restoring and protecting the commonwealth’s rivers ...restoring and protecting the...
TRANSCRIPT
Restoring and protecting the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands and watersheds for the benefit of people and the environment.
Outline• Who we are & how we
operate
• Our accomplishments
• Stream Continuity Program
• Partnerships & Coordination
• Messages
Photo – action shot
Shawsheen River, Andover
Who we are• 15 staff. 13 in Boston; 2 at
Westfield State University
• Project managers have 10+ years of experience
• Senior staff have 15-20 years of relevant experience
• Expertise in hydrology, wetland ecology, engineering, fish biology, natural resource economics, water quality
DER’s Focus Areas
• Dam removal
• Culvert replacement
• Tidal wetland restoration
• Wetland restoration in retired cranberry bogs
• Streamflow restoration
• Water conservation
• Water quality protection
30 projects in planning; 5-7 completed each year
Culvert upgrade training, Northborough
Photos of project teams
DER’s Partnership Approach
Turner Dam Removal, Pepperell Turner Dam Removal project team
Coonamesett River project team Coonamessett River Restoration, Falmouth
Hallmarks of DER’s Work
• Projects help communities adapt to climate change; increase resilience; save money
• DER provides
– Hands-on assistance identifying and scoping projects
– Oversight through design, and permitting
– Fundraising
– Support through construction DER works with municipal, state, NGO, business landowners and land managers
• Leverage every state $ for $5-$8 federal / NGO
DER is a funnel for resourcesHurricane Sandy
Coastal Resilience $$$
Projects
DER works statewide
Example Accomplishments
• 50+ dams removed
• >2000 acres coastal wetlands restored
• 350 acres retired cranberry bogs restored and in planning for restoration
• Initiated new culvert replacement program for municipalities– 67 grant applications
received for FY19
Hopewell Mills Dam Removal, Mill River, Taunton
Economic Output
• Projects generate 75% return on investment and 12.5 jobs for every $1 million invested
• Average cost to remove dams and upgrade culverts less than repairing in-kind, long-term
• DER’s leveraging makes climate adaptation less expensive for towns; saves money in the long term through increased resilience; makes state dollars go further
Hunters Pond Dam, Scituate
DER Fiscal Year 2017 Leveraged Funds$ 13,115,000 Ratio of 8:1
10%3%
3%
30%
54%
FY17 DER Capital funds$1,550,000
NRD$395,000
Corporate$470,000
NGO$4,350,000
Federal$7,900,000
Project Examples
Cotton Gin Mill Dam Removal, East Bridgewater
Example: Tidal Wetland RestorationMuddy Creek--Rt. 28 road crossing
Chatham/Harwich
Pre-restoration
Post-restoration, 2016
Example: Tidal Wetland RestorationMuddy Creek--Rt. 28 road crossing
Chatham/Harwich
Example: Muddy Creek / Rt. 28 Bridge
Tidal Restoration
Harwich: $413,000.
$2.5 million sewer cost avoided
Chatham: $413,000
Federal: $5.1 million
State / DER: $50,000
Total: $5.975 million
Outcome:
• 72 jobs created
• 55 acres restored
• Safer bridge resilient to storms and sea level rise
Muddy Creek/ Rt 28 bridge, Harwich / Chatham
Example: Dam RemovalShawsheen River, Balmoral Dam
Andover
Pre-restoration
Example: Dam RemovalShawsheen River, Balmoral Dam
Andover
Construction
Example: Dam RemovalShawsheen River, Balmoral Dam
Andover
Post-restoration, 2017
Build municipal capacity to replace undersized culverts through technical assistance, training, tool development, incentive grants, and coordination with regulatory agencies.
Town Brook, Plymouth
Stream Continuity Program, 2014
$750,000 total annually *• All Phases of Culvert Replacement
• Field data collection• Design and permitting• Construction
• Additional funds included as available, e.g. mitigation funds, grants, in-lieu fees
*subject to state capital plan approvals
Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program
• Grants ranged from $22,500-$150,000.
• Culverts in high ecological areas and provide public benefits
• Only projects intended to meet the goals of the SCS.
• No match required—incentive funding.
Funded Projects
CRMA Funded Projects (2 yrs)
• 24 Projects (26 Grants)• 5 Field Data Collection/Structure Selection• 3 Preliminary Design and Engineering• 15 Final Designs• 1 Construction
Brookfield
Boxford
Ashfield
Culvert Replacement Training Sites
Brookfield, MA
Competitive opportunity for municipalities
DER technical assistance through construction & financial support (when possible)
Town manages project & DPW/Highway Dept. participates in DER led trainings.
Brookfield
Boxford
Ashfield
Culvert Replacement Training SitesGoal: Reach as many towns as possible
Create avenues for town networking & easy access to training
Paul Nguyen
Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards, 2011
Open arch0.82 Openness ratio
Natural substrate
Banks, dry passage
Comparable depth and velocity, up & downstream
2 feet Embedment
Large span, 1.2x bankfull width
North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative
Project Area
www.streamcontinuity.org
Create a network in the North Atlantic region
Develop a Unified Stream Crossing Assessment Protocol
Create an infrastructure to support collection of road-stream crossing data
Workshops:
Improving Stream Crossings: Flood Resilient, Fish Friendly
2013
Take Home Messages• We coordinate on-the-
ground projects at the nexus of habitat restoration, public safety, climate adaptation
• We use a partnership-based approach
• We prepare projects to access state and federal grant programs (MVP, MEMA, Dam / Seawall)
• Timing is right to ramp up and make these projects part of standard approach of adapting to climate change in the Commonwealth
Culvert upgrade training, Northborough
Unmet Need• Road managers and towns
lack knowledge, skills, capacity to plan and carry out projects like dam removal, culvert replacement
• 67 municipalities applied for culvert replacement grants in FY18 ($5.8 million total)
• 200+ dam owners requested help since 2011
• State and local planning for adaptation is underway, and assistance with implementation is needed
Walker Brook, Becket
Thank you!
Eel River Headwaters Restoration, Plymouth
Kristen FerryHabitat Restoration Program [email protected]
Extra Slides
Division of Ecological Restoration Restoration and Adaptation
Aquatic Habitat Restoration
Streamflow Restoration
Riverways
• Dam removal• Culvert
replacement• Restoration of
retired cranberry bogs
• Coastal wetland restoration
• Water conservation
• Impoundment releases
• Changes in water rate structure
• Urban river restoration
• Innovative stormwatermanagement
• Technical assistance to watershed groups
All in the context of climate change and community resilience
1. Increase pace and scale of dam removal
Select dams for ecological, resilience, adaptation benefits. Help owners navigate the dam removal process and access MVP, Dam / Seawall Grant Program, federal grant funding.
Cotton Gin Mill Dam Removal, East Bridgewater
2. Coordinate salt marsh restoration projects for ecological and resilience benefits
Help municipalities plan and implement projects that restore tidal flow, improve water quality, and provide adaptation. Prepare projects for small bridge program, MVP, and other grant programs.
Muddy Creek / Rt. 28 crossing, Harwich / Chatham
3. Expand Municipal Culvert Replacement Technical Assistance Program
Build municipal capacity to replace undersized culverts through technical assistance, training, tool development, incentive grants, and coordination with regulatory agencies.
Town Brook, Plymouth
4. Ramp up restoration of retired cranberry bogs
Partner with landowners and funders to design, implement, and construction projects. This will provide a Green Exist Strategy for farmers seeking to transition out of cranberry production. These projects increase water storage, improve water quality, and provide public recreation as well as fish and wildlife habitat.
Tidmarsh Farms, Plymouth