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F. X. Browne, Inc. |
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Lake and Watershed News |
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July 2006 |
This hand, to tyrants ever sworn the foe,
For freedom only deals the deadly blow;
Then sheathes in calm repose the vengeful blade,
For gentle peace in freedom's hallowed shade.
John
Quincy Adams
Editors Note
July is Lakes Appreciation Month
To draw attention to the value and
importance of lakes and reservoirs, The North American Lake Management
Society (NALMS) sponsors an annual Lakes
Appreciation Month. The event is celebrated throughout the United
States and Canada, typically coinciding with Independence Day (July 4)
in the U.S., Canada Day (July 1) in Canada, and the Great North
American Secchi Dip-In. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend - get out
there and enjoy
your favorite lake!
Happy Birthday,
NAWMP!
This year marks
the 20th Anniversary of a historic turning point in wildlife
conservation -- the creation of the North
American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), a partnership designed
to reverse alarming declines in waterfowl populations and their
wetland habitats that were then occurring.
Join in the Annual Secchi Dip-In!
The 13th Annual Great North American
Secchi Dip-In is taking place across the country from June 24 -
July 16. The goal of the Dip-In is to encourage volunteers to
participate in monitoring and take a transparency measurement on one
day during the Dip-in. Volunteers may monitor any type of waterbody
including lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, rivers or streams. There
are now five or more years of data on more than 6,000 waterbodies in
the US and Canada.
Topic of the Month
Spotlight on Porous Pavement
It is an increasingly well-known fact that the volume and velocity of stormwater increases as the amount of impervious surface expands in developed areas. However, a number of innovative stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) are available that facilitate the infiltration of stormwater into the ground, thereby reducing stormwater runoff. One example is porous pavement, which is part of a new demonstration project at a set of basketball courts in Philadelphia.
Porous pavement is specially designed asphalt surfacing with larger pore sizes that allows water to soak through. The Philadelphia Office of Watersheds recently implemented four stormwater management retrofit projects, one of which is the porous basketball court at Mill Creek Playground, 48th and Fairmount Streets. The Mill Creek Playground is heavily used by the Mill Creek community for sports, activities, and meetings. The site includes two basketball courts, play equipment, a recreation center, a baseball field and a swimming pool built above the buried Mill Creek, which is one of the largest combined sewers in Philadelphia. The basketball courts at the playground were cracked and deteriorating, with low spots that filled with water in the rain. To improve the quality of the courts and reduce the volume of stormwater that flows into the Mill Creek combined sewer, the basketball courts were retrofitted with porous asphalt over an infiltration bed. Rain that falls on the basketball courts passes through the porous surface and is stored in a subsurface stone bed until it can soak into the ground.
Benefits of the project include:
Porous surface and crushed stone infiltration bed will capture more than 90% of the stormwater that falls on the two basketball courts, allow it to infiltrate into the soil, and reduce the volume of stormwater that flows into the Mill Creek Sewer.
Office of Watersheds is able to monitor the long term stormwater function, integrity, and maintenance requirements of the porous asphalt surface, as well as determine the community response to the new surface.
No puddles on the court ~ players can play immediately after it rains.
Because the stormwater is infiltrated into the ground rather than running off the site, the groundwater in the area is recharged, which helps during times of drought.
To view a fact sheet on this project, click here.
For more information on porous pavement or other infiltration stormwater Best Management Practices, contact F. X. Browne, Inc. at info@fxbrowne.com.
