Rivers are the primary conveyances of water as it flows from the mountains to the seas. They are one of the routes whereby water moves within the hydrologic cycle, collecting runoff from both forested hills and city streets. They also provide avenues for commerce, recreation, sources of drinking water and irrigation, and habitat for fresh water and anadromous fish species, as well as numerous other species of aquatic plants and animals.
The velocity of the current in a river or stream is largely determined by the slope of the terrain through which it travels. Swift rivers tend to accumulate little sediment and usually contain few nutrients. Consequently, although their banks are often lined with rooted plants, these types of rivers contain little plankton. They do exhibit a high dissolved oxygen content, vital to such faunal organisms as the larval stages of aquatic insects, as well as cold water fish species, e.g., trout and salmon. Slower streams usually contain more plant life and often harbor animals adapted to burrowing and/or feeding on the bottom.
Threats to rivers come from a wide variety of sources, primarily because the rivers themselves act as nature's own collection vessels, ultimately discharging their contents, both good and bad, into downstream estuaries. People have for centuries chosen to live by rivers because of the benefits they provide, e.g., navigation, hydropower, drinking and irrigation water, recreation, waste disposal, etc. To maximize these benefits, efforts have been made in many areas to control the magnitude and duration of river flows through the construction of locks, dams, diversions and reservoirs. The partial or complete alteration of rivers over a period of years, however, can significantly alter both the complex upstream and downstream ecology which has taken centuries to evolve in response to a river's natural cycles.
Coastal America's river restoration projects have addressed various aspects of degraded river ecology, particularly along the shorelines. Some projects have begun to restore shallow water areas in rivers experiencing heavy industrial development, with the objective of providing resting and cover habitat for migratory fish species, such as salmonids. Still other projects are protecting riverbanks from further bank deterioration with the implementation of bioengineering and ecologically designed features to stabilize the banks while encouraging less intrusive economic development. Finally, a number of projects have sought to modify flood control projects by restoring migratory fish passage through the construction of fish ladders and/or the removal of facilities and structures that prevented these migrations, e.g., low head dams.
For the purposes of this discussion and for ease of analysis our River System Protection and Restoration Projects have been divided into three categories: Minimizing Obstructions to Fish Migrations; Restoration of Riverbanks; and Improving Water and Sediment Quality.
Cherrifield Dam Fish Ladder, MA
In 1994 the Corps of Engineers initiated this project to modify fish ladders that would bypass an obstruction to juvenile salmon migration. The Cherrifield Dam lies across the Narraguagus River and poses a serious obstacle along a major migration route for several species of anadromous fish attempting to reach their historic spawning areas, including the Atlantic salmon. Planning, design and construction activities for this project are estimated to cost $135,000 and will utilize the COE authority under Section 1135 of WRDA 1986. The Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission is interested in cost sharing in this effort and is currently attempting to raise its 25 percent share. Technical assistance and consultation are being contributed by the FWS and the NMFS, which are also investigating funding strategies on behalf of the local sponsor.
Albemarle-Pamlico Anadromous Fish Passage, NC
In 1991 the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality began the process of determining how to remove and/or modify low head dams along the Neuse River that were obstructing the migration of anadromous fish. This restoration project seeks to restore approximately 160 miles of historic anadromous fish spawning runs through the removal or modification of dams which are no longer useful or in operation.
The Neuse River provides habitat for a number of important anadromous fish including striped bass, shad, alewife, herring and sturgeon. All these species have historically formed a significant component of the fishery resources of the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine system. There has, however, been an unprecedented decline in the population of all anadromous fish species throughout much of their historic ranges within this region. Water quality degradation, alteration or destruction of estuarine habitats, alteration of river flows, commercial and recreational over fishing, and physical obstructions are all factors thought to have contributed to the decline of the various fisheries populations. Environmental agencies involved with anadromous fish management describe dams as the most detrimental obstruction to fish migration. Many abandoned mill pond dams and hydroelectric dams still remain in eastern North Carolina and Virginia and their presence prevents access to hundreds of miles of historic anadromous fish habitat and spawning areas.
Following an initial study, two dam sites have been identified for removal, the Cherry Hospital and the Quaker Neck dams in the Neuse River Basin. In an effort to partially address this serious decline of fisheries the Department of the Navy (Marine Corps) initially proposed removing the two dams as part of an explosives training exercise at little to no cost to the other Coastal America partners. This alternative stalled because of EPA concerns over liability for any potential environmental law violations resulting from the demolition. Efforts by Coastal America have now identified the North Carolina Coastal Federation to receive funds from the State of North Carolina and from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the demolition of the Quaker Neck Dam and possibly, the Cherry Hill Dam. Both events are now scheduled to take place in early 1996. The overall dam removal effort is being coordinated by the State of North Carolina and EPA in anticipation of opening up nearly 160 miles of former spawning habitat for anadromous fish. The FWS and NMFS are providing technical advise and consultation on this project.
