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Eighteenmile Creek http://www.olcott-newfane.com/news.html June 7, 2004 Introduction Great LakesBasin The Great Lakes, their connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River collectively comprise the world’s largest body of fresh surface water, which provides the region’s eight states and two provinces with an abundance of high quality fresh water. Both the United States and Canada recognized the need to protect and restore this important resource and in 1972 signed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to “restore and maintain the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem”. In 1987 they renewed the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement adding specific water quality planning and restoration programs, and made a commitment to develop a comprehensive ecosystem approach to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes. This included development of Remedial Action and Lakewide Management Plans. As part of this process 43 Areas of Concern were identified within the Great Lakes chain by the International Great Lakes Commission and the Environmental Protection agency as requiring immediate remediation. Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern Eighteenmile Creek was identified as one of these Areas of Concern. The Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern is located in the Town of Newfane, Niagara County, in western New York. The Eighteenmile Creek Watershed has a total drainage area of about 93 square miles. The entire drainage basin lies within Niagara County. Eighteenmile Creek flows north and discharges into Lake Ontario approximately 18 miles east of the mouth of the Niagara River through Olcott Harbor. Collaborative Effort It was recognized early on that local communities and governments would be key players in the restoration of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem and more specifically in remediation activities within Areas of Concern. We feel the Eighteenmile CreekStreambank Stabilization and Habitat Restoration Project is a good case study of how local communities and governments can work together to implement watershed restoration plans. For several years numerous federal, state, and local agencies independently studied the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern. In 1997 the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation with assistance from the local planning committee, completed the development of a Remedial Action Plan to help guide restoration efforts. The Remedial Action Plan defined the environmental problems in the Area of Concern, identified what needed to be done to restore beneficial uses, established a time schedule, designated responsible agencies, and described a monitoring process needed to track remediation. In 1999, Niagara County was encouraged to pursue grant funding to design and implement some of the concepts that emerged from these planning efforts. As a result of this process, a unique collaboration between the public, private, and non-profit sectors came together to plan, design and implement the Eighteenmile Creek Streambank Stabilization and Habitat Restoration Project. To fund implementation of the Eighteenmile Creek Streambank Stabilization and Habitat Restoration Project, Niagara County applied for and received grant funding through the Coastal Zone Management Act administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, in conjunction with the New York State Department of State Coastal Management Program and the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office. In addition to grant funding, several agencies offered in-kind services: Niagara County Department of Economic Development, Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District, Town of Newfane, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lake Plains Resource Conservation and Development Council, Americorps, and Ecology and Environment Incorporated. The United States Army Corps of Engineers also offered technical assistance towards the project through Section 401 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990. In addition, the Niagara County Legislature made a generous contribution. Purpose of Project – Problems Requiring Solutions The Remedial Action Plan identified several potential aquatic resource problems including: contaminated sediments, contamination of fish, impacts on benthos, and loss of habitat in the lower reach of Eighteenmile Creek. Additionally, non-point source pollution has impacted the beneficial uses of the Area of Concern by disrupting benthic habitat and potentially degrading fish and wildlife populations. In recent years there has been a loss of quality habitat for trout and salmon in Lake Ontario tributaries, including the Eighteenmile Creek Area of Concern, thus threatening the long-term sustainability of the lake fishery. In addition, the segment of Eighteenmile Creek below Burt Dam has been identified on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Priority Water Bodies List as precluded for fish consumption and impaired for fishing. Other problems include stream bank erosion, trail surface erosion, loss of wildlife habitat, and loss of riparian buffer. Project Planning, Design and Permitting Project planning for the 1-mile stretch of project area was initiated and took place over a span of two years (2002 & 2003). Site reconnaissance was performed and included site surveys, Phase IA and B cultural resources investigation, soil identification, flora and faunal studies, habitat characterization, and a Rosgen stream