CCMP UPDATES & PDE GOALS
STAC/EIC Meeting– Sept. 5th, 2013
Ground Rules
Agenda Time: 1.5 Hour
No comments until after the presentation!
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Origins: Delaware Estuary Program 1988 - Delaware Estuary was nominated by the three state
governors for inclusion into the National Estuary Program
PA, DE, NJ
1990 - Delaware Estuary joined the National Estuary Program Original Partners: EPA, DRBC, NJ, PA, DE,
NOAA, USACE
1996 - Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP)
Management Division
DELEP
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
(PDE)
Oversee Management Plan (CCMP)
Coordinate dozens of partners(Agency, NGO, Academic, Corporate)
SciencePolicyRestorationEducationFundraising
DRBC
Water Quantity & QualityMonitoringState of the EstuaryAdvisory Committees
States
Various:
Restore habitat, Monitoring, Land management, etc.
Reorganization in 2005
Where is the Management Plan Now?
PDE annually reports CCMP implementation to EPA
State of the Estuary Reports: 1996, 2002, 2008, 2012
CCMP Updates (est. 2013-2014)
EPA Requirement – Measurable Goals for the Delaware Estuary
Updating the CCMP
Category
Action Ref. Status CCMP Original Update
Climate H7 Needs updating
Protect Littoral Habitats from Sea Level Rise Threats
Refresh language to reflect current climate program & partner efforts
Badge & Mascot
E21, E22
Not relevant
Create Estuary Environmental Badge & Mascot
Delete CCMP Actions
Wetlands H4 Needs
updating
Coordinate/Enhance Wetlands Management
New wetland monitoring programs & restoration
STAC/EIC feedback from 2012 workshop Website to contain updates Roll out – Winter 2013
PDE Measurable Goals
Healthy Waters
1. Brownfields, Public Access, Ecotourism, Urban Forests, Public Participation, Estuary Engagement
Healthy Communities
1. Wetlands, Forests, Riparian Buffers, Fish & Shellfish
Healthy Habitats
Toxics, Nutrients, Dissolved Oxygen, Flow, Salinity
Progress Update
Year Date Activity
2013 Oct. 3 Steering Committee
2013 Aug 22- Sept 26
STAC/EIC – Final Review Period
2013 Sept. 5 STAC/EIC Meeting
2013 June 6 Toxics Advisory Committee Meeting
2013 Feb-July
STAC Committees/Webinars/Interviews
2013 Jan. 28 Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit - Polling
2012 Oct. 11 Steering Committee (13 Goals Accepted)
2012 Oct. 1-2
STAC/EIC Workshop
2012 June-Sept
STAC Committees
Goals: Healthy Habitats
Wetlands, Forests, Riparian Buffers, Fish & Shellfish
Goals: Healthy HabitatsHealthy Habitats =
Measure – short term Measure – long term Responsible Agencies:
Assumptions/Needs
Functioning wetlands
Get a robust tidal wetland monitoring program with a regional body for coordination and consistency of tracking wetland health in place by 2020
Develop estuary-wide baseline for tidal wetland health by 2020 and goals to sustain tidal wetland health by 2022.
Identify and implement tactics to maintain high value tidal wetlands and limit acreage loss to 5% of 2006 acreage by 2025
Take aggressive action to limit net acreage loss of tidal wetlands to 15% of 2006 acres by 2040
Tidal wetland health TBD in 2022 based on short term actions
No net loss of non-tidal wetlands
PDE, EPA, States, USFWS, NOAA
- Sustain MACWA to track wetland acreage and health- Establish wetland regional body- Develop estuary-wide baseline for health by 2020
Contiguous/connected forests
Stem forest loss to less than 1% per year by 2025 Develop metrics and tracking system for loss of
buffers and connectedness by 2017
TBD in/after 2025 based on short term actions
States, USFW, USFWS, DRBC, EPA, TNC, NFS, USFS Field station, DVRPC
Work with partners and existing tools to track forests
Healthy fish and shellfish habitat
Secure dedicated funding of $1million or more per year for oyster shell planting by 2015
By 2017 define, map and inventory and by 2030 protect the following critical species habitat:o Mussel habitat (fresh and marsh)o Vegetated nursery habitat for fish & crabs,
particularly in shallow intertidal areaso Beach habitat for horseshoe crabso Critical bottom habitat for sturgeon (and
other fish) Facilitate 1-2 fish passage projects per year
Maintain or increase oyster beds at 2012 acreage with 25% increase in productivity by 2030
Increase freshwater mussel abundance and habitat by year and amount TBD based short term results
Achieve goals established in recovery plans for Atlantic and short-nosed sturgeon to improve habitat
PDE, States, EPA, USFWS, NOAA, USCG, USACE, DRBC, ASMFC
- EPA cannot participate in solicitation of funding- Subject to completion of MOU with NJ Heritage Program to id/map mussel habitat- Collaborate with partners in the areas of sturgeon recovery, fish passage, and oyster recovery
Goals: Healthy Communities
Brownfields, Public Access, Ecotourism, Urban Forests, Public Participation, Estuary