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The Science of
Splatology
A trip in
the car this summer could provide a lesson in splatology as well as
some sightseeing, according to University of Florida entomologist
and self-proclaimed "splatologist" Mark Hostetler. He
drove 11,000 miles around the country with a net strapped to the top
of his '84 Honda Accord to conduct environmental research. He also
visited Greyhound stations at night to examine the front of more
than 50 buses. His mission: to determine how insect habitats vary
across the country. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06155/694988-115.stm |
News Clips
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Green Streets Program Reduces Stormwater Runoff In Portland, Oregon, drivers are seeing more stormwater management features popping up, although many might not recognize them for what they really are. More attractive than the familiar curb and stormwater inlet method of controlling stormwater runoff from roads, the landscaped islands, porous pavement, and curb extensions along Portland's streets also serve as stormwater collection and filtration features. Portland is in the midst of a tremendous push to capture, store, and infiltrate as much stormwater as possible on-site. By doing so, Portland hopes to help reduce the amount of stormwater entering the sewer system, prevent sewer backups in basements, and eliminate up to 94 percent of combined sewer overflows into local waterways. Nonpoint Source News Notes, May 2006
Dam Removal Funding Gets Federal Boost Efforts to remove obsolete dams may get a big boost as Congress considers record-setting appropriations for national programs that promote the removal of aging structures to improve fish passage. Earlier this year, the Bush administration proposed $6 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s new “Open Rivers Initiative,” a grant program unveiled last year as the government’s first-ever program specifically aimed at supporting dam removals. In a lesser-noticed move, the administration in its proposed 2007 budget also sought an additional $10 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP), which would be specifically targeted to support dam removal and fish passage projects. Both programs have been working their way through the Congressional appropriations process. Nationwide, more than 2 million obsolete dams—many only a few feet high—act as barriers to fish migration. http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=2835 Study Finds Bulkheads Hurt Barnegat Bay Barnegat Bay biologist Paul R. Jivoff has completed a study that compares the amount of underwater life in front of Barnegat Bay artificial bulkheads to what he finds off natural salt marsh shorelines, and the difference is stark. "In front of a marsh or a beach, you can find maybe 28 or 26 species. You're down to 18 in front of a bulkhead," said Jivoff, an assistant professor at Rider University. Moreover, the numbers of fish and animals themselves are much lower in front of the artificial walls -- and those bulkheads now line about 36 percent of the bay's shoreline. Similar studies in other estuaries have prompted fisheries scientists to suspect that widespread coastal development has an impact on ocean life. Important food and sport fish species, such as summer flounder and black sea bass, spend their juvenile life stage in shallow bays such as Barnegat, where they depend upon the marshland plant matter as a foundation for the food web. Asbury Park Press 2006 For more information on ways to naturalize or stabilize shorelines, contact F. X. Browne, Inc. at info@fxbrowne.com. Delaware River Resources Study Funded The Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will receive $1 million in federal funds to collaborate with the Delaware River Basin Commission in a study of ways to enhance the use and management of water resources in the Delaware River Basin. The funding will allow the Philadelphia District and DRBC to address three key project areas over the next two years: long-term sufficiency of water in the Delaware River Basin; effective, long-term flow management; and providing timely and easily accessible information to the public. http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-06192006-672373.html
Grant
Programs |
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NJ Farmland Preservation Grants
The NJ State Agriculture Development Committee is soliciting applications for the preservation of high-priority farms under two state acquisition programs. The SADC's Direct Easement Purchase Program enables landowners to capitalize on the development potential of their land by selling their development rights. They retain ownership of the land but agree to deed restrictions that permanently protect the land from non-agricultural development. The SADC's Fee Simple Program buys farmland outright from willing landowners. Those farms then are resold at public auction with deed restrictions permanently preserving them for agricultural use. http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/sadc/p032806.doc Delaware Estuary Watershed Grants The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in cooperation with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, is