Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District

Stream Management Program

Stony Clove Creek

Stream Management Project

Demonstrating Multi-Objective Stream Management

 Fall 2004 Newsletter

Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Plan Update

After three years of hard work, Volumes I, II, and III of the Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Plan (SMP) have been released for review.  Volume I begins by providing Stony Clove Creek watershed background information, including hydrology and flood history, geology, and riparian vegetation. A section on living streamside may be of particular interest to landowners, answering commonly asked questions, including necessary permits, and agency contacts, relating to activities which may impact stream health or stability.  This volume also includes a summary of water quality assessments that have been undertaken over the years in the Stony Clove Creek, an introduction to the science of stream processes, and a description of the watershed assessment that was undertaken specifically to develop this plan.

In Volume II  offers detailed descriptions and specific recommendations are given for approximately 9.5 miles of stream, from NYS DEC property at the top of the Stony Clove Creek watershed, down to the mouth of the stream where it meets the Esopus Creek. This section provides a useful reference for the extent of current problems at a localized stream reach scale, with specific recommendations for action and references to other sections of the plan where further information or resources can be found. The Creek’s main stem has been organized into twenty-one Management Units (MUs), subdivided by using physical stream characteristics, property boundaries, location of bridges and road infrastructure, and valley characteristics. The MU descriptions outline, historic conditions and disturbances, present stream conditions (its bed and banks), general streamside (riparian) vegetation condition, flood threats, aquatic habitat, and water quality. Summary tables at the beginning of each unit provide a condensed version of each expanded description, and companion maps show the location of specific features described in the text.  This volume also presents a report on the demonstration stream restoration project in Lanesville, provides watershed-wide, programmatic recommendations, and suggests an approach for moving toward implementation of the recommendations in this plan. 

Volume III includes four appendices: Riparian Vegetation Analysis for the Streamside Planting Program; Fish Habitat Assessment on Stony Clove Creek, NY using MesoHABSIM; Native Trees, Shrubs, and Ground Covers for Riparian Buffers; Watershed Data and Analyses; and the glossary.

To view the SMP visit the GCSWCD website at:  www.gcswcd.com/stream/stonyclove/smp

Stony Clove Creek Watershed Association holds SMP review meetings…Realizing the plan would not truly be complete until it was presented to the landowners and residents of the Stony Clove Watershed, the Stony Clove Watershed Association (SCWA) decided to help bring this plan to the public.  Three meetings were held to allow landowners to review their own management unit for accurateness and completeness.  At these meetings landowners were given a chance to speak about their knowledge of the creek, concerns on their property, and needs of the watershed community. 

For those landowners who were unable to attend these meetings,  the SCWA is providing another chance for landowners to contribute input before the management plan is finalized.  SCWA will be mailing each streamside landowner a copy of their management unit to read, along with a short survey form to collect feedback.  After all public comments are collected, they will be integrated into the Stony Clove Creek Stream Management Plan, scheduled to be finalized by December 2004.

What’s Next?  Having gained the input and support from landowners, our next step will be to present the SMP to the Town Boards of both Hunter and Shandaken.  Many recommendations in this plan are unlikely to be implemented without the backing of these Towns.  All landowners encouraged attend this presentation to demonstrate a strong local support for this plan.  Those who live, work, and recreate in the watershed must be active partners in ensuring the long-term protection of their property and the watershed.

To follow SCWA news visit their website at: www.gcswcd.com/stream/stonyclove/watershedassociation

Streamside Planting Program

Along with the enjoyment of living next to a stream comes certain risks.  Every spring, landowners up and down the Stony Clove valley cross their fingers and hope a flood does not erode their property.  One of the most cost-effective methods for landowners to protect streamside property is to maintain or replant a healthy buffer of trees and shrubs along the bank.

With this in mind, the Stony Clove Project team has received a grant from The Watershed Agricultural Council’s Watershed Forestry Program to fund a program designed to offer streamside landowners help in improving the stability and integrity of stream reaches with minor erosion problems, or which are likely to develop erosion problems in the near future.  Six high priority planting sites, identified in the Stony Clove Stream Management Plan, were chosen to begin this program.

Here is a look at one of the planting sites.  This reach was hit hard by the 1996 flood, shifting stream channel alignment and stripping the streambank of its vegetation.  In response to this erosion, the landowner installed rock rip-rap, behind which some fill and grass seed was placed to establish a bank.

Site design calls for planting of native sedges and willows in between openings in the rip-rap along its entire length.  This will not only strengthen and increase the longevity of this rip-rap but also improve aquatic habitat by providing cooler water temperatures through shading.  To further strengthen this bank, a stream buffer of native grasses and trees will be planted.  Standard lawn grasses do not provide adequate erosion protection on streambanks because they have very shallow rooting systems.  Native grasses and trees provide a dense mat of roots to bind soil together and make it less susceptible to erosion under flood flows.  This site, along with five others are planned for installation in Spring 2005.

Lanesville Stream Stabilization Demonstration Project

Wet weather continues to delay stream restoration construction

The Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District is putting another construction season to bed after a long and wet summer. While near record setting rainfalls occurred in July, August and September in Albany, the Catskill’s rainfall makes Albany’s rainfall seem like a sun shower. 

As a result, stream levels were uncharacteristically high, making it impossible to restart the Lanesville demonstration project.  Low stream levels are necessary because stream channel restoration work requires channel dewatering.  This process involves pumping stream flow, through a series of large pipes, around the project area.  These pumps are only capable of pumping a certain amount of water and with this year’s weather, stream flow never fell low enough for pumping. While stream stage looked encouraging in mid-August, a series of rainfall events associated with hurricane remnants made work impossible. The District was able to work in uplands area and mobilize our staff and equipment to construct and seed a sediment basin for use next season.   The District was able to seed approximately 1/3 of the project area and also planted hundreds of seedlings in the floodplain.

The Lanesville restoration project intends to stabilize approximately 1,700 feet of stream, including a severely eroded stream bank, which is over sixty feet high and composed largely of clay materials.  A new stream channel will follow a natural meander or curving pattern, which slows stream flow around each bend and reduces the slope.  The design includes the construction of four cross vanes and five rock vanes to deflect the stream away from the banks.  Streamside planting will begin after construction of the new stream channel is completed .  A combination of dormant plant materials, conservation seed mixtures, and plantings of live trees and shrubs will be planted on the floodplain.  Weather permitting, construction of this project will resume this summer.