Cape Fear Fish Migration, NC
This project seeks to modify three existing locks and dams to provide for anadromous fish passage on the Cape Fear River just north of Wilmington, North Carolina . The Cape Fear River has been used historically by a number of anadromous fish including American shad, striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, and the short-nosed sturgeon. The construction of three locks and dams above Wilmington, North Carolina from 1915 to 1934 restricted the access of these species to their historic spawning grounds. This project will benefit these anadromous species by re-opening approximately 33 miles of former spawning areas through a combination of altering the locking schedules to benefit the fisheries, repairing existing fish ladders, building new ladders, and/or cutting notches in the dams to encourage more efficient anadromous fish passage.
Planning, design and construction activities for this project will utilize the COE authority under Section 1135 of WRDA 1986. The State of North Carolina's Wildlife Resources Commission and its Division of Marine Fisheries supported a 1994 investigation in concert with the University of North Carolina into the feasibility of proposed fish sampling techniques at the locks and dams. This investigation demonstrated that these structures are a significant impediment to spawning migrations. The FWS and the NMFS are providing technical advice and consultation on the project. Presently, a draft initial appraisal report has been furnished to potential local sponsors in an effort to gain their support of the project and to initiate the necessary planning at Lock and Dam Number One.
Latham River Restoration, GA
In the early 1950's the Georgia Department of Transportation constructed a causeway on State Route 50 providing access to Jekyll Island, Glynn County, Georgia. During construction, the Latham River which flows through the island, was blocked by the causeway at two locations causing a diversion of the natural tidal flow and negatively impacting the marshes adjacent to the causeway. That portion of the river north of the causeway now flows out of the original mouth into Jekyll Creek. The other portion of the river is now connected to Jekyll Creek by a man made outlet constructed south of the causeway.
Since the channel flow was redirected away from the southern marshes, several problems have developed. Sedimentation in the Jekyll Creek section of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway (AIWW) has increased, resulting in increased dredging frequencies and associated costs. The increased frequency of dredging and the need to place these sediments into nearby disposal sites has decreased the site's long term capacity. At the current shoaling rates, new disposal areas will soon be needed, or the diking of open marsh sites will be necessary to maintain the AIWW to its authorized depth.
One of the objectives of the current plan is to restore the natural tidal fluctuations of the Latham River to pre-causeway conditions and reduce the sedimentation problem. This proposed project is being partially constructed using the COE authority under Section 1135 of WRDA 1986. Additionally, the Georgia Department of Transportation, using its authority and funding under ISTEA, is expected to contribute to the restoration by demolishing the current causeway and replacing it with bridges, which will aid in the restoration of the original tidal flows. The NMFS, FWS and EPA are providing technical advice and consultation at the federal level, and the Jekyll Island Authority and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are providing state level technical support. The project is expected to take two years to construct and will include a monitoring and an educational program.
It is anticipated that this project will provide greater flushing of the Latham River which should improve ambient water quality and avoid future fish kills. The dredging costs of that section of the AIWW adjacent to Jekyll Creek are expected to be decreased significantly due to the reduced sedimentation. Reduction in the amount of dredging will also increase the life cycle of the existing dredged sediment placement areas. It is anticipated that there will be an increase in shellfish and finfish spawning and rearing areas as well as a reduction in the threats to manatee and woodstork roosting and feeding areas which are found in the project area.
Technical Lessons Learned:
Procedural Lessons Learned:
Duwamish River Estuary Intertidal Wetlands, WA
Geologic conditions in the Pacific Northwest have limited the extent of broad, flat coastal areas considered essential for modern human development. This topography has directly influenced the location and manner in which commercial development in the areas surrounding Seattle, Washington's Puget Sound has evolved, thereby placing significant development pressures on the coastal wetlands and other coastal habitats of the Puget Sound Estuary.
The Port of Seattle, located in the Duwamish River estuary within Puget Sound, provides an example of the industrial history in this area. The Duwamish River provides a passageway to the inland portions of the state, and thus has been an area of heavy industrial development. Concrete, glass, steel, and lumber factories, and construction and barge companies have all been a part of its economic fabric. This development, while playing a significant role in the economic expansion of the Seattle region, has taken a heavy environmental toll. The developmental history of the Duwamish Estuary has resulted in the loss of approximately 98 percent of its former intertidal marshes and mudflats. These habitats are critical to juvenile salmon and many other species of aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and their loss represents a serious threat to the ecological integrity of both the Duwamish River Estuary and the greater Puget Sound. Despite this heavy loss, the Duwamish river system continues to provide remnants of valuable habitat function within a highly urbanized area. The river still supports a limited heron rookery and salmon fishery, however, that productivity could be increased if additional habitat were established.
