The Table of Contents

Transcription

1 The Tale of a Million Ditches and the 800-Pound Rodent: The surprising truth about hydrology, water quality, and habitat in the headwaters of the Great Coharie WRRI 2014 Annual Conference March 20 th, 2014 Conducted by: Conducted for: The Table of Contents The tale begins The Great Coharie Creek Headwaters A mystery unfolds From the upland flats to the deep swamps The plot thickens Floodplains, streams, waterways and ditches A surprise ending Or is it a familiar story in Eastern NC 1

2 The Tale Begins NC Ecosystem Enhancement Program Restore, enhance, preserve, and protect the functions associated with wetlands, streams, and streamside buffers Local Watershed Planning Phased approach Focus on watershed functions of water quality, hydrology and habitat targeted watershed planning and assessment identification of watershed improvement opportunities Great Coharie Creek Headwaters 2

3 Great Coharie Creek Headwaters Great Coharie Creek Headwaters 3

4 Great Coharie Creek Headwaters Local Advisory Team Goals Increase awareness of local watershed issues among elected officials and community members. Understand the water quality issues in the watershed. Understand aquatic species distribution in the watershed. Identify invasive aquatic plants and animals and understand their distribution and impacts. Identify ecological, historical and cultural aquatic assets and develop strategies to protect them. Identify priority areas to focus agricultural BMPs. Make a clear connection between community interest and issues in the watershed. 4

5 Assessment Objectives Water Quality Objectives WQ4. Enhance our understanding of how pollutants are processed from the headwaters to the main stem of Great Coharie Creek. Habitat Objectives HB3. Identify invasive aquatic species and better understand their impact on habitat, water quality and flow. Hydrology Objectives HD1. Correct hydrology GIS data and determine stream classifications. Social Objectives SL1. Understand how the community values and interacts with the aquatic resources. Field Studies Water Quality Benthic Macroinvertebrates Water Chemistry/Toxicity Aquatic Vegetation Wetlands Reference Studies Stream Reach Assessments 5

6 A Mystery Unfolds Dissolved Oxygen Higher in the headwaters, lower in the swamps Nutrients Higher in the headwaters, lower in the swamps Too low, too high? Compared to what? Hydrology Impoundments Streams Waterways Ditches The Plot Thickens 6

7 Blueline Hydrology Streams 7

8 Waterways Waterways 8

9 Waterways Ditches 9

10 Ditches 1,200,000+ feet 228 miles Seasonally Flooded 10

11 Blueline Hydrology The Full Story 11

12 BUFFER LULC CATCHMENT LULC HYDROLOGY WETLANDS Catchment Hydrology Function Low Imperviousness Med. Imperviousness High Imperviousness Low Imperviousness Med. Imperviousness High Imperviousness SMS 01 68% 12% 21% 48% 40% 12% % 5% 4% SMS 02 60% 20% 20% 47% 45% 8% % 5% 7% SMS 03 36% 37% 27% 37% 56% 7% % 9% 17% SMS 04 46% 27% 27% 32% 58% 10% % 3% 8% SMS 05 50% 28% 21% 49% 43% 8% % 31% 14% SMS 06 38% 43% 20% 48% 46% 6% % 28% 14% GCC 01 67% 16% 17% 55% 37% 8% % 1% 4% GCC 02 50% 28% 22% 34% 59% 7% % 0% 9% GCC 03 56% 26% 18% 36% 58% 6% % 4% 9% GCC 04 82% 13% 5% 63% 36% 1% % 2% 4% KS 01 64% 13% 23% 58% 33% 10% % 2% 3% KS 02 53% 25% 22% 40% 52% 8% % 4% 10% KS 03 50% 30% 20% 34% 60% 6% % 3% 8% KS 04 27% 56% 17% 23% 72% 5% % 7% 26% KS 05 34% 39% 27% 49% 46% 5% % 8% 11% BDS 01 40% 17% 43% 40% 39% 22% % 2% 7% BDS 02 32% 23% 45% 20% 45% 35% % 3% 10% BDS 03 32% 33% 35% 34% 55% 11% % 3% 12% BDS 04 34% 35% 31% 36% 55% 9% % 2% 7% GCC 05 56% 10% 33% 50% 36% 14% % 1% 2% GCC 06 39% 27% 34% 41% 49% 10% % 8% 13% GCH 01 35% 29% 36% 31% 52% 17% % 8% 7% GCH 02 49% 29% 22% 34% 59% 7% % 3% 6% GCH 03 39% 32% 29% 39% 51% 10% % 16% 11% GCH 04 42% 20% 38% 35% 47% 18% % 6% 5% GCH 05 42% 32% 26% 36% 53% 11% % 16% 12% 0% 33% 67% 100% 0% 33% 67% 100% 0% 25% 50% Streams (mi/mi2) Waterways (mi/mi2) Ditches (mi/mi2) Intact Wetlands Degraded Wetlands Former Wetlands 14 miles per square mile! That s every 400 feet! Surprise Ending or A Common Story? The local watershed is 53 square miles There are 70 miles of streams 1.3 miles of stream per square mile of land There are 63 miles of potential waterways 1.2 miles of waterway per square mile of land There are 228 miles of ditches 4.3 miles of ditches per square mile of land In total, 361 miles 6.8 miles per square mile 12

13 Reduce Inputs and Protect the Floodplains Hydrology The high density of ditches and waterways move water efficiently to stream valleys Impoundments and obstructions in the stream valleys slow water Water Quality Nutrients enter through surface runoff, shallow groundwater and airborne means Nutrients are processed and converted Habitat Low DO, low flow, open water The 800-pound rodent: Beaver Meetings often had a tension related to beaver (the 800-lb gorilla in the room) People felt very strongly on both sides Totally valid interests Historic part of the ecosystem Flood low lying areas and kill trees In the end, a net benefit to water quality and hydrology 13

14 Questions? Mike Schlegel 14