providing grant funds under the 06 Delaware Estuary Watershed Grants Program. Grants of $10,000 to $50,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis. Maximum amounts will be awarded for projects that provide physical restoration of habitat and/or demonstrate innovative or regional approaches for improving the Delaware Estuary Watershed. Projects must be located in the boundaries of the Delaware Estuary. Applications must be postmarked by July 17. http://www.nfwf.org/programs/delaware.cfm Fish America Conservation Grants The Fish America Foundation offers grants of up to $15,000 to nonprofit organizations for projects that directly enhance water quality, habitat, and sport fish populations that have regional or national implications. The average conservation grant is $7,500. Projects may include streambank restoration, stocking, litter cleanups, habitat structures, fish passage, silt removal, and others. The deadline for applications is July 31. http://www.fishamerica.org/images/grants/guidelines.pdf PA Community Conservation Grants $70 million is now available to communities and non-profit organizations through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, which is administered through the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The grants can be used to help fund community recreation, open space, land trust, rails-to-trails, rivers, conservation, and recreation projects. In addition, DCNR is offering a series of workshops around the state during the month of June to help interested applicants with the application process. The deadline to submit applications is September 29. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/grants/ PA DEP Recycling Market Development Grants The PA DEP is soliciting proposals for Recycling Markets Infrastructure Development grants. This grant program provides reimbursement for equipment costs associated with increasing the use of recycled content in products by for-profit business entities and non-profit organizations located and operating in Pennsylvania. The deadline for applications is August 31. http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/document/Grants.htm PA Streambank Fencing Program The Capital Resource Conservation and Development Area Council, Inc. announced a new funding program that will assist farmers in Southcentral Pennsylvania to install fencing along streams. The program, called the Regional Riparian Initiative, provides cost share funding for riparian fencing on livestock farms, with priority being placed on those using rotational grazing practices. The project area includes: Adams, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Perry, and York counties. http://www.capitalrcd.org/noframes/projects.htm#rr
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| On May 27, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a Chesapeake Bay stamp as part of a new 50-stamp series entitled "Wonders of America." The stamp features a blue heron flying across a sunset sky and denotes the bay as the nation's largest estuary. |
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Events (Click on an event for more information) EPA Watershed Webcasts EPA’s Watershed Academy sponsors monthly Webcasts, of which audio versions are available on their website. Past Webcast topics include Influencing Behaviors Using Social Marketing; Integrating Wetlands into Watershed Protection; Sustainable Financing for Watershed Groups; Phase II Stormwater; Low Impact Development Strategies, Tools, and Techniques for Sustainable Watersheds; and Eight Tools for Watershed Protection in Developing Areas. http://www.epa.gov/watershedwebcasts PA Dirt and Gravel Road ESM Workshops The Center for Dirt & Gravel Roads and Penn State University will be holding their Environmentally Sensitive Maintenance (ESM) Training. The ESM training provides basic knowledge and tools necessary to maintain roads in a more cost-efficient and environmentally sensitive manner. The training is directed towards Municipalities, the Bureau of Forestry, and others entities responsible for unpaved road maintenance. Workshops will be held on the following dates and locations:
http://www.mri.psu.edu/centers/cdgrs/calendar/calendar.html EPA Stormwater Webcasts EPA is announcing a new series of webcast training sessions for municipal stormwater managers. Designed for those unable to attend out-of-town or multi-day workshops, this series will provide a mix of basic and advanced topics in two-hour blocks. Webcasts will be scheduled approximately every other month from through September. http://www.epa.gov/npdes/training Future topics and tentative dates are: Stormwater Utilities 201 - July
