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Please use the links provided to access information on the SWP, its projects, and watershed issues |
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PO Box 996, 6049 Main Street Tannersville, NY 12485 Phone 518-589-6871 Fax 518-589-6874 |
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GCSWCD Main Office 907 County Office Building Cairo, NY 12413 Phone 518.622.3620 Fax 518.622.0344
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SWAC Grant-Funded Projects |
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Project Status
With the first round of funding proposals submitted in August 2009, and the second round recently submitted in February 2010, no Stream Management Plan Implementation Program projects have been completed yet. The proposal review and funding decision process takes some time, and the winter season has prevented many projects from being implemented. However, some applications from the August 2009 round received SWAC funding, and these projects are described below. |
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August 2009 Grant Recipients See the full Round 1 funding summary (44 Kb pdf) |
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Interested in learning more about the SWAC Stream Management Plan Implementation Program or have a project idea?
Click Here for more information on the program and the application process. |
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Can’t find the page/information you’re looking for? See Sitemap |
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Landowner Streamside Assistance Category:
Vista Ridge Floodplain Restoration: This project entails the installation of floodplain drains under Vista Ridge Road to reduce the backwater condition causing channel aggradation (build up of stream material), interplanting vegetation with existing rip-rap, and replanting the project area. The resulting channel aggradation was attributed to a suspected backwater condition promoted by the small hydraulic opening at the Vista Ridge Road Bridge. The floodplain obstruction created by the bridge approach segment of Vista Ridge Road is a likely compounding factor to the backwater condition. Completing this project will demonstrate the use of floodplain drains for addressing a hydraulic constriction. It will also improve sediment transport in this reach of the East Kill, which should improve stream stability, particularly as the added vegetation becomes established.
Holden Stream Restoration Project: The Phase I Inventory and Assessment conducted by GCSWCD in 1997 identified this reach as one of the most unstable sections in the Batavia Kill watershed. Based on the GCSWCD’s assessment of the monitoring cross sections and the historical aerial photos, it is evident that the project reach should be characterized as being highly unstable, a condition which has been ongoing for many years. The restoration strategy recommended for this site consists of a geomorphically-based full channel restoration of the entire reach. The proposal includes stream bank and channel excavation to achieve stable geometry, and installation of in-stream stabilization structures such as rock vanes and cross vanes. The proposal also includes various vegetative treatments such as live willow fascines, live willow stakes, seeding and mulching with a specially designed riparian seed mix, and planting of a mix of tree and shrub species that are adapted to stream-side conditions. Completing this project will benefit the applicant while allowing the GCSWCD and NYCDEP to address a highly unstable reach of the Batavia Kill. The project will also add habitat features to the stream and protect infrastructure. |
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Education & Outreach Category:
Manor Kill Environmental Study Team/Stream Management Implementation Program: This program will conduct the ongoing implementation of the Manor Kill Stream Management Plan by involving youth and their families in water quality monitoring and testing, taxonomy, riparian zone restoration, invasive species identification, and public outreach presentation skill building. The Manor Kill Study Team will work with representatives from DEP and DEC to make sure they are following the New York State guidelines and submitting proper information for quality assurance and oversight. Any information presented and/or published will be reviewed by the agencies for continuity in promoting presentations within context of the Stream Management Program.
