WATERSHED DIGEST
monthly newsletter
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Update from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance
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We've been getting ready for a number of events, including the
Connecting Our Streams workshop
at Norrie Point Environmental Center in Staatsburg on August 22. Final agenda is
posted
, with more information
here
. Space is limited - please
RSVP
!
This fall, we're also planning a water quality monitoring workshop, an Upper Hudson speaker series in Troy, a follow up to the Land Use Leadership Alliance training in Albany County, and our annual conference on October 29.
Stay tuned for more details!
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Photo: Shapp Pond Dam before restoration (NYS DEC)
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Photo: East Branch Wappinger Creek after restoration (NYS DEC)
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Photo: Deconstruction of the dam (NYS DEC)
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Photo: East Branch Wappinger Creek after restoration (NYS DEC)
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There are over 10,000 culverts and over 1,000 dams on tributaries to the Hudson River estuary. This infrastructure can block fish, wildlife, and flood flows in streams. For over 50 years, a dam on the East Branch Wappinger Creek in the Town of Clinton in Dutchess County posed a barrier for fish. This 12-foot former mill dam created Shapp Pond in Clinton Corners, but was no longer serving a useful purpose. In 2016, the dam was removed to improve habitat and reduce flood risk.
The Shapp Pond dam was in poor structural condition, which posed a significant flood and safety hazard for the dam owner and downstream properties. The owner wanted to remove the dam to reduce insurance costs and liability. The dam altered natural flow and sediment regimes in the East Branch Wappinger Creek, and the ponded water behind the dam contributed to higher water temperatures, lower dissolved oxygen levels, and a higher probability of algal blooms. The pond also favored non-native and invasive species.
In summer 2016, the Shapp Pond dam was removed, and this section of the East Branch Wappinger Creek was restored. The project was a cooperative effort between the dam owner, Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District, and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program. Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District conducted engineering for the project, demolished the dam, and reshaped the banks, with grant funding from the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program via the NYS Environmental Protection Fund ($96,408). After the stream banks were stabilized, they were planted with native trees and shrubs through the Hudson Estuary Trees for Tribs program.
This project restored about 5 miles of stream habitat for migratory fish like American eel and resident fish like trout. Researchers from Cornell University collaborated with NYS DEC to assess habitat upstream of the dam before and after its removal. These assessments were done in 2016, just before removal, and again after restoration in 2017 and 2018. They found significant improvements in macroinvertebrate communities, quantity and quality of riparian habitats, and bottom sediments.
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Removing barriers in streams, like the Shapp Pond dam, can improve habitat, reduce flood risk, and improve water quality.
This
video
from NYS DEC shows the site before, during, and after construction and restoration.
For more information and other case studies of dam removal, come to the
Connecting Our Streams workshop
on August 22 at Norrie Point Environmental Center. More info, agenda, and registration
here
.
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Thursday, August 15
Chronogram Conservations: A Living River
Sloop Brewing Co. @ the Factory,
Fishkill, NY
Sponsored by Riverkeeper
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Thursday, August 22
Connecting Our Streams workshop
Norrie Point Environmental Center
Staatsburg, NY
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Saturday, September 14
Small Streams: Values, Threats, and Protection
Five Rivers Environmental Center
Delmar, NY
Organized by Hudsonia & NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program
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Tuesday, October 29
Hudson River Watershed Alliance Annual Conference
Wallace Center, FDR Presidential Library
Hyde Park, NY
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Community Risk and Resiliency Act Model Local Laws Now Available
NYS Department of State worked with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and other partners to create model local laws to help local governments be more resilient to sea-level rise, storm surge, and flooding. Topics include basic land use tools for resiliency, wetland and watercourse protection measures, management of floodplain development, and stormwater control measures.
DECinfo Locator
NYS DEC has updated their online mapper, which provides access to DEC documents and public data about environmental and recreational resources. The mapper has over 50 interactive data layers, including wastewater permits, water quality reports, former industrial site cleanup plans, enforcement actions, and sites in the State Superfund and Brownfield Cleanup programs.
LHCCD Extends Deadline for Presentation Abstracts, due August 23
The Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation District is currently accepting presentation abstracts for their 19th annual Southeast New York Stormwater Conference. The conference will be Wednesday, October 16, 2019 in Beacon. Share your projects and research with municipal officials, staff, and stormwater professionals. Abstracts will be accepted now through August 23.
Hudson River Estuary Program: River Access grants due August 14
Approximately $200,000 is available in the RFA for River Access for projects along the shoreline of the Hudson estuary, including the tidal portion of its tributaries, that provide new or improved accessibility at new or existing access sites for boating, fishing, swimming, and/or wildlife-dependent recreation. The minimum grant award is $10,500 and the maximum grant amount is $50,000. This funding is from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
Hudson River Estuary Program: River Education grants due August 14
Approximately $200,000 is available in the River Education RFA to support projects and plans to enhance education about the estuary along the tidal waters of the Hudson or relevant portions of New York Harbor to make opportunities to learn about the Hudson River Estuary more accessible to a wide-range of people. The minimum grant award is $10,500 and the maximum grant amount is $40,000. This funding is from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
Environmental Facilities Corporation: Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grants due September 13
Municipalities are eligible to apply for funding for quality infrastructure projects at municipally-owned sewage treatment works OR municipally-owned public water systems for construction, replacement or repair of infrastructure; or compliance with environmental and public health laws and regulations related to water quality, in the following categories:
- Water Infrastructure Improvement Act Wastewater Infrastructure Projects: Depending on the size of the project, applicants may receive funding for up to 25 percent of net eligible project costs, or a maximum of $25 million, whichever is less.
- Water Infrastructure Improvement Act Drinking Water Infrastructure Projects: Applicants may receive funding for up to 60 percent of net eligible project costs, or $3 million, whichever is less.
- Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants Clean Water and Drinking Water Projects: Applicants may receive funding for up to 40 percent of net eligible project costs, or $10 million, whichever is less.
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Uniting and empowering communities to
protect their local water resources
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