ash creek/rooster river watershed
DESCRIPTION
A visual tour of the Rooster River watershed starting at the mouth of the Ash Creek tidal estuary going upstream.TRANSCRIPT
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Ash Creek/Rooster River Watershed
An overview presented by the
Ash Creek Conservation Association
L. Kraig Steffen, Ph. D.
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My Background
Ph.D in Organic Chemistry
Actively involved in Science Education
Lifelong interest in Ecology and Environmental Science
NOT an expert on Watersheds! I’m sharing this as a concerned citizen
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What is a Watershed?
Simply put, it is a geographic region drained by a particular creek, stream, or river.
Usually defined by the largest river that drains into a body of salt water.
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A simple thought experiment..
When a drop of rain falls where does it go on its journey back to the sea? The Pacific? The Atlantic? Gulf of Mexico? Long Island Sound?
Where would its “neighbor” go?
Now, consider 4 million neighbors!
The geographic region defined by the collective drainage of these raindrops defines a watershed.
Size varies widely, the Mississippi drains millions of square miles, our local watershed about 15 square miles
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A Simple Watershed
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Does all the water return to the sea?
Eventually, yes…
However, it may seep into the ground and become part of an aquifer. The water in aquifers may stay underground for days.. Or years.. Or even centuries
The water may also evaporate back into the atmosphere
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Now, lets add some complex features…
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Who Cares??
We all should…
We need fresh water to drink
We need fresh water for growing food
We need fresh water for the plants and animals that are part of our environment
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The Value of a River
Rivers drain away excess water, ie flood control
Rivers provide fresh water habitat
Rivers provide a source of water for the rich Riparian biomes surrounding them.
“Riparian” means essentially near a river. Riparian zones are often the most diverse habitats in a given region, a linear “oasis” if you will.
Rivers are important for commerce and leisure activities
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Riparian and Salt Marsh Habitat
Great variety of plants and animals
Aesthetically pleasing
Ecologically critical as a source of food and it functions as an important waste control system - natural biofiltering
Salt marsh habitat is critical for biofiltering and as a home to a diverse collection of plants and animals
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The Rooster River
Small, only about 10 miles long, entire watershed is only 15.3 square miles
Ash Creek, our local salt marsh estuary, is the outlet of the Rooster River
Tidal flux goes up to just past the Mount Grove cemetery
So .. Lets look at a map!
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Aerial Map of Rooster River/Ash Creek
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Familiar Road Map…
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And for the careful analysis of the actual watershed shape, the topographic map
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CT Watershed Report
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A quick visual tour - going upstream from the mouth of the Ash Creek Tidal estuary
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Rooster River watershed meets the Sound at the Ash
Creek Tidal estuary
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Brackish water near BJ’s – mix of tidal and fresh water
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Near CT Limo
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Rooster River goes through this culvert near I-95
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Mt Grove Cemetery
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Mt. Grove Cemetery North Ave.
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Capitol Ave. Bridge
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Brooklawn Culvert
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Brooklawn Spillway
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Edgewood Bridge, Brooklawn Country
Club
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Brooklawn
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Wilson St. Bridge, 1927
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Lu Manor Dr. Ducks
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Ground Proofing….
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Vincellette near Madison
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Vincellete West of Main
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The trail grows cold…
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What Affects our Watershed?
Natural factors like total rainfall and geography
Climate: hot and wet? cold and dry?
Tidal flux
Agriculture and Landscaping use
Urbanization
Industrial Pollution
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“They Paved Paradise and Put up a Parking Lot”
One major effect of urbanization is simply the covering of the ground with less permeable harder surfaces
Creates much faster moving runoff
Keeps water from seeping into the soil
Exacerbates erosion
Depletes the underground water supply
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Pollution
Point Pollution: A well defined release point for pollutants. Sewage Treatment plant, Factory, Research Facility
Non Point Pollution: agricultural spraying, landscape maintenance, vehicle emissions, dry deposition from remote sources
Myriad of harmful effects on our local watershed - exposure to toxic materials, algal blooms, long term degradation of the habitat
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Pollution Information…
The internet has made it much easier to find information
The internet has made it harder to validate information!
Look for reliable, long standing sources but keep an open mind
www.scorecard.org
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Using “Scorecard”
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A Plethora of Problems
Storm Runoff from west side STP
Industrial wastes from current, historical manufacturing
Non point pollution
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Heavy Metal/POP Pollution
Geographical Distribution and Potential
for Adverse Biological Effects of Selected
Trace Elements and Organic Compounds
in Streambed Sediment in the
Connecticut, Housatonic, and Thames
River Basins, 1992-94
USGS Water Resources Investigations
Reportハ97-4169By Robert F. Breault and
Sandra L. Harris
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TMDL
Total Maximum Daily Load
Measures bacteria in water
Expressed as Percentage decrease needed to meet maximum recommended levels
Rooster river is on the 2004 list for not meeting water quality standards
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What Can I DO?? (a lot actually!)
Work to encourage honest and thorough pollution reporting
Support Remediation Efforts
Hold Politicians Accountable
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What Can I do? At Home?
Replace high maintenance lawns with native vegetation and mulch
Compost your lawn and garden waste, e.g. leaves, grass
Use porous materials for driveways & sidewalks
Sweep driveways, sidewalks & roads rather than using a hose
Avoid use of pesticides
Pick up after pets
Use, store, and dispose of chemicals properly (in Bridgeport residents can bring their toxic chemicals to the transfer station on Asylum street once a year)
Use a car wash instead of washing car at home
Prevent storm drain dumping
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Why?
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Acknowledgements
The 2004 grant for this presentation comes through the Watershed Assistance Small Grants program, conducted in association with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. The small grants program is administered by Rivers Alliance of Connecticut.