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Watershed-based Plan To Restore the Hackensack Meadowlands: The Meadowlands Comprehensive Restoration Implementation Plan Terry Doss and Karen Appell The Louis Berger Group, Inc. Bill Shadel and Pete Weppler U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, N.Y. District Introduction Mill Creek Wetland Enhancement Site Purpose: develop solutions to ecosystem degradation in the Meadowlands at a watershed scale Key Project Participants The Public Non-Federal Sponsor New Jersey Meadowlands Commission Lead Federal Agency U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Cooperating Agencies U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service N.J. Department of Environmental Protection National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Study Authority Resolution of 15 April 1999: “Resolved by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the United States House of Representatives, That, the Secretary of the Army is requested to review the reports of the Chief of Engineers on the New York and New Jersey Channels…with a view to determining the feasibility of environmental restoration and protection relating to water resources and sediment quality within the New York and New Jersey Port District, including but not limited to creation, enhancement, and restoration of aquatic, wetland, and adjacent upland habitats.” Project Status STEPS TARGET DATE Overall Hudson-Raritan Estuary (HRE) Reconnaissance Project Management Plan Meadowlands Environmental Site Information Compilation (MESIC) Public scoping meeting Meadowlands Comprehensive Restoration Implementation Plan (MCRIP) January 2000 April 2003 May 2004 February 2005 Underway Study Process Problem Identification Request for Federal Assistance Study Problem and Report Preparation Project Management Plan Feasibility Study EIS MCRIP Preconstruction Engineering and Design Interim Project Cost Sharing Agreements (PCSAs) Separate Construction Projects Federal Authority and Funding Project Cooperation Agreement Implementation Operation and Maintenance Project Need Habitat Loss/Alteration • • • • • • • • • • Tidal Restrictions Channelization Fill Channel Siltation Dredging Sea Level Rise Marsh Accretion Example of Tidal Restriction in the Marsh Subsidence Meadowlands Habitat Fragmentation Infrastructure/Shoreline Hardening Project Need (cont’d) Sediment and Water Pollution • Toxic Contaminants in Water/Sediment • Non-Point Source Pollution/Discharge • Landfill Leachate • Sewage Treatment Plant Outflows /Combined Sewer Outfalls (STP/CSO) • Floatable Debris Invasive, Exotic, Nuisance Species • Invasive Vegetation • Monoculture Plant Associations • Predator/Prey Imbalance • Feral Animal Species • Disease Vector Species Non-Sensitive Public Use • Personal Water Craft Harrier Meadow Wetland Enhancement Site Project Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Identify Historical Ecological Functions of the Meadowlands Goal 2: Identify Impairments to Ecological Functions of the Meadowlands Goal 3: Identify Physical Impairments to the Meadowlands Goal 4: Identify Quantifiable Restoration Performance Metrics • Water Quality • Wetland Acreage • Sediment Quality • Vegetative Diversity • Wildlife Species Abundance and Diversity • Public Access Project Goals and Objectives (con’t.) Goal 5: Identify Conceptual Restoration Opportunities Goal 6: Conduct Site Characterization and Selection Goal 7: Evaluate Restoration Alternatives and Functions Restored Goal 8: Assess Cost/Benefit Goal 9: Select Restoration Opportunities Goal 10: Monitor and Measure Performance Mill Creek Wetland Enhancement Site Potential Restoration Sites Restoration Plan Components • Restore Wetland Hydrology • Remove Tidal Restrictions • Restore Creek Morphology • Remove Fill • Dredge Contaminated Sediments • On-site Contamination Attenuation • Invasive Vegetative Species Control • Plant Native Species • Nuisance Wildlife Control • Control Landfill Leachate • Control Non-Point Source Runoff • Control STP Discharge Quality • Manage Motorized Watercraft Evaluating Wetlands and Restoration Alternatives Habitat Evaluation Techniques • HGM – Hydrogeomorphic Assessment (tidal fringe wetlands) • IVA – Indicator Value Assessment (all wetland types) • Best Professional Judgement • Compare existing conditions at Reference Restoration Site and Potential Restoration Sites • Selection based on: • Meadowlands-wide goals • Initial Critical Restoration Sites • • • • • Anderson Creek Marsh Lyndhurst Riverside Marsh Meadowlark Marsh Metro Media Others? Riverbend Wetlands Preserve Benefits: Meadowlands-wide and Site Specific • Water Quality • Wetlands • Sediment Quality • Wildlife Habitat • Cultural Resources • Air Quality • Public Access Kearny Marsh Anderson Creek Marsh Fragmented Contamination Impaired Hydrology Invasive Species Non-Point Source Runoff Anderson Creek Marsh - Historical Potential Restoration Alternatives Local sponsor support Enhance and improve hydrology Plant with native species Control any potential remobilization of buried contaminants Conceptual Design for Anderson Creek Marsh