Everyone lives in a watershed. So, how do we go about finding out which watershed we live in? and some of its characteristics? In this Delineating/Describing Your Watershed section of the newsletter, you will find articles describing how to do just that, and more. Readily available online tools are employed by the authors to locate information on their watersheds, at both local and regional scales. In these articles, you will find descriptions of a number of watersheds based on information gleaned from those apps, as well as how to use the apps. Constructive comments and feedback on the articles are greatly appreciated.
Caring for Your Watershed
We have seen that change within our local watersheds is inevitable. So how do we go about minimizing negative affects of change? In the BMPs in Your Watershed category, best management practices (BMPs) observed in local watersheds will be described. For each BMP, the reason it is needed and how effective it appears to be will be addressed. Pictures of the BMPs and their outcomes will help you recognize best management practices in your own watershed. Constructive comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
Watersheds are Always Changing
Change is the one thing that we can always count on in life. And watersheds are constantly changing, too. Those changes may be natural or human-induced. Natural changes occur because the Earth is dynamic–just watch the weather for occurrences of floods and droughts. Human-induced watershed change falls into a variety of categories such as changes in response to climate change, transitioning from forests to agriculture, and increasing urbanization. In the Change in Your Watershed category, you will read about changes that are occurring in local watersheds. These are changes that are readily observed, if you know what to look for. Constructive comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
BMPs In My Local Watershed
By: Riley Gagnon
Throughout the work that I have been practicing this semester I have meticulously learned information about my local watershed and the importance it plays in our environment. What is equally as important is the management practices, BMPS, which are practices that are used to protect watersheds and prevent or reduce water pollution within these watersheds. The upkeep of watersheds is vital to humans as we rely on our local watersheds for the copious amounts of general wellbeing. BMPS might not be something that is common knowledge, but they are all around and are easily spottable once you are aware of what they entail. Some examples of BMPs are wise use of fertilizers and pesticides, landscape practices that prevent erosion, proper planning of roads and buildings, public education outreach, public involvement and participation, construction site storm run-off control, etc. In my local watershed of Cromwell, CT, there are eight different water bodies that cover this area, some of which are in good condition, some of which are not. The main watershed in this area is the CT river. The drainage area in this watershed is 0.58 square miles, the mean basin elevation is 148 feet, the percentage of developed land is 85.8 percent, the average percentage of impervious area is 26.1 percent, and the mean annual precipitation is 49.48 inches (USGS 2020). Throughout this article I will be discussing the BMPs in my local watershed and their overall effectiveness, use, and practicality.
One watershed management practice that my local watershed of Cromwell, CT has put into place is the “Stormwater Management Plan” that was launched and developed in March of 2017. The goal of this plan was to protect water quality and reduce the discharge of pollutants from the municipality’s storm sewer. This plan most important covers all of the towns highways, roadways, and railways that are located within urbanized areas, but also covers all other drainage areas within the town regardless of their location in aims to protect watersheds from projects and site work. It ensures that in areas where stormwater discharge from “municipally-owned maintenance garages, salt sheds, and other facilities will be regulated under the condition of the permit they are not required to obtain” must put in proper BMPs to protect local watershed from inflicted harm. Storm water pollution greatly affects human life as well as aquatic plant and animal life so it was tremendously important for my local watershed to permit this plan to necessary areas so that they can actively work towards diminishing these hazards. Each building site that poses a threat to watersheds must implement BMPs within their construction. In the figure below you can see this plan being put into action. There is an “Erosion Control” BMP put into place where a road was built so that water erosion on land, agricultural areas, and construction sites would be prevented. Effective erosion controls can help avert surface run off which prevents soil loss, water pollution, and wildlife habit loss.
(Figure 2). This image captures the area where erosion control was implemented where a road was being built.
Another extremely helpful BMP that has been implemented into the town of Cromwell is the “Stormwater Program” which is a public outreach education program that was also put into place in 2017 in attempts to further educate the citizens on the specific common sources of pollutants that are discharging into waterways, and how the towns citizens can help prevent these pollutants from reaching the watershed. The most common causes of pollutants in the town of Cromwell are automotive pollution, bacterial pollution, and general liter pollutants. When this program was implemented there were brochures and fact sheets that were made available to the public at public meetings, the town hall, and the public library that addressed the effects of stormwater quality on the environment and how to improve stormwater quality as a citizen. Later on after this program was developed the town upgraded the program to also include educational/training videos as well as workshops in hopes to reach a large population that provided basic information related to stormwater pollution prevention. In addition, as a part of educating the public it is important to know when travelers or citizens are entering an important watershed. The town of Cromwell implemented signs that do just this. You can see one of these signs at the entrance of River Highlands State Park which is a well used hiking trail in Cromwell, CT that lines the Connecticut River, one of our main watersheds. The sign states that the Connecticut River is nearby in attempts to warn the habitants that there is an important watershed near by. In the figure below, although a little blurry, you can see the sign that is posted at the entrance of the park full of information. Another important aspect that was placed on the entrance sign is the reminder to not litter, especially in this area since it is so close to our local watershed and can potentially harm it.
(Figure 3). This image captures the educational program outreach attempt of a sign that was posted outside of River Highlands State Park that boarders a very important local watershed.
One last BMP that has been put into place in my local watershed of Cromwell, CT is the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. This plan was made to make sure that the discharge of storm water is being done properly, especially those areas with industrialized activity. Industrial activity companies and areas are required under this plan to obtain a permit that binds them to the rules and structures of proper stormwater runoff management. Under this permit there are constant inspections being done in facilities where discharge is common. The areas that are inspected are dumps, transfer station recycling areas, transfer station waste oil areas, etc. This is done to try to prevent illicit discharges from happening in the first place and often these inspections are done weekly. This plan/permit also requires stormwater testing where a sample is taken by proper authorities for visual assessment. These sample assessments are done quarterly. There is also a part of the plan that states that citizens of Cromwell are allowed to report illicit discharges of storm water to help prevent water pollution. If someone believes that they have seen an illicit discharge there is an email address where they can send a message to report the suspected discharge or any type of water pollution for that matter. It also establishes legal authority to prohibit illicit discharges. Something that I found that was pretty awesome was that in the past five years the town of Cromwell has had zero illicit stormwater discharge cases.
Overall, throughout my research I learned several new things about my local watershed and how they have implemented BMPs throughout the town to help keep the watershed healthy and prevent pollution. The town of Cromwell, which I never knew, is well equipped with BMPs that are aiding the upkeep of a healthy watershed. They are constantly changing and upgrading these measures too which is important as things are constantly changing around us. The three listed BMPs above prove that the town takes the health of our watershed very seriously, and that is something that I think we should all continue to practice. If this is continued there will be an overall better quality of life for not only its citizens but also animal, plant, and aquatic life as well.
Sources:
USGS, 2020, StreamStats Report for 41.6234, -72.6780, StreamStats Application version 4.3.0, U.S. Geological Survey, accessed February 1, 2022 at https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/
Cromwell, 2018, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, accessed April 29, 2022 at https://www.cromwellct.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif2976/f/uploads/swpp_transfer_station.pdf
Cromwell, 2017, Stormwater Management Plan, accessed April 12, 2022 at https://www.cromwellct.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif2976/f/uploads/2017_cromwell_ms4_smp_final_08032017.pdf
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