Download - Tree stewards 02 11-2014
Bringing Water Quality Home
Stormwater is evil
Native Trees are the solution
Topics
• What is a watershed? Who cares?• Major pollutants – nutrients and sediment• Reedy Creek – poster child for urban
watersheds• Best Management Practices to protect
water quality – Trees, Trees, Trees
What is a Watershed
CREEK CONNECTIONS
Box 10, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA 16335
http://creekconnections.allegheny.edu
A Watershed
Definition• The total land area that
contributes water (or drains into) a particular waterway.
• Can also be called a “Drainage Basin”
Flow: Groundwater Flow: Groundwater
Under the surface, GROUNDWATER is on the move
Infiltration or percolation
Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.htmlSource of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html
Flow: Surface Runoff Flow: Surface Runoff
Surface Runoff can also be called “Overland Flow”
Over forested land, fields, grasslands, even parking lots
Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html
http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/info/phos.html
Creek Connections photograph
http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/nps/What_is_NPS/urban.htm
Watershed BoundaryWatershed Boundary
Any water within the boundary of your watershed or precipitation that falls within the boundary will flow into your waterway.
Watershed ImpactsWatershed Impacts
• Land and waterway interaction
What we do on land affects our waterways
Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html
Watershed ImpactsWatershed Impacts
• Land and waterway interaction
What YOU do on land affects our waterways
Source of illustration: http://www.epa.gov/region01/ge/thesite/groundwater.html
Watersheds – Who Cares?
• All land is part of some watershed
• Surface runoff and groundwater carry pollutants from the land
• Land use determines water quality
Major pollutants carried by stormwater runoff
• Bacteria• Toxic chemicals – petroleum, pesticides,
herbicides, heavy metals, PCBs• Nutrients• Sediment
Nutrients in Aquatic Systems
1. Nitrogen (N)
2. Phosphorous (P)
3. Potassium (K)
Nutrients (continued)
Eutrophication- Too many nutrients enter aquatic system- Rapid growth of algae (bloom)- Algal population crashes and dies- Microbial decomposition uses up dissolved
oxygen- Fish kills, odors, taste problems in drinking
water sources
Eutrophic pond below point source
Nutrient Enrichment in Streams
• Removes habitat• Changes aquatic community
Nutrients (continued)Human Sources
- Agricultural/suburban/urban runoff- Loss of riparian areas and wetlands- Air Deposition (nitrogen from fossil fuels)- Wastewater effluent (sewage treatment and
industrial plants)
Sediment- Injures fish and aquatic
invertebrates
- Carries phosphorous (nutrients)
- Decreases light penetration (decreases SAV - Submerged
Aquatic Vegetation)
- Removes bottom habitat by filling in spaces between rocks
Effects of sedimentation
Lots of space between rocksfor aquatic insects and smallfish.
Little space under rocks.Rocks are “embedded” bysediment. Terriblehabitat quality.
Sediment (continued)Human Sources
- Stormwater runoff from urban/suburban areas
- Runoff from construction sites, agricultural fields, etc.
- Loss of riparian areas and wetlands
- Bank erosion from channelization/stormwater volume
Real World – Reedy Creek
Less Visible Problems
1. Fecal Bacteria – Reedy Creek is on Virginia’s “dirty waters” list
2. Nutrients
3. Sediment
4. Aquatic Life - Citizen data shows the community of aquatic
animals is severely impaired.
Too many “bad” bugs
Very Few “Good” Bugs
What are the causes?
1. Stormwater Volume – Reedy Creek is “flashy” due to rain water running off rooftops, streets,
driveways, parking lots, etc.
Concrete channels make the problem of stormwater volume
worse
Result of too much stormwater – Streambank Erosion
2. Stormwater carries pollutants– Sediment– Fecal bacteria– Nutrients– Toxic chemicals – petroleum, pesticides,
herbicides, detergents, etc.
Index of Biological Integrity vs.Impervious Cover
10 years?
20 years?
30 years?
Reduce Your Watershed Footprint
I. Reduce Stormwater1. Impervious surfaces
2. Semi-impervious surfaces
3. Slopes
(Goal = no water leaves property)
Solutions
Rain Barrels(Harvesting) Rain Gardens
(Infiltration)
Lawn Facts 1. Lawn covers 9.5% of
the Chesapeake Bay watershed – more than all row crops
2. Lawn is often semi-impervious – pathetic topsoil, compaction, and poor management
Why native perennials and native grasses are better than turf grass
Lawn Reduction
TREES And MORE TREES
Lawn Management
1. Mower Height – 3 inches or highest setting
a. Deeper roots = Healthier lawn
b. Reduced evaporation
2. Mowing Frequency – as little as possible
3. Improve soil with organic matter
a. Grass clippings
b. Mulched or composted leaves
II. Reduce Pollutants in Stormwater
Solutions
Fertilizers
• Soil testing and use of minimal amounts of fertilizer
• Slow-acting fertilizers are most environmentally friendly
• Pay attention to the weather – do not fertilize with fast acting fertilizers immediately before rain is predicted.