Mountain Top Arboretum Wet Meadow – Interpretive Kiosk & Brochures: The Mountain Top Arboretum proposes installing a kiosk which will display a map, a description of the site including the historical background of the pump house in the East Meadow, an explanation of the site’s hydrology, and other information about wetland plants and wildlife. The pump house contains a covered water tank that holds clear pure water from the Catskill Mountain peaks east of Star Rock as it emerges from an underground stream and begins to flow along the eastern boundary of the Arboretum property. The stream flows south into “Lost Marsh” (the marsh between Rt. 23C and Rt. 25), from there into the Sawmill Creek, and eventually into the Schoharie Creek. The Mountain Top Arboretum continues to develop their educational self guided tour and brochures program, and this grant proposal builds on that effort to develop an educational kiosk in this natural undisturbed meadow and three color brochures highlighting different aspects of a riparian wet area. The brochures will be available at the kiosk, and trails will be marked with numbered posts that relate to the featured information in the brochure. The Mountain Top Arboretum wants to use funds to convey water quality benefits of meadows and wetlands to the public and students. |
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Recreation & Habitat Improvements Category:
Prattsville Stream Access: This project entails the construction of a parking area on NYCDEP land across from a popular fishing & swimming hole on Main Street. Enhanced public access to streams was identified as a priority in the Schoharie Creek Stream Management Plan. Estimated costs include preparation and completion of the NYCDEP Revocable Land Use Permit and the NYS DOT Highway Permit (engineering assessment for sight distance). After obtaining these permits, the remaining funds will be applied toward the cost of design and materials for the parking area (e.g., stone and geotextile). |
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Creative Stormwater Practices Category:
Mountaintop Library Stormwater Retrofit Project: This project serves to measurably improve water quality, as well as reduce quantity and improve conveyance of stormwater runoff from a property owned by the Haines Falls Free Public Library. This retrofit project will be performed in conjunction with the redevelopment of an existing building for use as the new Mountain Top Library & Learning Center, and is being redeveloped according to Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards. This project involves design and implementation of several stormwater management practices including deep sump catch basins, conveyance and culvert upgrades, rain gardens, stormwater landscaping, and a permeable asphalt paving system. |
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Highway & Infrastructure Category:
B.G. Partridge Road Culvert Replacement: The replacement of a deteriorated, perched culvert along a tributary of Sutton Hollow Brook provides the opportunity to increase hydraulic capacity for flood flow, improve water quality from bed and bank erosion caused by the existing culvert, provide aquatic habitat enhancement (including fish passage), and provide educational opportunities. The design and implementation of this crossing will further provide information for highway managers on new techniques in designing and installing crossings with consideration for upstream and downstream channel morphology and health, as well as the ecological impact associated with river crossings.
Mountaintop Sweeper and Vacuum Truck: Currently 8 municipalities in Greene County that are within the Schoharie Watershed are using one sweeper/vacuum truck to maintain 626 lane miles of roadway. The size of this geographic area, along with the miles of roadway that this one piece of equipment must service, and the limited time frame that this important work needs to be accomplished, makes this an extremely difficult task to undertake. Additionally, more and more stormwater practices are being installed that require long-term maintenance and oversight by highway departments. It is for these reasons that the highway supervisors committee at their recent meeting unanimously voted in favor of adding a second sweeper/vacuum truck, which will greatly enhance the highway crews’ ability to accomplish these tasks in a timely manner. |
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Planning & Assessment Category:
USGS Thermal Refuge Study: This project will assess the thermal profile of the Schoharie Creek and West Kill stream corridors in order to identify potential thermal refuge areas and the characteristics of coldwater inputs. This assessment will use thermal imaging data and temperature loggers to provide a baseline characterization of resources. The overall goal of the work is to protect existing thermal refuges by providing information on thermal profiles of the streams that can guide stream-related work by highway departments, private property owners, and watershed managers including restoration projects by Soil & Water Conservation Districts. The thermal refuges are critical to the cold water recreational fishery.
Mauro Residence Bank Stabilization: Hire an engineer to conduct a geotechnical assessment of the failing stream bank and to develop a conceptual stabilization strategy. This application is also being submitted to obtain funding for temporary seeding and mulching of the damaged stream bank. This bank is in the early stages of failure and presents an opportunity to stop a mass failure in its infancy. |
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Drawing of the future Mountaintop Library & Learning Center |
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Stream bank erosion into glacial mixed till along the Manor Kill. |
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The meadow at the Mountain Top Arboretum |
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The Batavia Kill. In the mid-1990's, NYCDEP identified the Batavia Kill as the leader in high turbidity conditions throughout the NYC water supply sub-basins. |
