Ash Creek/Rooster River Watershed

An overview presented by the

Ash Creek Conservation Association

L. Kraig Steffen, Ph. D.

My Background

Ph.D in Organic Chemistry

Actively involved in Science Education

Lifelong interest in Ecology and Environmental Science

NOT an expert on Watersheds! I’m sharing this as a concerned citizen

What is a Watershed?

Simply put, it is a geographic region drained by a particular creek, stream, or river.

Usually defined by the largest river that drains into a body of salt water.

A simple thought experiment..

When a drop of rain falls where does it go on its journey back to the sea? The Pacific? The Atlantic? Gulf of Mexico? Long Island Sound?

Where would its “neighbor” go?

Now, consider 4 million neighbors!

The geographic region defined by the collective drainage of these raindrops defines a watershed.

Size varies widely, the Mississippi drains millions of square miles, our local watershed about 15 square miles

A Simple Watershed

Does all the water return to the sea?

Eventually, yes…

However, it may seep into the ground and become part of an aquifer. The water in aquifers may stay underground for days.. Or years.. Or even centuries

The water may also evaporate back into the atmosphere

Now, lets add some complex features…

Who Cares??

We all should…

We need fresh water to drink

We need fresh water for growing food

We need fresh water for the plants and animals that are part of our environment

The Value of a River

Rivers drain away excess water, ie flood control

Rivers provide fresh water habitat

Rivers provide a source of water for the rich Riparian biomes surrounding them.

“Riparian” means essentially near a river. Riparian zones are often the most diverse habitats in a given region, a linear “oasis” if you will.

Rivers are important for commerce and leisure activities

Riparian and Salt Marsh Habitat

Great variety of plants and animals

Aesthetically pleasing

Ecologically critical as a source of food and it functions as an important waste control system - natural biofiltering

Salt marsh habitat is critical for biofiltering and as a home to a diverse collection of plants and animals

The Rooster River

Small, only about 10 miles long, entire watershed is only 15.3 square miles

Ash Creek, our local salt marsh estuary, is the outlet of the Rooster River

Tidal flux goes up to just past the Mount Grove cemetery

So .. Lets look at a map!

Aerial Map of Rooster River/Ash Creek

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Familiar Road Map…

And for the careful analysis of the actual watershed shape, the topographic map

CT Watershed Report

A quick visual tour - going upstream from the mouth of the Ash Creek Tidal estuary

Rooster River watershed meets the Sound at the Ash

Creek Tidal estuary

Brackish water near BJ’s – mix of tidal and fresh water

Near CT Limo

Rooster River goes through this culvert near I-95

Mt Grove Cemetery

Mt. Grove Cemetery North Ave.

Capitol Ave. Bridge

Brooklawn Culvert

Brooklawn Spillway

Edgewood Bridge, Brooklawn Country

Club

Brooklawn

Wilson St. Bridge, 1927

Lu Manor Dr. Ducks

Ground Proofing….

Vincellette near Madison

Vincellete West of Main

The trail grows cold…

What Affects our Watershed?

Natural factors like total rainfall and geography

Climate: hot and wet? cold and dry?

Tidal flux

Agriculture and Landscaping use

Urbanization

Industrial Pollution

“They Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot”

One major effect of urbanization is simply the covering of the ground with less permeable harder surfaces

Creates much faster moving runoff

Keeps water from seeping into the soil

Exacerbates erosion

Depletes the underground water supply

Pollution

Point Pollution: A well defined release point for pollutants. Sewage Treatment plant, Factory, Research Facility

Non Point Pollution: agricultural spraying, landscape maintenance, vehicle emissions, dry deposition from remote sources

Myriad of harmful effects on our local watershed - exposure to toxic materials, algal blooms, long term degradation of the habitat

Pollution Information…

The internet has made it much easier to find information

The internet has made it harder to validate information!

Look for reliable, long standing sources but keep an open mind

www.scorecard.org

Using “Scorecard”

A Plethora of Problems

Storm Runoff from west side STP

Industrial wastes from current, historical manufacturing

Non point pollution

Heavy Metal/POP Pollution

Geographical Distribution and Potential

for Adverse Biological Effects of Selected

Trace Elements and Organic Compounds

in Streambed Sediment in the

Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames

River Basins, 1992-94

USGS Water Resources Investigations

Reportﾊ97-4169By Robert F. Breault and

Sandra L. Harris

TMDL

Total Maximum Daily Load

Measures bacteria in water

Expressed as Percentage decrease needed to meet maximum recommended levels

Rooster river is on the 2004 list for not meeting water quality standards

What Can I DO?? (a lot actually!)

Work to encourage honest and thorough pollution reporting

Support Remediation Efforts

Hold Politicians Accountable

What Can I do? At Home?

Replace high maintenance lawns with native vegetation and mulch

Compost your lawn and garden waste, e.g. leaves, grass

Use porous materials for driveways & sidewalks

Sweep driveways, sidewalks & roads rather than using a hose

Avoid use of pesticides

Pick up after pets

Use, store, and dispose of chemicals properly (in Bridgeport residents can bring their toxic chemicals to the transfer station on Asylum street once a year)

Use a car wash instead of washing car at home

Prevent storm drain dumping

Why?

Acknowledgements

The 2004 grant for this presentation comes through the Watershed Assistance Small Grants program, conducted in association with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The small grants program is administered by Rivers Alliance of Connecticut.