This Coastal America project has remediated some of the impacts of historical industrialization with enhanced and restored environmental features. Three sites along the Duwamish River were identified for initial restoration; the Turning Basin, the General Services Administration (GSA) site, and Terminal 105. These three areas were chosen based on their availability and suitability for restoration and their potential to show marked improvements in critical habitat with restricted funding. Each project had three basic phases: first, the removal of debris; next, the regrading of the shoreline and bottom sediments to restore appropriate intertidal elevations, and; finally, the re-establishment of a riparian buffer.
There are a number of habitat reconstruction technologies being demonstrated in this group of projects. For example, at the GSA site, modified log booms are being used to minimize the impact of boat wakes along the shoreline. Another is the construction of an intertidal bench on existing rip-rap, along with modified rip-rap bank tops to facilitate the development of a more robust riparian buffer that is better able to withstand erosive forces. These projects also have individual education components such as interpretive signs to explain the ecological importance of the features being restored. Volunteer youth groups were used in the planting of the intertidal and riparian buffer areas, an activity that also had an education component to it, as these volunteers learned about the importance of small ecological improvements. The restoration of these sites will help to partially restore salmon and other aquatic wildlife populations and their habitat, enhance public access to the river, and improve the quality of life along this active waterfront. The net result is ecological restoration and sustained environmental features along with continued economic development.
These restoration activities have been undertaken under the leadership of the FWS in partnership with the NMFS, the EPA, the COE, the GSA, and the Port of Seattle. The NMFS conducted contaminant sampling and evaluation and review and analysis of monitoring data. The EPA provided overall federal coordination, baseline sediment sampling, and development and facilitation of monitoring and sampling plans for project evaluation. The COE provided technical assistance in engineering, design and construction, baseline sediment sampling and analysis, and the administration of permit requirements. The GSA provided facilities management and donated the GSA site. The Port of Seattle also played a major role as the lead non-federal sponsor.
Potomac Shoreline Restoration, Washington DC
A portion of the Bolling Air Force Base (AFB) in Washington, D.C. lies adjacent to the Potomac River. Air Force actions and previous uses have led to the degradation of the shoreline and adjacent harbor areas. The intent of the project is to contribute to the protection of the Potomac River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, from further deterioration caused by nonpoint source pollution runoff from the base and increased siltation due to the continuous erosion of the Bolling AFB's Potomac River shoreline. The Potomac Shoreline Restoration project cleaned up 6,000 feet of shoreline by clearing away old stumps, roots, concrete rubble and other debris; repaired broken and/or collapsed storm drains and outfalls; and conducted the excavation for and the placement of geo-fabrics, stone rip-rap and earthworks to repair the shoreline, thus preventing additional sedimentation into the river.
This $4,200,000 project was funded by Congress as a military construction project (MILCON). The project was accomplished as part of the federal facilities compliance effort under the Chesapeake Bay Program, an EPA initiative, and was constructed under the original government estimate. Partners with the Air Force included the COE which provided project permits, design and monitoring; the National Capitol Planning Commission which provided review and approval of project design; and the Chesapeake Bay Commission which provided review, approval and monitoring. The contractor completed the job in October, 1994.
Kenai River Protection and Education, AK
Located 75 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai River drains more than 2,000 square miles of diverse landscape. The river is also the state's premier chinook salmon and trout stream, and provides important rearing and spawning habitat for other extremely valuable fish species. The area is experiencing rapid development and increased pressure from recreational groups while residential and commercial development has led to the filling of adjacent wetlands and the bulkheading of shorelines. These pressures have resulted in the loss of high-value aquatic and wetland habitats, including important rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids. Additionally, the riverbanks of the Kenai and other south central Alaska streams and rivers have been degraded by boat wakes and the foot traffic of fishermen wading into and out of the river.
This restoration project has been designed to demonstrate a number of techniques for preventing erosion and damage from the development that has occurred along 80 miles of the river. Project implementation comes after nearly 12 years of biological surveys, the formulation of goals and objectives, and the development of plans specific to the project site. Project features include a combination of streambank restoration and protection structures and a comprehensive educational program. The streambank features include vegetated cribwalls, revegetation of denuded areas with grasses and willows, and an elevated, light penetrating boardwalk that keeps fishermen off the vegetation while allowing sunlight to penetrate to the underlying vegetation. The boardwalks lead to stairwells that provide less damaging access to the river. The educational aspects include a poster to explain groundwater activity and an interpretive program at local grade schools, high schools, and the community college to teach children and young adults of the importance of protecting and managing wetland and riverine habitat and groundwater quality. Additionally, education of local land owners is being provided to help them include proven bio-engineering techniques into any future residential and/or commercial construction activities.
