Best Management Practices Observed in My Local Watershed and How You Can Help

Watershed health is essential to the balance of all ecosystems and ecosystem services. To maintain proper watershed health, best management practices (BMPs) should be abided by. Best management practices are techniques that are in place to conserve and protect water bodies and ultimately our watersheds, from pollution carried by surface water runoff. The purpose of this article is to observe and reflect on three BMPs in my watershed, located in Enfield, CT. Previously, I determined that my local watershed has a drainage area of 2.1 square miles and a mean elevation of 157 feet. Within this area, 67.6% of it is developed land and 21.9% of it is impervious cover. In addition, it receives a mean annual precipitation of 45.57 inches with an average soil permeability of 10.434 inches per hour, and the total length of all mapped streams is 3.07 miles (USGS, 2020). My local watersheds outlet is in the Connecticut River, just south of the Massachusetts border in Enfield. Within this watershed, I observed three best management practices utilized; storm drain systems which divert stormwater runoff from ending up directly in waterbodies, the disruption of impervious land cover with green areas called bioretention planters, and retention ponds that store stormwater runoff.

To counter increasing impervious cover from urbanization, BMPs are put in place in the form of prevention and reduction measures such as limiting fertilizers and pesticides that can enter runoff and pollute waterbodies, manmade structures such as catch basins and retention ponds, and natural buffers such as bioretention planters in areas with impervious cover to filter pollutants and decrease flooding and erosion (CT DEEP, 2021). Storm drains are used to catch stormwater runoff, and catch some sediment and debris, which would otherwise end in up a waterbody. They mainly prevent flooding, as they divert runoff underground. Bioretention planters, another BMP I observed in my watershed, are helpful in areas of impervious cover, by aiding in infiltrating the runoff back into the soil and filtering out contaminates that could end up in a nearby waterbody. The third BMP I noticed in my watershed were retention ponds. These ponds are made to store and treat stormwater runoff before the water ends up in a nearby waterbody (C&MD, 2020). In the remaining essay, I will discuss the use, practicality, and effectiveness of these BMPs in my watershed.

Figure 1. Photo of a catch basin on W Forest Dr. in Enfield, CT. Photo taken April 19, 2022.

Storm drains are seen along almost every road and are never far apart from each other. They are used to catch debris such as trash and plant matter, and more importantly, they catch sediment and sometimes heavy contaminates such as oil from cars to some degree (EPA, 2022). The sediment and debris on the roads are easily picked up by stormwater runoff and dumped into a nearby waterbody, potentially disturbing the ecosystems and contaminating water supply if there are not storm drains. Additionally, over time, sediment deposits in waterbodies can disrupt the flow and reduce water depth, altering the natural flow of the hydrologic cycle in that area (C&MD, 2020). Storm drains such as the one seen in Figure 1 have been in use for decades and are very practical for municipalities, as they are required for almost all main and residential roads in the country. They are effective in catching stormwater runoff and preventing some debris and sediment that the runoff carries. However, they are not very effective in catching contaminates unless there is enough debris and in the underground system to filter out heavy liquids like oil, but this is unlikely. Having filtration devices within these drainage systems would be very beneficial to our environment and make their effectiveness even greater. Overall, storm drains are useful in preventing flooding, sediment, and most debris from entering waterbodies, protecting our watersheds and they ecosystems they harbor.

Figure 2. Bioretention planter in a parking lot. Retrieved from https://plannersweb.com/2013/02/putting-the-lid-on-your-communitys-stormwater-part-ii/segedys-lid-bioswale/

Vegetative and green cover, formally known as bioretention planters, are especially important as they break up the impervious cover that is increasing as urbanization and development becomes more widespread (EPA, 2022). Parking lots, roadways, etc. count as impervious cover and are areas where stormwater runoff, which carries sediment and contaminates, cannot infiltrate the ground. The runoff then ends up in a nearby waterbody or collects in pools, causing flooding. The bioretention planters, like the one seen in Figure 2, disrupt the flow of stormwater runoff and are areas where the runoff can infiltrate the ground, reducing the volume, and filtering contaminates out as well (EPA, 2022). This practice is very practical and easy to incorporate, requiring only a few square feet (intermittently) throughout a parking lot or roadway to make a difference. Not only are these areas of green cover effective in protecting the watershed from flooding, pollution, and sediment overloading, but they also make urbanized areas more visually appealing and eco-friendly. Flowering plants, even at small scales like this, encourage the occurrence of pollinating insects, which are great for any ecosystem. Vegetative and green cover are effective, cheap, practical, and easy management practices that improve and maintain watershed health.

Figure 3. Retention pond behind a nursery in Enfield, CT, harboring local wildlife such as geese and grasses. Picture taken April 19, 2022.

Retention ponds like the one seen in Figure 3, are another manmade BMP with a different purpose. These ponds hold stormwater runoff, preventing the runoff – which may be carrying sediment, debris, and pollution – from going directly into nearby waterbodies which would otherwise disrupt watershed health. Other uses of these retention ponds include water conservation; the water stored can be used for irrigation like the one in Figure 3 which is located behind a nursery (C&MD, 2020). Consequently, these ponds are effective in improving the water quality of surrounding waterbodies, and overall watershed, by managing the stormwater runoff quality and quantity, and preventing flooding in the process. Runoff reduction, in which the ponds enforce, decrease erosion as well in the nearby area and along the banks of water bodies (C&MD, 2020). Retention ponds are fairly practical – although the excavation of the land and the lining of the bottom of the pond would take money and labor, its benefits make that worthwhile. Other benefits besides improving watershed health include increased biodiversity, visual appeal, and they serve as a habitat for many organisms in the ecosystem (C&MD, 2020). Implementing retention ponds would greatly improve any watershed and their respective ecosystems.

Best management practices are becoming more crucial in our developing world in order to improve and maintain good watershed health. Educating yourself and implementing practices in your everyday life, such as picking up after your dog, avoiding spreading fertilizers and pesticides, and washing your car over the lawn instead of the driveway (CT DEEP, 2021), are methods we can all practice to ensure good watershed health. Voting and rallying for your town to implement BMPs such as the ones I noticed (storm drains, retention planters, and bioretention ponds) in my watershed is a great way to improve yours, as well as the ecosystem around you. Being aware of your watershed and the management practices that can improve its health not only benefits you, but the environment and people around you, making a better planet for all of us.

References

CT DEEP, 2021, Watershed Management—Overview, CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse, Water Planning and Management Division, Watersheds Program, accessed January 18, 2022 at https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/Water/Watershed-Management/Watershed-Management— Overview.

C&M Dredging. What purpose does a stormwater retention pond serve? (2020, January 30). Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.cmdredging.com/blog/what-purpose-does-a-stormwater-retention-pond-serve.html

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). 8 Tools of Watershed Protection in Developing Areas. EPA. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://cfpub.epa.gov/watertrain/moduleFrame.cfm?parent_object_id=1278

USGS, 2016, StreamStats Report for 41.82986, -72.24013, StreamStats Application version 4.3.0, U.S. Geological Survey, accessed January 27, 2022 at https://streamstats.usgs.gov/ss/.