Hudson Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan

Transcription

1 PUBLIC MEETING Meadowlands Environment Center June 3, 2010 Hudson Raritan Estuary Comprehensive Restoration Plan Lisa Baron Peter Weppler Jodi McDonald U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

2 Acknowledgements Project Partners: US Army Corps of Engineers Port Authority of NY/NJ NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program Hudson River Foundation Cornell University Many more. 4 Federal and 8 State/City Agencies 13 Research Institutions 28 Non-Profit Organizations 5 Private Consulting Firms

3 Background The Harbor Estuary Program s (HEP) CCMP called for the creation of a comprehensive regional strategy for habitat protection Congress authorized the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Study (HRE) Scientific workshop sponsored by the Hudson River Foundation (HRF) developed Target Ecosystem Characteristic (TEC) concept for restoration planning HRF and Cornell University complete TEC report Draft CRP is completed December: CRP is adopted by the HEP Policy Committee as the path forward to restore the Estuary.

4 Comprehensive Restoration Plan It IS intended to: Provide a shared vision of a restored estuary Serve as a Blueprint for future restoration Coordinate and align regional restoration activities Build upon HEP Structure Serve as living document actively managed to track progress Be HEP s Regional Master Plan for Restoration Not just the USACE s Plan

5 HRE Planning Regions Lower Hudson River Newark Bay, Passaic River, Hackensack River Harlem River, East River, Western Long Island Sound Arthur Kill/ Kill Van Kull Upper Bay Jamaica Bay Lower Raritan River Lower Bay

6 What are the Problems in the HRE? Degraded and contaminated sediments Human health and ecological risks Costly dredged material management Lost and degraded habitat 80% wetlands are gone Oyster reefs and eelgrass have disappeared Poor water quality Impediments to fish passage Minimal and dilapidated public access

7 What are the Problems in Newark Bay, Hackensack River, and Passaic River? Legacy Contamination and Sediment Quality Wetland Loss Wildlife Habitat Cultural Resources Landfill Leaching Industrial Discharge Urban Runoff Public Access to the Waterfront

8 Ongoing Ecosystem Restoration in HRE HEP SITES Harbor Estuary Program/HRE Nominated Sites See Handout

9 Ongoing Ecosystem Restoration in the Newark Bay, Hackensack River and Passaic River Lower Passaic River Restoration Project USACE, USEPA, NJDOT, NJDEP, NOAA, USFWS Hackensack Meadowlands Restoration Program USACE, NJMC, USFWS, NOAA, NJDEP Lincoln Park Wetland Restoration NOAA, NJDEP, USACE Newark Bay Superfund Study USEPA Passaic River Coalition Passaic Valley Sewage Commission Hackensack River Keeper New York/New Jersey Baykeeper

10 Target Ecosystem Characteristics TECs prescribe: [What] [Where] [How Much] [By When] Coastal Wetlands Waterbird Islands Enclosed & Confined Waters Tributary Connections Stream Corridors Public Access Eelgrass Beds Habitat for Fish, Crabs, and Lobsters Oyster Reefs Sediment Quality Shorelines and Shallows Maritime Forests Each TEC statement specifies: Target Justification, Technical Merit, Policy and Management Relevance, Necessary Implementation Information, and Measures of Performance

11 The CRP includes What are we trying to Restore? Regional Restoration Goals/TECs Where can we restore? Restoration Opportunities for each TEC Existing HEP-nominated sites Geographic Information System Planning Considerations Conceptual designs and costs Technical, legal, regulatory constraints, data gaps Implementation strategies Potential sponsors and possible funding mechanisms Performance measures of progress and success

12 TECTOPIA

13 Coastal Wetland Restoration Opportunities

14 Sediment Contamination Reduction Opportunities Note: This figure shows only predicted surface contamination from the Contamination Reduction and Assessment Program (CARP). Legacy chemicals buried below 10 cm are not shown.

