restoring alewife to the bronx river,...
TRANSCRIPT
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Restoring Alewife to the Bronx River, NYC
March 4, 2020
Katie Friedman
Northeast Aquatic Biologists Conference
NYC Parks
Division of Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources
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New York City Land Cover
GREEN 40.5%
LANDSCAPED
28.9%
BUILT
GREY 59.5%
NATURAL
11.6%
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Source: Natural Areas Conservancy Ecological Cover Type Map Level 2, 2017.
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New York City Natural Areas
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NYC Parks
Natural Areas
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Nature in NYC Parks
5,000 acres wetland1,444 acres grasslands
2,479 bioswales3,500+ volunteers 7,300 acres forest
60 miles streams
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• Bronx River originates near
Kensico Reservoir in Valhalla, NY
• Travels south for 23 miles, flows
into western Long Island Sound
• Eight miles of the River flows
through one of the most urban
and diverse areas in the country—
The Bronx:
o 1.45+ million people
o 42 square miles, ~25% open
space
The Bronx River
Source: Westchester County Department of Planning and Bronx
River Alliance
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History of Restoration on the Bronx River
• 1974: Local activists formed Bronx
River Restoration Group
• 2001: Bronx River Alliance formed
• 2000s: WCS-NOAA funded ecological
restoration, education, and recreation
projects
• 2005: Bronx Forest floodplain and
stream restored, including boardwalks
along Bronx River
• 2007: Oyster Reef Pilot Project began
• 2010: Bronx River Intermunicipal
Watershed Plan produced
• Today: 1,500 paddlers, 2,000 students,
and 500 stewards engaged annually
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Left: Restoration and community engagement efforts. Right: Bronx River
Blueway Map, a National Water Trail.
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Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis)
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• Anadromous fish (spawn in freshwater then
migrate to the ocean)
• Reach sexual maturity after 3-6 years and return
to natal waters to spawn
• Iteroparous (repeat spawning)
• Important forage fish for a range of species
including commercial and recreational fish and
birds of prey
• Cycle nutrients between freshwater and saltwater
ecosystems
• Once plentiful in rivers and tributaries in the
northeast – streams described as “running silver”
• Threats include habitat alteration (dams), habitat
degradation (pollution), bycatch (Atlantic Herring
fishery)
River Herring:
Top: River herring captured during
electroshocking. Bottom: Osprey
catching river herring as prey (credit:
Vic Zigmont).
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Diadromous Fish Restoration Efforts
Project Goals
• Reconnect access to spawning habitat
• Jumpstart native population & establish self-
sustaining fish run
• Engage community partners in community-based
science monitoring
Timeline
• 1600s: Man-made dams limit upstream migration
• 2004: Fish restoration feasibility study
• 2006: First Alewife fish stocking
• 2015: River herring and eel fishways opened at
first dam, monitoring began
• 2017: First river herring observed using fishway
• 2017-present: Annual fish stocking and monitoring
Top: E. 182nd St. Dam pre-fishway
installation. Bottom: Underwater
video footage of river herring using
the fishway to migrate upstream.
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East 182nd St. Dam with Alaska steep-pass fishway and eel ladder installed in 2015.
The First Barrier:East 182nd Street Dam
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East 182nd St. Dam Fishway
East 182nd St. Dam, before the fishway was installed. Construction of the East 182nd St. Dam fishway.
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Metal fyke gate guides fish to swim through a monitoring box equipped with an underwater video camera
and fish counter equipment.
Fishway Monitoring Equipment
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Fishway and Eel Ladder Use 2015-2019
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19 Common carp
312 River herring 161 Sunfish spp.
69 Largemouth bass 13 Brown bullhead
> 1,300 American eel
27 White sucker
Total Fish > 1,900
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215
267
187
19
2
64
169
79
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
To
tal #
Fis
h P
er
Ye
ar
Year
total fish
river herring
Annual Fishway UseNote: Low river herring numbers in
2019 may have been a regional trend.
Herring runs in Long Island Sound
tributaries were low.
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15
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
4/4/2018 4/14/2018 4/24/2018 5/4/2018 5/14/2018 5/24/2018 6/3/2018 6/13/2018 6/23/2018
Wate
r Tem
pera
ture
(⁰C
)
# R
iver
Herr
ing P
er
Da
y
river herring water temperature
2018 Fishway Use
April 4th – June 30th
Note: Gaps in data due to video
camera/fish counter malfunction.
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Annual Fish Stocking Since 2017
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Fish are released from stocking tank via hose into the Bronx River.
