HRWA Roundtable - HEWRP Presentation

HUDSON ESTUARY WATERSHED RESILIENCY PROJECT

An initiative of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia-Greene, Dutchess, Orange and Putnam Counties in partnership with the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program, NY Water Resources Institute and Cornell University with support from the NYS Environmental Protection Fund.

• SUNY New Paltz: Green Infrastructure to Improve Watershed Resilience in the Saw Mill Brook Watershed and Village of New Paltz

• NY Sea Grant: Integrating Climate Change Messages into K-12 Estuary Lesson Plan Offerings

• SUNY ESF: Assessing Flood Risk in a Changing Climate in the Mohawk and Hudson River Basins

• Cornell University: Determining Peak Flow Under Different Scenarios and Identifying Undersized Culverts

• NY WRI: Assessment of Extreme Weather Impacts on Water Infrastructure

• Cornell School of Civil & Environmental Engineering: Physical Demonstrations of Stream Dynamics Appropriate for Tributaries of the Hudson River Estuary

• CCE in the Hudson Valley: Hudson Estuary Watershed Resiliency Project

Initiatives of the Hudson Estuary Resilience Project

Hudson Estuary Watershed Resiliency ProjectProject Goal:

To develop capacity in Hudson Valley municipal

officials, highway personnel, and riparian

landowners to implement watershed resiliency

strategies to minimize future flooding impacts,

while also properly responding to storm

impacts to streams and adjacent and associated

infrastructure.Main Street, Purling, August 2011

Project Need – Extreme Weather

Source: Draft National Climate Assessment, Jan. 2013

• Climate change & warmer weather

• Increase in heavy rainfall events

• Recent weather patterns reflect the trend

Project Need - Flood Risk in the Hudson Valley

• Riverine Flooding

• Stormwater Runoff

• Coastal Flooding & Storm Surge

• Dam Failure

• Ice Jams

Project Need• Human-built infrastructure and stream function

Source: Schueler, T., 1987

Project Need – Flood Response

• Berms

• Dredging

• Channelization

• Removal of riparian buffers

• Removal of woody material from streams Wallkill River riparian deforestation

• Needs Assessment interviews

• Presentations at Town Board Meetings

• Regional Conferences

• Seminar Series

Municipal Officials

Wayne Reynolds, Cary Institute Flood Forum

• Post Flood Stream Intervention Training• Cornell Local Roads Stormwater Management Class

Highway Personnel

Post Flood Stream Intervention Training, Acra

Riparian & Floodplain Landowners• Needs

assessment survey is under development

• Outreach at County Fairs

• “Neighborhood meetings”

• Resource materialsErosion threatening home – Quassaick Creek

• Trees for Tribs plantings

• USGS Stream Gage programs

• Stream Assessment program

Multi-Audience Programs

Trees For Tribs Planting – Elsbree Park, Rensselaerville

Educational Materials

• Who To Call After a Flood for Landowners

• Flood Response Guide for Municipalities

• Tri-panel Display

• Maps

• Website:http://www.hudsonestuaryresilience.net/

Upcoming ProgramsUSGS Catskill Creek Stream Gage Field VisitThursday, July 11             6:30 - 8:00 p.m.            Presenter:  Dr. Gary Wall, USGS

National Flood Insurance Program & the Community Rating SystemThursday, July 17 & July 25     6:30 - 8:30 p.m.Presenter: Bill Nechamen, Certified Floodplain Manager, NYS DEC Floodplain Management Section

When the Bowery Behaves BadlyFriday, August 2            6:30 to 8:30 pm                        Presenter: Ron Frisbee, CCE Columbia Greene

Bowery Creek, 2011

Partner AcknowledgementsLower Hudson Coalition of Conservation DistrictsNYC Department of Environmental ProtectionNatural Resource Conservation ServiceUSGS NY Water Science Center NY Extension Disaster Education NetworkCounty Planning DepartmentsCary Institute of Ecosystem StudiesHudson River Watershed AllianceHudsonia, Inc.Trout UnlimitedLocal watershed groups

Hudson Estuary Watershed Resiliency Project Team

CCE Columbia & Greene CountiesLiz LoGiudice, Audrey Kropp, Ron Frisbee, Theresa Mayhew, Evan Hogan

518 622-9820 x 33eml37@cornell.edu

CCE Dutchess CountyCarolyn Klocker, Neil Curri, Camille

Marcotte, Sean Carroll (845) 677-8223 x135 cak97@cornell.edu

CCE Orange CountyRosemarie Baglia(845) 344-1234

rsb22@cornell.edu

CCE Putnam CountyDianne Olsen

(845) 278-6738dko3@cornell.edu

Cornell DNRShorna Allred, Gretchen Gary

(607)255-2149srb237@cornell.edu