Long Island Sound
Streamwalk
Type: Condition
of habitat and sources affecting habitat (i.e., the condition or
functionality of the habitat).
Category: Wetland and Upland
Cost: Extensive staff and volunteer time; no estimate available
now
Description: The Norwalk River Watershed Initiative (NRWI)
is a partnership among federal, state, regional and municipal government
agencies, local environmental and civic organizations, and watershed
residents to: 1) build local capacity to protect and restore the
Norwalk River watershed; and 2) assist communities in integrating
the resource management objectives of the Long Island Sound Comprehensive
Conservation and Management Plan into local land use planning
and regulatory programs. One of the first actions of the NRWI was
to conduct a streamwalk, or visual survey, of the Norwalk River
and its tributaries to help assess its condition.
The purpose of the streamwalk was to involve agency staff and volunteers
in collecting information about the physical condition of the Norwalk
River and its tributaries to help guide future restoration and protection
efforts. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),
in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection (CT DEP) and with assistance from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),
developed two inventory sheets to guide the data collection. The
"segment survey" sheet was designed to record data that
would provide a general description of the stream corridor characteristics.
A new segment survey sheet was filled out ever time the stream's
basic characteristics (gradient, substrate materials, stream bank
vegetation, etc.) changed significantly, and for segments of the
stream at least 1/4 of a mile in length, including large ponds (>5
acres), lakes, and reservoirs. The "impaired site assessment"
sheet was designed to identify and describe specific sites where
the stream exhibits physical signs of adverse conditions to cold
water fisheries and human use (recreational and consumptive).
The Fairfield County Soil and Water Conservation District coordinated
the 50 agency staff and volunteers who participated in the streamwalk,
which was conducted from August through November 1996. The streamwalk
was conducted during late summer when warm temperatures and low
stream flows represented the most adverse conditions. For stream
classification purposes, the CT DEP divides the Norwalk River Regional
Watershed into three sub-regional watersheds: the Norwalk River
(mainstem), the Silvermine river, and Comstock Brook. The CT DEP
classification system further divides the sub-regional watersheds
into local watersheds. For purposes of the streamwalk, the NRWI
grouped the small local watersheds into 26 sub-watershed units.
Outcome: The streamwalk identified 132 impaired sites throughout
the Norwalk River Regional Watershed. These sites formed the basis
for the habitat restoration recommendations in the Norwalk River
Watershed Action Plan and Norwalk River Watershed Stream
Corridor Impairment Inventory. The CT DEP and NRCS have used
this information to successfully apply for Clean Water Act Section
319 grant funds ($140,000 from FY98-01) to support several riparian
buffer and fish habitat restoration projects. The Mianus Chapter
of Trout Unlimited has used the impairment inventory to successfully
apply for Trout Unlimited "Embrace-A-Stream" grant funds
(over $20,000) to support several riparian and in-stream fish habitat
restoration and enhancement projects. Since 1998, more than 5,000
linear feet of in-stream and riparian habitat have been restored
or improved at four sites along the main stem of the Norwalk River,
and planning is underway for several more projects.
The streamwalk methodology developed for the NRWI has been adopted
by the CT DEP and NRCS as a standard tool to support its watershed
and nonpoint source management programs. Streamwalks have been conducted
in the Mattabesset, Hockanum, Shetucket, Quinebaug, and Willimantic
river watersheds, and streamwalk planning is underway for several
other high-priority watersheds, including the Eightmile and Salmon
rivers.
Contact: Seth Lerman, NRCS, 860-871-4065
Citation: Norwalk River Watershed Streamwalk Findings
Report, march 1997; Norwalk River Watershed Action Plan,
October 1998; Norwalk River Watershed Stream Corridor Impairment
Inventory, February 1999.
|