• Approximately 400 river herring are collected
from Bride’s Brook, CT, transported, and stocked
in the Bronx River annually
• Partnership with Connecticut Dept. of Energy &
Environmental Protection (CTDEEP), Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS), Bronx River
Alliance (BxRA)
• Stocked in spawning habitat in impoundment
between E. 182nd St. Dam and Bronx Zoo Double
Dams
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Post-Fish Stocking Monitoring
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Objectives:
• Evaluate success of stocking
• Monitor presence of adults and juveniles post
stocking
2018 Results:
• Four dead Alewife recovered
• 668 potential juvenile “pops” (difficult to verify)
• Zero juveniles captured
2019 Results:
• Zero dead Alewife observed
• Zero juveniles captured
2020 Planned Monitoring:
• Visual surveys via canoe & underwater ROV
• eDNA sampling upstream & downstream of
stocking area and fishway
• Evaluate crowd sourcing video data
Top: Post-stocking mortality survey via canoe.
Bottom: Juvenile popping survey at top of E. 182nd
St. Dam.
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Upstream Impediments: Bronx Zoo & Stone Mill Dams
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Bronx Zoo Double Dams
Stone Mill Dam
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Bronx Zoo Double Dams Fish Passage Assessment
Project Goals
• Assess dam removal feasibility
• Conduct alternatives analysis (engineered
fishway vs. dam removal)
• Choose a fish passage alternative and move
forward either with updated fishway designs
or a dam removal Scope of Work
Project Team
• NYC Parks (lead)
• HDR & Princeton Hydro (consultants)
• Wildlife Conservation Society & Bronx River
Alliance (stakeholders)
Top: Western spillway. Bottom: Eastern spillway.
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Task 1: Dam Removal Feasibility Assessment
Considerations
• Dam condition & safety
• Sediment quantity, quality, and
management
• Impacts to utilities and infrastructure
o Upstream and downstream bridges
o Zoo exhibits & operations
• Ecological impacts
o Existing wetlands
o Tree removals
o Spawning habitat
• Aesthetics
• Costs
Top: Sediment depth measurements above the
eastern spillway. Bottom: Upstream floodplain.
Low Medium High
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Task 2: Updated Fishway Cost Estimate
Engineered Fishway Design
Engineered fishway rendering by Milone & MacBroom (MMI). Costs estimate anticipated to be ~$5M.
BYPASS CHANNEL
SPILLWAY CREST
DIVERSION WEIRS
DENIL STEEPPASS
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Task 3: Alternatives Analysis
Considerations
• Zoo operations & aesthetics
o Bison exhibit, visitor entrance
• Constructability and cost
• Passage efficiency
o Bunt et al (2011) found steeppass fishways to be
on average 51% effective at passing fish
“The vast majority of fishway structures do
not effectively mitigate the effects of
barriers…”
• Ecological impacts (eg. spawning grounds &
wetlands)
• Permitting
o Cautious regulatory environment for dam
removal in New York State
• Management and risk
o Dam removal requires no operational costs
post-construction
Top: Flooding at the Bronx Zoo Double Dams in 2007.
Bottom: Cross section of engineered fishway requiring
bedrock excavation 8 feet in depth
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Task 4: Based on Chosen Fish Passage Alternative
Option 1: Update fishway designs
• Apply improvements or modifications to
update engineered fishway designs
• Update contract documents at 100% design
Option 2: Dam Removal Scope of Work
• Develop dam removal scope of work that
includes:
o Preparing final design and construction
documents for dam removal
o Preparing cost estimates for construction &
construction management
o Securing permits and approvals
Canoeing at the base of the Bronx Zoo Double Dams
in search of juvenile river herring (2019).
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Next Steps
Design Contract
• Two-year contract
• Sediment sampling Spring 2020
• Tree assessment Spring/Summer 2020
Construction Funding
• Funds in-hand:
o $1,500,000 from NYSDEC WQIP Grant Program
o $250,000 from Bronx Borough President
(funding the design contract)
• Fishway costs >$4M, and dam removal will
likely be more expensive
• Future partnership with USACE through
Hudson Raritan Estuary Ecosystem
Restoration Program
o Cost share: Fed 65%, Local 35%
o Earliest construction 2025
Top: Waterfall at western spillway of the
Bronx Zoo Double Dams. Bottom:
Measuring sediment depth above the
eastern spillway (2019).
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Conclusions
• Our efforts will continue to restore river
herring populations in the Bronx River
within one of the most densely
populated areas of NYC
• Restoring connectivity upstream is the
next step in establishing a native, self-
sustaining herring run
• The first dam removal feasibility study in
NYC will provide a wealth of information
to inform future restoration practices
• We look forward to collaborating with
restoration practitioners and aquatic
biologists across the Northeast coast on
best practices & lessons learned!
Still frames from underwater video footage of stocked
Alewife in the Bronx River (2019). Courtesy of the Jake
Labelle, Wildlife Conservation Society.
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Underwater video footage of stocked Alewife in the Bronx River (2019). Courtesy of the Jake Labelle, WCS.
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Questions?
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Katie Friedman, Aquatic Ecologist, NYC Parks
[email protected], 212-360-1429
212-360-1429