15 Newark Bay, Hackensack River and Passaic River Restoration Opportunities Sediment Quality Opportunities for Coastal Wetland Creation Public Access Enhancement Tributary Connections

16 Coastal Wetlands TEC Goal: 1,200 acres by 2015 and 15,200 acres by 2050 Wetland Restoration: 12,543 acres available Wetland Creation: 14,469 acres available

17 Public Access

18 Policy Considerations Challenges to Implementation. Placement of fill in Open Waters Habitat Trade-off / Exchange Attractive Nuisance Sediment Contamination Oyster Reef Policies Existing protected in-water Structures Streamlined and Flexible Permitting Process Align agency policies and programs to encourage and promote restoration

19 Potential Costs for Selected TECs TEC Unit of Restoration Low ($/unit) Median ($/unit) High ($/unit) #Data Sets Coastal Wetlands Oyster Habitat Acres $218,587 $277,009 $713, Cyd excavated $49 $53 $144 Acres $51,457 $52,478 $109, Cyd shell placed $30 $65 $75 Eelgrass Acres $1,080 $16,600 $170, ,3 1 Source: Brooklyn Union Gas, Elders East, Medwick Park, Woodbridge Creek 2 Source: Chesapeake Bay 3 Costs range from passive seed dispersal methods to intensive hand-planting by divers (includes monitoring and normalized to 8.4% survival rate)

20 CRP Implementation Federal, State, local and Private Funding Sources and Mechanisms USACE, NYSDEC, NJDEP, NYCDEP, NYCDPR, NGO s, Mitigation, Natural Resource Damages Trustees Strategies for coordination to achieve the TEC goals HEP Restoration Workgroup Alignment of Agency policies to achieve CRP goals HEP Policy Committee

21 Feasibility Study GOAL: Provide the Opportunity for Federal Cost Sharing for Ecosystem Restoration Beyond Existing Authority Existing USACE Authority: Continuing Authorities Program Sections 204/207: Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Section 206: Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Section 1135: Project Modification Future USACE Authority: HRE Ecosystem Restoration Program

22 Tasks for Feasibility Study Evaluation of CRP Sites/Projects Harbor-wide and each Planning Region Provides ecological benefits and costs for each project. Provides information on how each project: Implements the 11 TECs Contributes to achieving overall CRP goals Identifies potential sponsors Project Summary Sheets for each Planning Region and Watershed Area Implementation using Existing Authority CRP Management Mitigation NRDA Justification for Authorization

23 Tasks for Feasibility Study Identification of New Restoration Opportunities Identify new sites/projects Further State of the Science for each TEC Identify future data needs for TECs More Detailed Investigations (oysters, eelgrass, waterbirds, etc)

24 What Can You Do? Identify New Restoration Sites and Projects Identify Local Master Plans Partner with the USACE on Restoration Projects Spread the Word

25 Hackensack Meadowlands Ecosystem Restoration - Purpose Develop coordinated and comprehensive solutions to ecosystem degradation in the Meadowlands at a watershed scale

26 Hackensack Meadowlands Ecosystem Restoration GOALS Water Quality Impairments Wetlands Loss and Alteration Sediment Contamination Wildlife Habitat Impairment and Fragmentation Cultural Resources Air Quality

27 Hackensack Meadowlands Identified Restoration Opportunities

28 Lower Passaic River Restoration Project STUDY SCOPE: Comprehensive Study of the Lower Passaic River: 17-miles tidal portion of the river from Dundee Dam to Newark Bay Watershed including Tributaries (118 sq miles)

29 Lower Passaic River Project Goals Remediate contamination to reduce Human and Eco risks Improve water quality Restore degraded shorelines Create new habitats Improve human uses Reduce contaminant loading to harbor Reduce USACE Dredged Material Management Costs Address navigational needs

30 Lower Passaic River Remediation: 3 Primary Initiatives Diamond Alkali Superfund Site

31 EPA-Tierra Agreement (Removal of 200,000 cyd)

32 Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Identified Restoration Opportunities

33 Newark Bay Remedial Investigation Consent agreement for Newark Bay and its tributaries in 2004 Tierra Solutions, Inc is studying Newark Bay on behalf of Occidental Chemical and EPA is providing oversight with its consultants and input from the Trustees This study is a multi-phase, multi-year effort, of which two Phases have been completed

34 Newark Bay RI: Phase 1 & Phase 2 Oct Dec 2005 Bathymetry Survey BAZ Investigation (SPI and grab samples at 14 locations) 69 sediment cores (approx 850 samples) Chemistry and radiochemistry 3 ft to 11 ft Oct Dec sediment cores (approx 810 samples) Chemistry and radiochemistry 0.5 ft to 29.5 ft

35 Joseph G. Minish Waterfront Park Project Area - Brill Street to Bridge Street 6,000 feet of new bulkhead 3,200 feet of restored riverbank Phase I Project Under Construction 50% Complete

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37 Questions? For More Information or to Comment on the HRE Ecosystem Restoration Study : HRE-PLAN-Comments@usace.army.mil Website: Lisa Baron Project Manager Lisa.a.baron@usace.army.mil Peter Weppler Chief Coastal Ecosystem Section Peter.m.weppler@usace.army.mil