Coastal Resiliency Planning and Ecosystem Enhancement for Northeastern Massachusetts (NFWF Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program)
Peter Phippen, Coastal Coordinator, 8 Towns and the Great Marsh/Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Wayne Castonguay, Executive Director, Ipswich River Watershed Association
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1. Proposal Submitted by
National Wildlife Federation
for the
Great Marsh Restoration Partnership
“Community Risk Reduction through Comprehensive
Community Resiliency Enhancement
for the Great Marsh Ecosystem”
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fuS80sHi_WI&list=PLZb5DyVcCk95pH-zhsTMICM1Z9ffXQAIz
2. Background Hurricane Sandy Relief
•The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 - $829 M
•$100 million in “resiliency” oriented funding
•Focused on “reducing communities’ vulnerability to coastal storms, sea level rise, flooding, and erosion through strengthening natural ecosystems that also benefit fish and wildlife”
•Administered by NFWF
•Four awards in MA Great Marsh Hurricane Sandy Proposal: The Great Marsh and its watersheds are a relatively healthy ecosystem, however….
•National Wildlife Federation and GMRP Core Partners; PRNWR, MVPC, MBP, MAS, DCR, UNH, PCCS, IRWA
•65 Supporting Partners
•Communities
•Federal and State Agencies
•Academic Institutions
•Not-For-Profit Organizations
•Federal and State Legislators
•Private Partners
3. Great Marsh Restoration Partnership Target Geography:
Communities Benefiting from Project: Salisbury, Newburyport, West Newbury, Newbury, Groveland, Georgetown, Rowley, Ipswich, Boxford, North Andover, Essex, Hamilton, Topsfield, Middleton, North Reading, Andover, Burlington, Lynnfield, Wilmington, Reading, Peabody, Danvers, Beverly, Wenham, Gloucester
4. Gloucester Harbor
Great Marsh Environments:
• Barrier Islands
• Estuaries and Creeks
• Marsh Habitats
• Watersheds
• Communities
5. Ecological Restoration and Enhancement
1.Saltmarsh & Sub-aquatic vegetation restoration
2.Dune nourishment & revegetation
3.Restoration Support - Student Conservation Association
Assessment and Modeling
4. Hydrodynamic sediment transport & salinity modeling
5. Hydrologic barriers assessment & prioritization
Community Resiliency Planning
6. Coastal Community Adaptation Plans
Outcome: 6 projects components that together comprehensively reduce risk to coastal communities and enhance the resiliency and adaptive capacity of the ecological systems those communities depend upon.
Goal: Community Risk Reduction through Comprehensive Coastal Habitat Resiliency Enhancement
6. Grant Award Match Great Marsh Coastal Restoration - Living Shorelines Salt Marsh Restoration Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration Dune Restoration Total $1,285,011 $1,742,285 Coastal Resiliency Assessments Great Marsh Hydrodynamic Modeling Flood-Risk Infrastructure Prioritization Total $836,611 * $290,900 Coastal Community Resiliency Planning $390,000 $235,000 Restoration Support through Youth Engagement $147,000 NWF Project Management, Administration, and Indirect Cost $169,128 Project Totals $2,827,750 2,268,185 * Includes $113,000 grant award from US Fish &Wildlife Service Hurricane Sandy Resiliency Funding
Project Budget
7.
8. •Restoration of over 325 acres of native marsh vegetation through the removal of two dominant non-native invasive plants (perennial pepperweed and Phragmites)
•Outcome: A stabilized marsh ecosystem affording natural, local flood protection
Pepperweed removal
Native Salt Marsh Restoration
Ecological Restoration and Enhancement
Mapped Phragmites australis
12. Ecological Restoration and Enhancement Eelgrass Restoration
•Plum Island Sound and Essex Bay
•Transplant sites identified by previous modeling efforts
•Use multiple donor sources to build a genetically diverse population
Outcome: Restore 3 acres to naturally stabilize creek channels and tidal flats in Rowley, Ipswich, Essex and Gloucester
16. •Salisbury, Newbury & Newburyport
•Plant 1000’s native species over 15 acres of dune spanning 6 miles of coast
•DCR will renourish 1,800 c.y. of dune in Salisbury Beach State Reservation
•Develop a robust outreach and training program for local stakeholders
Ecological Restoration and Enhancement Dune Nourishment & Revegetation
Outcome: Strategically stabilized dune system as a catalyst for further natural flood protection
17. Unique, Site Specific Fencing and Plant Palate Combinations, Couple with an Extensive Outreach Campaign
18. •Student Conservation Association
•Utilize volunteers
•Hire, train, and employ students for time-critical support project components
Restoration Support through Youth Engagement Community Resiliency Planning
19. Scope: Model Transport and Erosion of Sediment
•Barrier Beach Erosion
•Channel Infilling
•Marsh Deposition for SLR Model Salinity Movement
•Invasive species control
•Native Plant Restoration Goals:
•Identify future sediment and salinity management options
Assessment and Modeling Hydrodynamic Sediment Transport and Salinity Modeling
20. Geographic Targets
1.Barrier Beaches along
•Salisbury
•Newburyport/Newbury
•PRNWR
•Crane Beach
2.Merrimack Estuary
3.Plum Island Sound
4.Ipswich Bay
5.Essex Bay Partner-driven Modeling Collaborators
•Boston University
•Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
•Virginia Institute of Marine Science
•Woods Hole Group Supporters
•USGS, USACE, UNH, USFWS
Assessment and Modeling Hydrodynamic Sediment and Salinity Modeling
21. Hydrological Barrier Assessment
•Survey and systematically prioritize over 1,200 dams, stream crossings and tidal restrictions
•Prioritize based on public safety risk AND ecological impact
•Important tool to help towns and other entities set repair/upgrade schedules within limited budgets
Assessment and Modeling:
22. •Over 800 crossings have been assessed in the three watershed area (IRWA and DEP).
•Scored based on the MA stream crossing standards for aquatic organism passage.
•Most ecological issues are result of undersized structures
•Undersized crossings ALSO tend to cause road failure/infrastructure issues
•Small streams and tributaries are most susceptible to road-stream crossing problems. These tributaries hold more miles of habitat and are crucial for many early life stages of fish and other aquatic critters
•Problems for terrestrial animals too: 75% of road- kill is found at stream crossings
•Crossings built to the ecological standards have faired better during extreme storm events. Green Mountain National Forest had installed a number of crossings before Hurricane Irene and they were unfazed by the event.
Hydrological Barrier Assessment: Ecological Risk
23. •We will assess the same 800+ crossings, as well as several hundred additional barriers in the three watershed area. We will also obtain and analyze available existing data sets for all barriers (dams, tidal crossings, non-tidal crossings).
•Non-tidal barriers will be screened based on their predicted ability to pass significant rainfall events (2, 25, 50, 100 year) using tools developed by Trout Unlimited.
•Ecological impacts and risk of failure will be evaluated together and ranked
•We will work with municipalities, providing technical support to produce preliminary design specifications for top priority barriers to guide future planning, funding and upgrades
•Crossings that are built to the ecological standards will last longer, reduce flooding and lower risk saving money over time.
Hydrological Barrier Assessment: Infrastructure Risk
