US Army Corps of Engineers

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Watershed Planning InitiativesOhio River Basin Comprehensive Study

R. Gus Drum

Community Planner/Landscape Architect

USACE - LRH

“If anything is certain, it is that change is certain. The world we are planning for today will not exist in this form tomorrow” Philip Crosby

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Driving Forces of Change in Water Resources Planning

Regional, more damaging events…..1993 Mississippi River, 2005 Katrina/Rita, 2008 Gustav/Ike, 2008 Midwest – losses of life, property damages.

Regional coastal/ecosystem deterioration issues – Everglades, Louisiana Coastal wetlands, Mississippi barrier Islands.

Increased concern for “systems integrity”…….New Orleans

System sustainability issues – Dam Safety Program & Levee Safety Act

Public safety concerns arose out of past infrastructure failures.

Concern over future climate changes – sea level rise, temperature, precipitation, storm intensity, evaporation rates and affects on water supply, flash flooding, stormwater issues, droughts, etc.

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The Winds of Change

“We need to move to a watershed approach as it applies to water resources projects so that each of our projects fits into the context of a regional plan.” LTG Flowers (2002)

The institution of collaborative planning (EC1105-2-409)

Concerns about system sustainability and application of the “Environmental Operating Principles” - an “Environment” that is integrated, regional and apolitical.

USACE’s “12 Actions for Change”…….comprehensive systems approach.

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Basin and Watershed Water Resources Planning

1983 Principles & Guidelines – watershed approach 1999 Policy Guidance Letter #61 – Application of the Watershed

Approach in Corps Civil Works Planning Section 202 of WRDA 2000 amending Section 729 of WRDA 1986 –

“authorizes” Watershed and River Basin Assessments April 2000……ER1105-2-100 – Civil Works Planning Manual January 2009…EC1105-2-411 – Watershed Planning Circular

► Initial Watershed Assessment ($100K Federal)► Watershed Assessment (75%-25%)

Other federal agencies’ watershed assessment and management methodologies (EPA, NRCS (RWA), ARC, TVA, etc.)

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Watershed Jargon

USGS established Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) system Hydro-geographic units for watershed planning purposes

► Basin – HUC 2 level (national scale)► Sub-basin – HUC 4’s directly intersecting major rivers such as the

Kanawha River sub-basin intersecting the Ohio River at Pt. Pleasant, WV

► Watershed – HUC areas 6 through 8► Sub-watershed – HUC areas greater than 8► Catchment – drainage area of first order streams (headwaters of the

stream)

Useful system when defining scope of watershed planning.

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Watershed Planning Assessments Watershed Assessment Factors:

► Demographics – population growth, employment ► Public and private development & infrastructure systems► Transportation system (highway, railway, inland navigation, terminals) ► Changes in land cover types and distribution over time► Hydrology (watershed size, floodplain zones, discharges, stormwater,

channel blockages, etc.)► Water quality (CSO’s, AMD, sedimentation, pharmaceuticals, TMDL’s,

non-point pollution, etc.) ► Terrain analysis – future development potential► Changes in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems► Changes in vegetation types and coverage► Geology and soils (mining, erosion, cultivation)► Historic and archeological resources► Land use controls► Affects of anticipated climate change

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Recent Watershed Planning

West Virginia Statewide Flood Protection Plan (2002)

► 15.5 million acres of rugged terrain.► 32 HUC 8 watersheds in the state.► Approximately 32,000 miles of

streams.► Flood control structures by Corps and

NRCS.► Water resources and flooding issues

across the state. Numerous Federal Disaster Declarations in the state.

► Plan included statewide strategies and recommendations addressing Federal, state and local initiatives for reducing flood damages.

► Many recommendations already enacted.

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5 Ohio Counties Watershed Assessment for ARC

•ARC emphasis on 5 counties using a watershed approach by LRH District.

•Watersheds and their problems extended far beyond the political boundaries of the individual counties.

•Some water resources solutions are beyond the control of the 5 counties.

•A classic example of geo-political versus watershed approach – agency mission defined by political boundaries not watersheds.

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Two-Digit HUC Basins in US

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Ohio River Basin

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Basin Statistics and Resources Geography and demographics

► 204,000 square miles (130.5 million acres)► 15 states, 548 counties and over 2,600 municipal areas► 152 HUC 8 watersheds, 15 sub-basins (HUC 4)► More than 26 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA’s)► Approximately 25 million people► Over 5 million people using Ohio River as primary drinking water source► Ohio River contributes 60% of the flow in the Mississippi River

Resources► Rich in water, coal, gas, timber, agricultural production, etc.► Rich in ecosystem resources (T&E mussels, fish, plants, etc.)► 83 Corps reservoirs, 75 TVA reservoirs and 1,000+ NRCS dams► Over 100 local protection projects (levees, floodwalls, channels, etc.)► Ohio River Basin navigation system – commodity flows and employment

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Distribution of Dams within Basin

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Basin Issues(Over 200 responses and counting)

Issues collected from USACE, stakeholders & public► Aging infrastructure – levees, floodwalls, reservoirs, etc.► Over 1,000 Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO’s) on Ohio River.► Impaired streams throughout the region.► Water quality - AMD, sedimentation, bacteria, chemicals

pharmaceuticals. ► Flooding and stormwater management.► Habitat losses, reservoir releases, wetlands development.► Public lands management and recreation.► Climate change affects on water resources management.► Stream gaging O&M costs and sustainability.► Invasive species► Potential for out-of-basin water transfers

Ohio River Basin study web site: www.orboutreach.com

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Macro-scale Basin Analysis - GIS

•Data collection is at the HUC 8 watershed level rolled up into HUC 4 sub-basins and basin (HUC 2) level of analyses.

•Land cover, location quotients, population, at-risk structures, flood insurance coverage, resources, climate, ecosystems, T&E species, flooding, etc.

•FEMA, NRCS, USGS, USACE, NOAA, HAZUS, USFWS, etc.

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Ohio River Basin AnalysisAlternatives Formulation

•Using Federal, state and local GIS databases & thematic map layering to uncover land use relationships and describe changes over time as basis for alternatives formulation.

•Using data from HAZUS and 100+ LPP footprints we are deriving protected assets within LPP line of protection – people, structures, critical facilities, a first.

•GIS data will be published as an Ohio River Basin atlas for public use.

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Watershed Planning Initiatives?

Basinwide water management plan Numerous sub-basin & watershed assessments – state,

watershed associations, regional agency partners. Reservoir storage reallocation studies – optimization of

storage benefits (78 multi-purpose reservoirs). Ongoing Dam Safety and Levee Safety initiatives Sub-basin and watershed scale ecosystem restoration

with USFWS, DNR’s & TNC Local jurisdiction initiatives – stormwater management,

land use zoning, NFIP, building codes, TDR/PDR, etc.