Watershed
Planning:
Current
Status and
Next Steps
Black Creek & Oatka
Creek
Watershed Symposium
October 28, 2010
A brief word from our sponsors…
“This project is being developed for the New
York State Department of State Division of
Coastal Resources with funds provided under
Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Act
Local Waterfront Revitalization Program.”
A brief word from our sponsors…
Town of Wheatland, NY – EPF Project Sponsor
Drawing from a Broad Coalition
http://www.blackcreekwatershed.org/
Soil and Water
Conservation Districts
in Five Counties
LOCAL CITIZENS &
stakeholders
31 Municipalities
Various other federal, state and local
agencies…
Watershed
All the land that drains into a common point
(water body)
Watershed Management
Planning
• Four Legs of the Stool
• Stages
• Balancing Act - Quality of conflicting uses
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Restoration and Protection
Land use and land value
Tools in the toolbox
Prioritize issues and target funding
Coordination and cooperation
Four Legs of the Stool
• Oversight and
Involvement
• Education and Outreach
• Public Participation
• Fact Finding
Stages
• Existing State
• Desired State
• Strategies and Actions
Selection of Planning Activities
to Date
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Black Creek Watershed Coalition
Oatka Creek Watershed Committee
State of the Basin Reports
Controlling Sediment in the Black & Oatka Creek Watershed
Project
– G/FLRPC project funding by the Great Lakes Commission
• Watershed Guides/Pamphlets
• Various flood/hazard mitigation planning activities
• Wide variety of additional local planning, DEC natural resource
inventorying, water quality sampling & monitoring, and mitigation
activities by local governments, SWCDs and academia
Watershed Management
Planning Process
• Continue planning and management efforts by
integrating these various activities into one
cohesive framework for future action (for both
watersheds)
• Watershed inventory and assessment
• Establish and prioritize specific watershed
goals based on needs
• Identify major knowledge gaps
Watershed Management Plan
Components
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Major components:
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Characterization
Sub-watershed Prioritization
Regulatory/Programmatic Evaluation
Identification of Management Strategies
“Phasing Plan” (i.e. Issue Prioritization and
Implementation)
Intermunicipal Coordinating Organizations
Public Input
• Characterization – target for first draft - end of
2010
– Public Meeting to be scheduled shortly thereafter
• Focused outreach as necessary
– Targeting stakeholder groups for specific
information
• Additional public meetings to review
subsequent draft materials
Other Ongoing Initiatives
• Phase II Stormwater/Regulated MS4s
• Individual SWCD projects (such as AEM) and
other active grants
• SUNY Brockport
• ….
• TMDL…
Center for Environmental Information
TMDL - Project Overview
• Investigating Total Maximum Daily Load
(TMDL) of phosphorus in Black Creek
– Under contract with NYSDEC
– Using sophisticated watershed modeling
• Will lead to better understanding of Black
Creek impairment and:
– Potential actions to reduce phosphorus loads, or
– Removal of stream from listing of impaired waters
• Draft TMDL report available Spring 2011
Center for Environmental Information
TMDL - Project Overview
• Seeking best available information on:
– Point source discharges,
– Farming practices,
– Septic systems
• Completing initial computer modeling runs
• Working closely with BCWC and local
SWCDs
• For more information contact either:
– Steve Lewandowski (585) 394-5030
– Jim Gerek (585) 262-2870
Contact Information
Project website
http://gflrpc.org/blackoatka.htm
Brian Slack, AICP
Senior Planner/Project
Manager
585-454-0190 x21
bslack@gflrpc.org