12 Pennsylvania One Call Outdoor Safety Days PA One Call will hold an Outdoor Safety event at the Cranberry Township Public Works facility north of Pittsburgh on September 14.This free event will offer opportunities for education and fun in areas of underground safety and damage prevention. Outdoor demonstrations include locating, ground penetrating radar, soft excavation technology and techniques, trench shoring and a live trench rescue drill. There will also be a backhoe rodeo, educational breakout sessions and exhibitors offering the latest in underground safety. There will be plenty of freebies including lunch, door prizes, and a free excavation safety guide. http://www.pa1call.org/WebSite/Events/2006_programs/2006_PA_Safety_Days.htm Izaak Walton League Webcasts The Izaak Walton League is holding a free four-part Webcast training series entitled "Alternative Practices for Highway Stormwater Management," covering the latest techniques available to help transportation agencies save money, comply with water regulations, and improve water quality. These techniques also can help highway department personnel manage stormwater quantity and quality while using existing rights of way and providing easy access for maintenance crews. This series will provide valuable information to design engineers, planners, regulators, students, maintenance supervisors, construction engineers, and consultants. http://www.iwla.org/index.php?id=169 Webcasts will be held on the following dates:
PA Game Commission Wildlife Workshops for Teachers The Pennsylvania Game Commission is announcing a series of wildlife education workshops for educators and Scout and youth group leaders during July. The four programs, all of which are Act 48 approved for educators, are: WILD About Elk, WILD About Peregrine Falcons, WILD About the Susquehanna, WILD About Birds. Project WILD is one of the most widely-used conservation and environmental education programs among educators of students from kindergarten through 12th grades. http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?Q=168024&A=11 Wetlands 2006 International Symposium The Association of State Wetland Managers will be holding their annual wetlands symposium, Wetlands 2006, on August 28-31 in Traverse City, Michigan. This year's symposium is entitled, Applying Scientific, Legal, and Management Tools to the Great Lakes and Beyond. The symposium will include presentations, posters and discussion on activities on the scientific, legal and management tools relevant to sustaining and restoring wetlands and watershed functions in the Great Lakes area, as well as projects describing, "lessons learned" from other parts of the United States and Canada. http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2006/wetlands2006.htm PA Mine Reclamation/Mine Drainage Conference The 8th Annual Statewide AMD and AMR Conference will be held August 24 - 26 in State College, PA. This year’s theme is “Back to Basics.” The program will feature presentations on passive mine drainage treatment systems, evaluating water monitoring results, identification of funding sources for projects and much more. http://2006.treatminewater.com/ Annual PA Dirt & Gravel Road Maintenance Workshop The Center for Dirt and Gravel Road Studies hold an annual Maintenance Workshop for anyone involved with the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program. This year's workshop is September 11-13, 2006 in Titusville, Venango County. The three day workshop is directed at Conservation District personnel, Bureau of Forestry personnel, and anyone else who administers the Dirt and Gravel Road Maintenance Program. A special one-day track will be held on September 11 that is specifically designed for townships. http://www.mri.psu.edu/centers/cdgrs/education_training/workshop/workshop.html New York City Watershed Science and Technical Conference The 2006 New York City Watershed Science and Technical Conference will be held on September 20 - 21 in Fishkill, NY. The conference will bring scientists and technical experts together with watershed stakeholders and the public to technically inform, present research findings and technical data, exchange ideas, and present information collected to date with regard to the protection of the nation's largest unfiltered surface water supply. http://www.nywea.org/ Northeast Regional Planning Conference Regional Planning Comes of Age, a conference exploring the promise and practice of regional land use planning in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, will be held on September 28-29 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Seminars will address topics such as transfer of development rights, growth management tools, protecting water resources through regional planning, economic impacts of regional planning, using regional planning to preserve historic and cultural resources, cooperative planning across political boundaries, and regional zoning and land use regulation. Seminars will also explore outstanding and developing examples of regional planning, such as the New Jersey Pinelands, the Adirondacks Park, the Long Island Pine Barrens, the Cape Cod Commission, Chesapeake Bay watershed initiatives and much more. http://www.regionalplanningcomesofage.org
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On June 3, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail officially opened with ceremonies across New York and New England. The canoe trail is a 740-mile water trail that follows Native American travel routes from Old Forge, New York, across Vermont, Quebec and New Hampshire, to Fort Kent, Maine. In addition to being a paddling route, the Trail celebrates the history of the Northern Forest. Paddlers will be able to explore both the natural beauty of the rivers and lakes as well as the communities through which the trail passes. Maps of the route are available. http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/ |