classification. Project design was based upon information gathered from the site reconnaissance and revolved around incorporating bioengineering techniques and soft stabilization methods wherever feasible. The final restoration project area starts just below Burt Dam and extend downstream (north) approximately a ¼ mile to the Fishing Access Parking Area. Project design was a cooperative effort between the Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District Engineer, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Niagara County Department of Economic Development, and Ecology and Environment Inc. One of the design challenges of the project was that the area has historically been one of the most popular fishing destinations for anglers in Niagara County and typically draws thousands of fishermen yearly, particularly during fall salmon runs. The sheer number of people utilizing the site at one given time was an important consideration in designing the project. Planning phases of the project included applying for several permits from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the United States Army Corps of Engineers and following the State Environmental Quality Review Act process. Project Objectives FSThe project objectives include recreation related improvements, trail stabilization, stream bank protection, erosion control, habitat enhancement, and species introduction to the existing riparian plant communities. The restoration plan included traditional planting techniques, nontraditional bioengineering/stream restoration techniques, native species selections, erosion control geotextiles, and a flat stone and riprap-stepped wall. An integrated bioengineering approach featuring innovative techniques was developed to address the stabilization and sedimentation issues as well as to modify the stone armoring design for the eroded stream bank and trail. Project Activities and Techniques THE 18 MILE CREEK PROJECT PHILOSOPHY
Streambank stabilization
Streambank stabilization work was designed to improve bank stability, enhance existing aquatic habitat, and provide non-point source pollution control through the application of bioengineering techniques along the existing eroding streambanks. Streambank stabilization efforts included constructing a stepped six-foot high rock riprap wall along an approximate 300-foot section of severely eroded streambank. Native plantings were incorporated into the wall at strategic locations and the 2:1 slope above the wall was seeded and covered with coir fiber erosion control mats. The existing retaining wall along the trail’s edge is scheduled for spot reinforcement during the Spring 2004. Best Management Practices were utilized throughout project implementation to minimize negative impacts to the floodplain and stream/riparian zones. To guide the planting restoration efforts, a detailed planting plan was developed that divided the work into two phases: post-construction planting in Fall 2003 and final planting in Spring 2004. The focus of the planting plan was to select species with superior erosion control and habitat enhancement properties, and to help steer angler access to designated portions of the streambank. A variety of native species were used including streamco willow, silky willow, silky dogwood, red-osier dogwood and buttonbush. In the Spring 2004, landscape efforts will be completed by enhancing the trail with wildflowers and soil stabilizing shrubs, and reseeding all exposed surfaces. Enhance Public Access and Recreation Use
Trail and public access work was designed to create safer access by widening and improving the trail surface, reconstructing the stairway and incorporating bank-side fishing points along the trail. Through the use of large toe stones (3ft by 3ft) and carefully selected plantings, we were able to create safe ingress and egress areas for fishermen while maintaining areas for wildlife. Habitat Enhancement & Restoration
With the assistance of United States Army Corps of Engineers Research Hydraulic Engineer Dave Derrick, several innovative bioengineering techniques were incorporated into the design of the project including: locked logs, locked limbs, dense root mass replication, pushed trees, extreme instant shade, bent willow poles, LUNKERS, and hydraulic cover stones. Habitat enhancement features included the construction of seven LUNKERS, six wood and one stone, to provide cover and resting areas for fish and improve bank stability. Hydraulic Cover Stones - Typically hydraulic cover stones are placed in sections of the stream with little in-channel structure, or vegetative cover or undercut banks. Stones are placed in a flowing channel with the top of the stone set at an elevation slightly lower than the typical base-flow water surface elevation. When sited correctly, the accelerated flow over the tops of the stones will change from sub critical to supercritical flow, and further downstream back to sub critical (usually with a weak hydraulic jump). Downstream of the stones standing waves and a V-shaped wake will form. This constant movement and rippling of the water results in a type of hydraulic cover, masking fish location from the view of predators. The stones also provide resting areas and in-channel refugee for fish during high energy, high-flow events. The hydraulic jump can also help to entrain air and aerate the stream. The crest elevations of the stones can also be placed at, or slightly above, the typical base-flow water surface elevation, which will split flow and result in a double eddy return flow pattern downstream of the stone. However, these stones can now be used as perches for predators.
