Keith Morey, Community Development Manager 801-629-8941 [email protected] ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: RiverRestoration.Org Jason Carey, PE / Principal 970-947-9568 [email protected] Caroline Bradford, Project Coordinator 970-827-4203 [email protected] BRIEF PROJECT SUMMARY: The Ogden River restoration will create robust stream health in 5,500 feet of the Ogden River. Restoration will be sustained through balancing the channel's function with the nonpoint source pollution from existing hydromodification. The restoration includes a 17 acre riparian corridor easement, flow releases, habitat monitoring and a 50 year maintenance plan. Restoration also anticipates buffering stormwater discharge from future development and appropriately concentrating recreation access. LEVERAGED MATCH $3,250,000 FUNDS REQUESTED $4,000,000 TOTAL PROJECT COST $7,250,000 Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary …….…………………………………… 5 Section 1 Grant Purpose .……..….……………………………………..… 7 Section 2 Project Costs Summary ………………………………………… 9 Section 3 Scope of Project …………………………………………………… 15 Section 4 Timeframe/milestones ………………………………………… 23 Section 5 Location of Project ……………………………………………… 25 Section 6 Waterbody Affected …………………………………………… 27 Section 7 Purpose and Need ………………………………………………. 31 Section 8 Surface Water Problem ………………………………………. 33 Section 9 Benefits To Water Quality / Load Reductions ………. 41 Section 10 Project Plans and Specifications …………………………. 43 Section 11 Agency Personnel Participation …………………………… 47 Section 12 Compliance with NPS/ARRA ………………………………. 49 APPENDICES A Probable Opinion of Cost Estimates B Monitoring Plan C Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan D Signature Page / DWQ Project Ranking ATTACHMENTS (Bound separately) Construction Drawings Preliminary Revised Flood Insurance Maps Engineering Report (available electronically) Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 3 Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An opportunity currently exists to improve stream health of the Ogden River by taking a holistic approach to redevelopment in Ogden City--starting with the river. The Ogden River runs through an urban industrial corridor that the City has identified as blighted. The river is also “blighted” as decades of neglect and abuse have brought the waters into the regulatory process. The river is being proposed to the EPA for the 2009 303d impaired waters list for not meeting aquatic life designated uses. The stream health impairment is based on biological assessments. The probable causes are thought to be loss of habitat, hydromodification, and hydrologic alternation. Decades of advancing encroachment have choked the river down to its minimal function of flood conveyance. To reverse this trend in one grand sweep, this project establishes and delineates a formal “Riparian Corridor Easement” by working with landowners to dedicate portions of land back to the river environment. The riparian corridor would then be terraced and vegetated with a robust plant community that interacts with the flows of the river. An interior floodplain can only be established with this dedication of additional lands that are currently available. The ability of the river to migrate and adjust its form can only occur with an adequately wide riparian corridor. A cleaned up, restored and dedicated riparian corridor will improve the biological conditions in the river. The needed lands for the river will likely only be available for a limited period before private development begins to once again encroach on these vital riparian parcels. The Ogden River restoration is an environmentally innovative project that proposes to manage the river corridor in a more sustainable manner and plan for nonpoint source pollution prevention prior to urban infill redevelopment. This project proposes to work with partners to release and use a portion of Ogden City’s existing municipal surface water rights from Pineview Reservoir to better manage stream function. This effort will attempt to plan and manage reservoir releases in a collaborative manner for aquatic habitat function, as well as wetland and floodplain connection. Restoration of the physical habitat will improve the biological health of the river environment. By implementing the proposed Ogden River restoration project with the Green Project Reserve funds, the Utah Water Quality Board will join the citizens of Ogden to make a bold and powerful statement about the importance of healthy river systems in Utah. This is not a project that can be successfully developed piecemeal by slicing it into bite sized phases over many years. This encompassing environmental restoration of a degraded urban river is just the sort of large, green infrastructure project that the Clean Water programs strive to fund, but often fall short. By implementing the Ogden River restoration in 2009, Utah water quality leaders will not only improve water quality by restoring over one mile of an important river ecosystem, but will also embrace the “Bright Green” spirit of the Stimulus Act. This first step will provide long-term economic benefits and the creation of 80+ jobs directly and many hundreds of jobs indirectly, through the redevelopment of an entire downtown business district oriented around the river. Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 5 Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 6 SECTION 1 GRANT PURPOSE: Nonpoint Source Water Quality Improvements Buffer stormwater return Reduce random trampling Increase riparian cover Create wetlands Hydro-modification Improvements Modify channel dimensions to function with hydrologic impacts Modify channel hydraulics for beneficial sediment transport Release water and improve in-channel habitat function Improve riparian connectivity Improve biodiversity of aquatic and riparian communities Improve passive recreation, angling and wildlife watching opportunities Realign pedestrian pathway Green infrastructure creation Create wetland stormwater finishing areas that guide future stormwater plans Create and retain jobs 80+ jobs directly created by restoration construction Many hundreds of jobs created by urban redevelopment around the restored river Promote economic recovery Guide development of commercial and residential construction in the land immediately adjacent to the river restoration project Generate long term environmental and economic benefits from infrastructure investments Reverse the trend of decay of the Ogden River and surrounding lands by sustainably restoring the hydrologic and geomorphic function of the river environment. Install stormwater return areas that anticipate future development needs. Restore a community center piece that appropriately concentrates recreational use and provide educational opportunities that will generate new river stewards. Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 7 Ogden River Restoration Utah Division Water Quality - NPS Green Project Reserve RiverRestoration.org 8 SECTION 2 ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS SUMMARY REACH Stimulus Applicant Partners Total ($) $46,000 $1,692,900 $1,338,707 $3,077,607 RAILROAD Construction Subtotal $2,489,969 $72,249 $0 $2,562,218 WALL Construction Subtotal $470,708 $47,071 $0 $517,779 LINCOLN Construction Subtotal $649,104 $64,910 $0 $714,014 GRANT Construction Subtotal $344,218 $34,422 $0 $378,640 TOTAL PROJECT COST $4,000,000 $1,911,552 $1,338,707 $7,250,259 ASSUMPTIONS FOR COST ESTIMATES Cost estimates for the completion of the construction project elements, as well as other leveraged funds referred to in this application, are presented in spreadsheets detailed in Appendix A. Summary information regarding the leveraged funds is included in this section. Each line item in the cost summary is outlined below with a brief explanation of the assumptions used to develop the probable opinion of cost estimates. 1. Feasibility, Planning and Design The cost of preliminary concepts, planning and design for the Ogden River restoration are being paid for in full by the project sponsor and other project partners. This includes the cost of developing plans and specifications for construction bid advertisement. Ogden City is not seeking DWQ/ARRA funding for these elements. All state and federal funds awarded to the project will go directly to construction of the river restoration project. The value of the planning and design is included as a portion of the project sponsor’s leverage in the grant budget. 2. Permit Fees The Utah State Joint permit for stream alteration which covers the sections 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act, Storm Water