Coastal Resilience: Salt Marsr sustainability in New England
Cathleen Wigand US EPA ORD Atlantic Ecology Division (AED)
New England State Commissioners' Visit to AED June 19,2018
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E F Problem: Accelerated Sea Level Rise
Year
Annual average sea level at New London, CT. Open circles indicate sea levels from 1939-1979 (2 mm/y) and filled circles indicate sea levels from 1980-2013 (4.7 mm/y).
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Accelerated Sea Level Rise
Resulting in:
1. Increased flooding of coastal communities
2. Loss of habitat for fish, shellfish and wildlife
What are the vulnerabilities of coastal marshes from sea level rise, and how can this inform restoration strategies?
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Key Observations
Many marshes in Narragansett Bay lack "elevation capital" Tidal marsh vegetation changes are linked with marsh elevation
isfersh loss as a function
Marsh toss as a function of
MHW = mean high water
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Workshops to
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Discuss Management Actions
EPA ORD-AED partnered with local, state and federal groups to organize a workshop in 2014 to discuss management actions for sustainability of New England coastal marshes.
EPA ORD-AED helped set the stage for a follow-up workshop in 2018 to assess the progress made and challenges remaining to promote coastal marsh sustainability.
Hundreds of New England local, state and federal partners attended both meetings.
Link to special issue in Estuaries and Coasts summarizing the 2014 workshop and
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results (8 articles)
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Coastal Marsh Adaptive Restoration Framework
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Restoration & Adaptation Actions
Land conservation/Land use planning Removal of barriers to future migration Tidal restoration and hydrologic modifications Elevation enhancement with sediment Living shorelines
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Case Study: Bride Brook, CT Restoration Project
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Alewife Run restored and the subsiding marshes are recovering. Marsh restoration is ongoing.
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Photo credits and points-of-contact: Roger.Wolfe@ct.gov and Harry.Yamalis@ct.gov
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Case Study: Ninigret Pond, Rl Thin Layer Placement
Back-barrier marsh adjacent to man-made breachway, state-owned public access point, beach and campground
Salt marsh habitat exhibiting areas of prolonged flooding, vegetative die-off, subsidence and marsh edge erosion
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Photo credit & point-of-contact: Caitlin Chaffee, cchaffee@crmc.ri.gov
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Governance: Permitting & Regulatory Compliance
NEPA Environmental Assessment/Section 106 (USFWS lead federal agency)
USACE Section 404 Permit (includes sign-off by EPA, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service)
State Section 401 Water Quality Certification CRMC Assent
Rhode Island
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Department of
Environmental
Management
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Project Costs
Approx 68,000 cubic yards dredged material to restore ~20 acres of marsh
Design, Engineering and Permitting: $110,453 Construction
Mobilization/Demobilization: $334,400 Dredging, spreading & grading of material:
$5437900 Alternate dredging: $530,812 Planting: $100,000 TOTAL: $1,619,565 (includes cost sharing with USACE, beneficial use of dredged materials; ~$81K per acre restored)
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Photo credits & point-of-contact: Caitlin Chaffee, cchaffee@crmc.ri.gov
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Post Thin Layer Placement at Ninigret Pond, RI
Citizen Volunteers & Outreach Tours
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Contacts
Cathleen Wigand Atlantic Ecology Division US EPA Office of Research and Development
401- 782-3090
Caitlin Chaffee Rl Coastal Resources Management Council
401- 783-7350
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