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Posts Tagged 'bergen save the watershed action network'
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network
Posted in water protection, filtration, & control
Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN) recognizes the need for stormwater control and streambank restoration in the Borough of Emerson. They propose the following demonstration projects to address these critical needs: debris control, streambank stabilization, and the planting of native trees and shrubs.
Debris Control- For decades, United Water has had booms at inlets to its reservoirs in order to intercept and contain debris. The removal of the debris, consisting of vegetation (leaves, branches and logs) and man-made items such as beverage containers, polystyrene, drums, lumber, balls, etc., is both time-consuming and costly. Much of the smaller, man-made debris originates from trash thrown or blown onto streets and washed into catch basins that eventually drain to the tributaries emptying into the reservoirs. Our state requires that as roads are built and repaved, stormdrain inlets must be installed or retrofitted to reduce the openings, thus preventing the larger material from entering the stormdrain system. Retrofitting all the stormdrain inlets will take at least 10-15 years and will not prevent all debris from entering the stormdrain system.
Intercepting the debris closer to the source will save money and improve the aesthetic quality of the waters of the state as well as have the potential to prevent certain contaminants from entering waterways. This proposal for a model project includes the installation of a structure at the outlet of the storm drain system along Main Street in Emerson, east of Ridge Road. The structure will allow stormwater to pass through a screen while intercepting and directing debris such as beverage containers, plastic bags, and cigarette butts, into a containing basket. The design of the structure is such that the screen will not be blocked by the debris as it is discharged from the storm drain.
Streambank Stabilization- Heck’s Ditch, located immediately downstream of the discharge from the stormdrain system, is experiencing severe erosion for approximately 200 linear feet. The ditch empties into the Oradell Reservoir approximately 2,000 feet below the stormdrain outfall along Main Street. Sediment carried by the storm drain system, along with sediment from eroded streambanks, is being washed downstream. Due to significant deposition of sediment in the original watercourse, stormwater runoff and its associated sediment are now being deposited in downstream wetland areas. The upper section of Heck’s Ditch cuts through property owned by the Borough of Emerson. This parcel of land was included in the Borough’s open space inventory and purchased by the Borough in 2001 as the Emerson Woods Preserve.
The actions envisioned for the 200 feet of the ‘watercourse’ (it has no dry weather flows) below the stormdrain outfall consists of:
- One or two check dams made up from small boulders to slow the velocity of the runoff.
- Spot reshaping the sides of the ditch to a 2-3:1 slope with some riprap placed along the banks at the outside turns, if required.
Planting Native Trees and Shrubs- Due to the severe erosion along Heck’s ditch, a trail running parallel to the ditch on the north side is seriously undermined and presents a safety hazard for anyone walking this trail. Bergen SWAN plans to relocate the walking trail further from the top of the bank so as to prevent further erosion and remove the safety hazard that currently exists.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- stormwater project to reduce contaminants in waterways, stream stabilization to prevent erosion and reduce sedimentation
Total Project Cost: $30,000 for the planning phase
Status: Bergen SWAN has established a good working relationship with United Water New Jersey, which has pledged to provide a significant level of financial support for this project. Bergen SWAN is hoping to develop detailed plans for the project and acquire necessary permits in 2010, and begin work on the project by the spring of 2011. The requested funds for this project are to cover the costs of planning (engineering drawings, landscaping plans, brainstorming sessions). A future phase of implementation will require additional funding.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network
Posted in biological diversity, water protection, filtration, & control
Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN) is working with the Bergen County Parks Department, Rutgers University Water Resources Program, US Fish & Wildlife Service, the Borough of Westwood, United Water NJ, R&S Landscaping, and Pascack Sustainability Group to design and install an enhanced vegetative buffer surrounding a large pond at the Pascack Brook County Park. The 2,000 linear foot pond is an impoundment of a small tributary which connects to the Pascack Brook at a point approximately one mile above where the brook enters the Oradell Reservoir.