Engagement
Goals: Healthy Communities
Healthy Communities =
Measure – short term Measure – long term Responsible Agencies:
Assumptions/Needs:
Growth That Helps People and Living Resources
Assess and inventory urban waterfront brownfields (UWB) and public access opportunities by 2015
Prioritize and increase urban waterfront brownfield projects by 2017
Reclaim 50% of waterfront brownfields to include public access and living shorelines/wetlands by 2050
States, EPA, NOAA, DRBC, PWD, counties & municipalities, PDE
- UWB = brownfields with frontage on tidal waters- Standardize use of term “brownfield” to align with EPA’s definition- Connect with existing brownfield partners to inventory, prioritize, and increase brownfield projects
Restored/Protected Living Resources*
Establish goals and measures to reconnect the public to natural resources through ecotourism, urban forests, and protected lands with public access by 2015
Sustain or enhance existing public access points in bay-front communities, and increase access points (relative to 2012) in underserved urban areas to reconnect communities to the water
States, USFS, EPA, PWD, DRBC, USFW, counties & municipalities, PDE, UWFP
Connect with other organizations and partnerships working on similar goals
Public Understand-ing and Participation
PDE marketing & communications plan completed by 2015
Begin implementing marketing/branding campaign by 2018 with means to measure results
TBD between 2015 and 2018 based on PDE marketing and communications plan
PDE, States, EPA, USFWS,NPS
- Coordinate with partners to connect with other regional marketing and communication plans- Contract with marketing professions- Include assessing feasibility of using public polling to determine increase in affinity for Delaware River and Bay and its major tributaries in planning
Goals: Healthy Waters
Toxics, Nutrients, Dissolved Oxygen, Flow & Salinity
Healthy Waters =
Measure – short-term Measure – long-term Responsible Agencies:
Assumptions/Needs:
Few or no toxic impacts
Assess the need for and establish biological endpoint criteria for contaminants of concern by 2020
Continue support for established monitoring programs, and achieve expansion of toxics monitoring with biological endpoints by 2025
Prioritize urban waterfront brownfield projects by 2015
Reduce PCB concentrations in fish tissue by 25% by 2050 (relative to 2013 levels)
Notes – Establishing new biological endpoints by 2020 will help to guide long-term reduction goals.
DRBC, States, EPA, NOAA, PDE
-Inventory existing toxics monitoring programs by 2015-Conduct gap analysis of monitoring programs, funding needs-Identify relevant biological endpoints (eggs, blood, tissue, drinking water, etc.) by 2017-Total load reduction of PCBs by ~25% by 2025
Few or no nutrient impacts
Assess nutrient impacts on estuarine resources (e.g. wetlands and shellfish); establish criteria by 2015 and targets based on that assessment by 2020
Implement appropriate DO standards in Zone 2-6 for fish and other key aquatic species, with interim standards for existing use by 2015 and standards for highest attainable use by 2020..
By 2030, estuarine resource endpoints show improvement from targeted nutrient reductions.
Achieve highest attainable use for DO by 2030
DRBC, States, EPA, counties & municipalities, PDE
Following EPA’s release of ammonia criteria, further assessment into other nutrient impactsResearch nutrient impacts on shellfish (e.g. sediment ammonia and freshwater mussel erosion)Research nutrient impacts on wetlands by 2020
Flow to support drinking water and ecology
Utilize model-derived benchmarks for flow management as they become available
Establish and incorporate low flow/salinity benchmarks for natural balance and ecological highest attainable use in flow management by 2017
By 2025 achieve and maintain flow at benchmarks for drinking water and ecological highest attainable use in the face of changing watershed conditions, including climate change.
DRBC, States, PWD, ACOE, NYC, water purveyors (WRADRB). PDE
Biological inputs needed for flow model
Goals: Healthy Waters
Goals: Comments Received
Request to add The Nature Conservancy as a partner for two goals: Restored/Protected Living Resources and Public Understanding and Participation
Request to remove climate change language from the Healthy Waters goals.
Concerns raised about the “criteria setting” language in the Healthy Waters goals, especially with “establishing biological endpoint criteria by 2020” (Healthy Waters Row # 1) and “nutrient criteria by 2015” (Healthy Waters Row # 2); Request to consider replacing with language establishing metrics upon which eventual criteria would be based in the future.
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