Pesticides and Herbicides
• Learn to live with pests – they are part of a balanced ecosystem
• Hand-weeding and hand-picking pesky insects can be therapeutic
• Plant something else• If spray you must: use least toxic, fastest
degrading option and pay attention to the weather
III. Help Wildlife with Diverse Native Vegetation
Plant Native Plants!!!!!!!!!!!!
Study Results• Native plants support
35x more caterpillar
biomass than alien plants.
• Native plants had
3x more insect species
than alien plants.
Native Plant Selection: Good, Better, Best
Best = Native Plant of Local Ecotype
Local Ecotype: a collection of plants originating in a specific area and therefore carrying genetic adaptations to that specific environment
(Source: Iowa Prairie Network) http://www.iowaprairienetwork.org/org/Positions/position-local_ecotype.shtml
BETTER (Next Best)
Wild Native Plant of unknown geographic origin
OR
Wild native plant of known geographic origin that is “far” away
Good (?)
Cultivars of Native Plants
Cultivar = Assemblage of plants that (a) has been selected for a particular character or combination of characters, (b) is distinct, uniform and stable in those characters, and (c) when propagated by appropriate means, retains those characters. (Source: Wikipedia)
Cultivar Properties of Concern1. Genetic diversity is low to non-existent a. Each plant is genetically identical if it is a clone
propagated asexually (cuttings)
b. Extremely limited genetic diversity if propagated by inbreeding
2. Unknown if full ecological value is retained. (Seed, nectar, leaf nutrition, pollinator attractants, etc.)
3. Geographic source often unknown – may not grow well in local environment
4. If cultivar sexually reproduces with native plants of the local ecotype it can potentially damage the gene pool of wild populations, especially if the same cultivar is planted widely.
Remove Foreign Invasive Species!
using trees to reduce stormwater runoff
http://www.slideshare.net/watershedprotection/using-trees-to-reduce-stormwater-runoff-formatted-presentation?type=powerpoint
save energy improve air quality provide habitat better quality of life neighborhood stability aesthetic values increase property value reduce noise good for business
trees are the original “multi-taskers”
Why integrate trees and stormwater?
• Potential benefits of trees in stormwater treatment practices: infiltration, pollutant removal, stabilization, habitat, reduced mowing costs, landscaping value
• Implementation of stormwater forestry practices has been limited - lack of collaboration among foresters and stormwater engineers (and city planners and transportation engineers and ….
• Use of trees (non-structural practices) is more cost-effective than use of structural practices
Stormwater forestry opportunities in a watershed
• Schools• Parks• Highway rights-of-way • Vacant lots• Streams and shorelines• Utility corridors• Street medians and roadways• Parking lots• Home lawns (education and incentives are key)
Opportunities to build urban tree canopy that can enhance stormwater treatment
and improve watershed health
What opportunities
are we missing?
Use trees to: block winter winds,
shade summer sun,
accent important views, and
screen private areas
Residential landscapes can be functional and beautiful
More shade means more time between repaving. 20% shade on a street improves pavement condition by 11%, which is a 60% savings for resurfacing over 30 years.
Planting along local roads
Reforesting stream buffers provides stream shading, bank stabilization, pollutant removal and
other benefits
stormwater drypond
alternative sidewalk design
Traditional sidewalk designs utilize individual tree pits (left) which confine roots; alternative designs cluster trees (right), which allows them to share rooting space. This reduces the
need for tree roots to grow under pavement.
Bioretention with trees
12th street green street, portland oregon
Infiltration = 4 inches per hours
Seattle SEA Streets
Seattle SEA (Street Edge Alternatives) Streets Project uses graded swales to reduce impervious cover by 11% over traditional
streets. Project has decreased stormwater volume by 97 percent.
Growing Vine, Seattle Washington
“beckoning cistern” by buster simpson
DEQ Links of InterestProbabilistic Monitoring http://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/ProbabilisticMonitoring.aspx
Water Quality Standardshttp://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityStandards.aspx
TMDLshttp://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/TMDL.aspx
Citizen Monitoringhttp://www.deq.state.va.us/Programs/Water/WaterQualityInformationTMDLs/WaterQualityMonitoring/CitizenMonitoring.aspx
Watershed Organization Websites
• Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay- http://allianceforthebay.org/
• Center for Watershed Protection – http://cwp.org/ • Earth Sangha - http://earthsangha.org/
• James River Association - http://www.jamesriverassociation.org/
• Reedy Creek Coalition – http://reedycreekcoalition.org/
• Rivanna River Streamwatch - http://streamwatch.org/
Contact Info
Bill Shanabruch
Regional Biologist
DEQ – Piedmont Regional Office
804-527-5113