At present, there is very little vegetation surrounding the banks of the pond. Bergen SWAN has worked with Rutgers to design a planting plan with a coverage area of 10,500 square feet that will help to control runoff from the parking areas surrounding the pond, deter Canada geese from utilizing the pond and field areas, and increase the habitat for native songbirds and other species. The planting plan calls for the installation of native trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, and wildflowers, plus removal of invasive species surrounding the pond. Phase 1, taking place in spring 2010, will involve the planting of sixty 1-2-inch caliper trees. Phase 2, to take place in 2011, will involve the planting of the remaining vegetation.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- restore vegetative buffer to control runoff
Biological Diversity: Habitat- restore native vegetation, removal of invasive plant species
Total Project Cost: $17,500
Status: Bergen SWAN would like to plant sixty trees during the spring of 2010.
If you would like more information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network
Posted in ecological restoration project, water protection, filtration, & control
This project is focused on restoring a 2,500 foot section of the bank of the Musquapsink Brook in Westwood. This area has been deeply disturbed through a combination of illegal dumping of residential and landscaping trash and the improper dumping of dredging spoils by the County Mosquito Commission. As a result of these activities, the area along this section of the brook has lost the majority of is natural vegetative cover, and in many places the soil has been degraded by the introduction of construction debris and gravel deposits.
Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN) has held an initial in-the-field planning meeting with the property owner – Westwood Regional School District – and they are very excited about moving forward with the project. Students and teachers in biology and environmental science classes will participate in the planning and installation of this restoration project and will utilize the site for ongoing environmental studies programs.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration, and Control: Water quality- buffers to streams, restoration of native vegetation
Total Project Cost: $31,000
Status: Bergen SWAN is hoping to develop detailed plans for the project during the summer of 2010, conduct some work in the fall of 2010, and complete the planting in the spring of 2011.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
Tags: bergen save the watershed action network, franklin parker small grants program, wma 05 (hackensack hudson and pascack)
Posted in NRD settlement candidate project, climate stabilization and/or air pollution mitigation project, ecological restoration project, projects funded by conservation resources, recreation & aethestics, riparian mitigation candidate project, water protection, filtration, & control
The focus of this project is the development of a regional approach to stormwater/watershed management. Guided by expertise from Rutgers’ Water Resources Program and Bergen Save the Watershed Action Network (SWAN), decision makers and stakeholders will engage in a series of information sharing workshops that generate tangible, time-driven results. The meetings will culminate with on-the-ground projects requiring the installation of a demonstration rain garden or streambank restoration project within each of the four towns. The outcomes generated by these meetings and hands-on projects will be used to develop educational materials and other media communications designed to promote the adoption of these techniques more broadly throughout the community.
The principal audience for the stewardship workshops will be elected municipal officials; Planning Board members; environmental commissioners; Dept. of Public Works personnel; and town professionals such as engineers and planners. For the hands-on rain garden and streambank projects Bergen SWAN will reach out to educators, garden clubs, community organizations, and other stakeholders for their input and participation.
There is a dire need to bring new ideas on watershed management to local officials and decision makers. Currently, the prevailing mindset concerning flood control and stream management is to regularly dredge stream beds and move the water quickly down the line to the next town. Such traditional methods inadequately address peak flows and quantity, do not at all address water quality, and seriously damage and stress existing ecological communities.
By providing information on best management practices and low impact stormwater management systems, and by promoting watershed-friendly strategies – floodplain buyout programs, humane geese population control, water conservation inside and outside of homes and buildings, the adoption of no-mow zones, native plants, smaller lawn areas, and other alternative landscaping techniques — municipal officials, land managers, and others will be able to build their capacity for addressing stormwater problems with more creative, long range solutions.
Ecosystem Services Provided:
Water Protection, Filtration & Control: Water quality- protection of groundwater recharge areas, restoration of stream buffers, stream bank stabilization, prevention of sedimentation, stormwater projects, reduction of runoff
Climate Stabilization and Air Pollution Mitigation: Carbon sequestration- aforestation
Outreach, Recreation & Aesthetics: Environmental education- workshops/training sessions
Total Project Cost: $30,600
CRI granted $4,000 to Bergen SWAN in 2007, and another $4,000 in 2008 for this project through its Franklin Parker Small Grants program.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Conservation Resources Inc.
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