Construction was initiated in the Spring of 1994. The vegetated cribwall was completed, but only part of the elevated boardwalk and only one set of stairs to get fishermen over the bio-engineered banks and into the river was in place at the end of the first construction season. Most of the cribwall and live plantings held up well during the summer high water event in 1994, but some erosion occurred on the downstream portion of the project. Several meetings of the principal partners, including the FWS, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the City of Soldotna, and the project designer, were held to decide what needed to be done to repair the erosion damage, complete the remaining work, and how the balance of the project was to be funded. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the City of Soldotna have now agreed to complete the project in 1995.
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Blackstone River Restoration, RI and MA
This study seeks to identify a plan to restore some of the historic degradation that has occurred to the Blackstone River, which flows through the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Due to long-term industrial and residential uses of the river, including the disposal of untreated discharges, contaminated river bottom and streambank sediments have been identified as a major source of pollution to the river and ultimately to Narragansett Bay. Additionally, these same contaminated sediments have directly resulted in the loss of fish and wildlife habitat, as many exposed contaminated areas have exhibited little to no vegetative growth over the years. A study conducted for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in 1981 identified the sediments in the Blackstone River as "grossly polluted with heavy metals" and the "most severely contaminated sediments in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The study also evaluated various abatement strategies and recommended a sediment management plan that includes dredging and environmentally sound disposal, sediment and bank stabilization, and dam reconstruction.
The National Park Service (NPS) is leading this collaborative project which will test bio-engineering techniques to stabilize the shoreline, restore riparian and riverine habitats, mitigate the discharge of heavy metals, clean up contaminated sediments, and remove the impediments to fish migration. The COE Planning Assistance to States Program (Section 22, WRDA 1974) is funding 50 percent of the effort to have an interdisciplinary team of COE scientists and engineers examine the entire watershed. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the NPS are also contributing funds and expertise. Additionally, the COE is examining the potential of using its authority under Section 1135 of WRDA 1986 to modify existing project features and/or their operations; the FWS is providing fishway designs; the EPA is providing analyses of contaminants; and NMFS is providing technical support and consultative services. The COE also recommended, in its fiscal year 1995 program, the initiation of a reconnaissance study of the entire Blackstone River watershed. This investigation would comprehensively examine restoring fish and wildlife habitat via flow regulation; restoring fish spawning habitat, wetland systems, and waterfowl nesting areas; constructing fish passage facilities; and remediating the resuspension of contaminated sediments through "capping" or covering them with clean sediments.
Little Lake Butte des Morts, WI
Little Lake Butte des Morts is a main channel lake located on the Fox River, 37 miles upstream of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The production of carbonless copy paper in the 1960's and 1970's led to the discharge of polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs) into the Fox River resulting in the contamination of bottom sediments along much of its length. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) in cooperation with the EPA, FWS, USGS and Coastal America Partnership has performed extensive environmental assessment work on the river.
Based upon these assessments, a single large deposit of contaminated sediments, referred to as Deposit A, has been identified as a priority site for remediation to reduce the uptake of PCBs in the aquatic food chain and PCB loadings to downstream areas. Studies of Deposit A have demonstrated that the site covers over 40 acres and contains 63,000 cubic yards of PCB contaminated sediments averaging 33 parts per million (ppm) or roughly 1400 pounds of PCB. Laboratory studies have shown that fish exposed to these sediments absorb 10 ppm of PCB in ten days, while field surveys of benthic communities near Deposit A have shown severely degraded community structures. The Wisconsin Division of Health has issued public advisories, warning of the dangers of eating fish exposed to these sediments.
After evaluating the assessment data from Deposit A, the WDNR has determined that the site should be cleaned up to a final PCB concentration of 0.1 ppm to prevent further biological uptake within the aquatic food chain. Further, the WDNR has determined that the contaminated sediments will be removed using a "dry excavation" technique. This remediation method consists of building a temporary cofferdam around the deposit, dewatering the site, and using conventional earthmoving equipment to excavate and dry the material. Sediments will then be loaded into covered dump trucks and disposed of in specially designed cells at a local landfill which have been approved by EPA under the Toxic Substance Control Act. Following removal of the sediment, the site will be re-flooded and the cofferdam removed. Monitoring will continue for several years following the cleanup to evaluate the success of the restoration and document the recovery of Deposit A. The $15 million cleanup is planned for initiation in 1995-1996 with local industries, responsible for the contamination, bearing the majority of the cleanup costs, although WDNR will provide some limited funding. EPA, through its participation in Coastal America, provided funding to help define the extent of the problem and to evaluate possible solutions.
Extensive public participation and input has been encouraged through public information meetings, briefings to local officials and groups, media interviews, press conferences, and the development and distribution of fact sheets to concerned local residents.
Procedural Lessons Learned:
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