All of the material leftover from clearing the path was reused to carbon load the creek. Carbon loading consisted of placing locked logs, locked limbs, and dense root mass replication at strategic locations in the creek. Locked logs are larger branches and small trunks 2 to 8 inches in diameter and locked limbs are branches less than 2 inches in diameter. Both the locked logs and limbs were placed underwater and weighted down with riprap stones. Dense root mass replication consisted of small willow limbs being placed underwater and weighted down to mimic exposed underwater tree roots. In addition to carbon loading, these structures will provide habitat for small fish and amphibians.
In one area of the project several trees were in the way of path construction. Rather than removing the trees, they were pushed towards the stream and the path was built on top of the tree roots. The concept extreme instant shade (umbrella shade) was invented and referred to resting two large tree branches on a toe stone in the creek with the expectation that in the future the tree will provide shade tens of feet out into the stream. Bent willow poles were incorporated into pockets of the stepped riprap wall to provide shade. Minimize disturbance of downstream areas, especially with regards to habitat areas of a threatened turtle species Public Outreach and Education
The public outreach component of the project included: creating an educational brochure, development of a project fact sheet, holding a groundbreaking ceremony (September 2003), creating a project videotape, and hosting a 2-day educational workshop on watershed restoration (May 2004). It is important to keep the public informed of what you are doing and to build support in the local community as well as keep local, state and Federal elected offices involved in the process. Monitoring To address water quality issues, a two-year sampling program was initiated. The data collected will assist in developing a watershed management plan and further explain the extent of contamination in the Area of Concern. Future Benefits: Restoring the Eighteenmile Creek watershed has been a high priority for Niagara County and the Town of Newfane for several years. Through a cooperative effort by numerous stakeholders, the vision of transforming a popular fishing destination into a safe and more enjoyable recreational experience while simultaneously restoring quality aquatic habitat has become a reality. Because of the extensive bioengineering that was incorporated into the project, it will be used as a model locally for future streambank stabilization and habitat restoration. The project will improve the water quality and fish habitat of Eighteenmile Creek, a “Significant Coastal Fish and Wildlife Habitat” within the New York Coastal Management Program. This program provides - Significant coastal fish and wildlife habitats will be protected, preserved, and where practical, restored so as to maintain their viability as important habitats for fish and wildlife. The landscape design will establish a diverse, native plant community within this unique canyon-like habitat. The site restoration design and landscape plan will benefit a variety of songbirds, waterfowl, beneficial pollinating insects, mammals, fish, and benthic micro and macro invertebrates. Enhanced biological function will increase biological integrity due to the beneficial associations between floral and faunal species in both the aquatic and terrestrial habitats occurring within the riparian corridor. This project presented Niagara County and the Town of Newfane with the opportunity to design and implement adaptive techniques of habitat restoration to promote long-term sustainability of an aquatic ecosystem and regional fishery. The Eighteenmile Creek Habitat Restoration Project was designed to be the first phase of restoring the watershed. Due to it’s visibility we hope that this phase of the project will act as a catalyst for attracting attention and support for other aspects of the watershed restoration efforts, which are related to the overall protection, and enhancement of the Eighteenmile Creek Watershed. It is our intent to continue the process of restoration with the development of a watershed management plan that will propose methods for improving water quality conditions in the watershed and ensure its long-term health and sustainability of resources. This project was successful because of the unique collaboration between the public, private, and non-profit sector that came together and formed a strong partnership to plan, design, finance and implement the project. Representatives from each of the agencies, listed below formed the project team and met bi-weekly throughout most of the planning and design phases of the project. This commitment and dedication was key to project success.
The Eighteemile Creek Restoration Project was awared one of the New York State Governor's Waterfront ReDiscovery Awards. The awards were presented at the Governor's Quality Coasts Conference ( May 25-26, 2004 ). (Toward a Water Resources Management Decision Support System May 2003)
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Updated: 3/20/07 |