Link Of The Month
EPA has recently completed a significant revision of the National Menu of Best Management Practices (BMPs). The new menu has been redesigned to make it easier to browse and search, and also includes a comment feature so that stormwater practitioners and experts can provide suggestions, new data, and additional references. To keep pace with the rapidly developing field of stormwater management, approximately 20 new fact sheets have been developed to highlight innovative practices. http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm
| Independence Day Celebrations |
| The Declaration of Independence was first read publicly at a celebration on July 8, 1776 the first Independence Day celebration after the signing of the Declaration on July 4, 1776. |
| The first organized celebration of Independence Day occurred in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777. This event had all of the elements of typical future celebrations--the discharge of cannon, one round for each state in the union, the drinking of toasts (it would subsequently be traditional to have one toast for each state in the union), "loud huzzas," a parade, fireworks, and the display of the nation's colors on "armed ships and gallies" in the harbor. |
| In Washington D.C. on July 4, 1848, the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument took place with President James Madison and other persons of distinction in attendance. |
| Fourth of July was declared a legal holiday in 1941. |
| The Fourth of July ceremony at the Monument Grounds in Washington, D.C. was televised for the first time in 1947. |
| http://www.american.edu/heintze/fourth.htm#Beginning |
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New Tools and Publications |
Turning the Tide – Documentary on New Jersey’s Urban Wetlands
The tide is turning for urban wetlands, and this change in attitude has inspired a new documentary created by NJ Public Radio and Television. Shot in High Definition video, this half-hour documentary showcases the hidden beauty of the tidal areas in and around the Hackensack Meadowlands of northern New Jersey and the Hamilton -Trenton Marsh just south of the state capital of Trenton. http://www.njn.net/community/specialinterest/turningthetide/
New CWP Wetlands Article
The most recent article in the Center For Watershed Protection's Wetlands & Watershed Article Series, Article 2: Using Local Watershed Plans to Protect Wetlands, is now available for free download. The article briefly describes a proposed framework for integrating wetland management in the context of local watershed planning efforts. It outlines: the rationale for managing wetlands at the watershed scale, the basics of the watershed planning process, and 11 recommended watershed planning elements that relate to wetlands. http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/articles.htm
NJ Highlands Council Preliminary Technical Information for Master Plan Released
The Highlands Council is making publicly available preliminary technical information which supports the Regional Master Plan, which is currently being developed. The documents represent samples of the types of maps, technical reports and data that are being utilized to develop and support the Regional Master Plan. Public releases of additional data, reports, and maps will follow over the coming weeks. http://www.highlands.state.nj.us/njhighlands/june_2006_release.html
Environmental Literacy Report
The National Environmental Education and Training Foundation has released a report, Environmental Literacy in America, that examines the results of more than a decade's worth of environmental literacy research. On the positive side, the research has found that most people believe environmental education is valuable. The report also finds that many people are aware of environmental topics that are relatively simple to understand. However, the average American adult, regardless of age, income, or level of education, generally fails to grasp more complex environmental subjects, essential aspects of environmental science, important cause-and-effect relationships, or certain basic concepts such as nonpoint source runoff pollution, power generation and fuel use, or water's natural drainage patterns. The report examines reasons for the environmental knowledge gap and explores recommendations for improving environmental education and outreach. http://www.neetf.org/pubs/ELR2005.pdf
EPA Brownfields Report
EPA Region 3 has posted the Region 3 Hazardous Waste Cleanup sites Land Use & Reuse Assessment Report on their website. It is a comprehensive review of land use occurring on hazardous cleanup sites in the Mid-Atlantic region. The report's results serve as a baseline from which the region can better evaluate trends in the reuse of cleanup sites. http://www.epa.gov/region03/revitalization/index.htm#report
For more information on brownfields and land reuse, please contact info@fxbrowne.com.
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F. X. Browne, Inc. – Environmental Consulting
F. X.
Browne, Inc.
Engineers – Planners – Scientists
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