Integrated Water Resource Management Lee E. Dunbar, CT-DEP

1. Integrated Water Resource Management Lee E. Dunbar, CT-DEP

2. Charge: To develop an approach for the future management of the state's water resources founded on sound science, sustainability and the public trust.

3. Project Team Members Peter Aarrestad Lee Dunbar Robert Gilmore Robert Hust Rick Jacobson Robert LaFrance Liz Napier Ernest Pizzuto Steven Tessitore

4. Integrated Water Resource Management Physical Integrity Biological Chemical “The objective of this act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s water’s.” Sec 101(a) federal Clean Water Act

5. Water Resources – More than just H20 Chemical Quality/Character of the Water Physical Quality/Character of the Water In-Stream Habitat Structure Riparian Zone Stream Corridor Habitat Biological Communities Energy Flow

6. Connecticut’s Water Quality Standards The Commissioner shall adopt standards of water quality “For the purpose of providing clear and objective policystatements of a general program to improve the water resources of the State.”Sec 426 Connecticut General Statutes

7. Connecticut’s Water Quality Standards Could provide a framework to guide integrated resourcemanagement - Designate Uses and Establish Management Goals. - Establish Criteria limiting human disturbance stressors to achieve/maintain management goals.

8. Current Water Quality Standards • Developed primarily to guide “top-down” state and federal regulatory programs to improve chemical water quality. • Are well suited to support efforts to manage point discharges by mandating engineered solutions (waste treatment) so as to not exceed local resource pollutant assimilation capacity. • Do not adequately address the importance of physical and biological factors in maintaining the ecological integrity of CT’s water resources.

9. Beyond Current Water Quality Standards • Further guidance and policy development is needed to guide and support the efforts of DEP, municipalities, and private individuals to better manage activities that impact the physical and biological integrity of CT’s water resources. • Physical + Chemical + Biological = Ecological

10. Integrated Water Resource Management (Decisions) State/federal Integration Individual Municipal

11. Integrated Water Resource Management (Resource Use) Water use Consumption Recreation Waste assimilation Integration Land use Development / BMPs Preservation / buffers Ecological use Aquatic Life Wildlife

12. Strengthen Integrated Water Resource Education and Policy Articulate Water Resource Management Policy Existing in WQS - Anti-degradation - Disinfection - Nutrient Management - Mixing Zone - Chemical contaminants Potential(Examples) o In-Stream Flow o Riparian Buffer o Watershed Development o Fisheries Management o Wildlife Management o Recreational Use o Invasive species Control

13. Recommendation #1: Adopt a Common Language Across Management Programs HighQuality “VALUE” LowQuality “STRESSORS” Pollutant loads Riparian habitat Watershed condition Hydrologic modification Invasive species Natural Disturbed Human Disturbance Gradient Preservation Conservation Mitigation

14. Preservation High quality/Minimal human disturbance Conservation Some alteration of natural conditions to accommodate “economics” / degree of human disturbance acceptable Mitigation Deviation from natural condition / degree of human disturbance unacceptable unless unattainable Recommendation #2: Utilize the Human Disturbance Gradient model to expand theWater Resource Classifications in the current Water QualityStandards to incorporate biological and physical attributes.

15. Recommendation #3: Expand Water Resource Management policies that relate to physical and biological attributes and analyze how to integrate those policies with existing standards Biological Algae Macrophytes Invertebrates Fish Wildlife Humans Physical Hydrologic modification diversion development drawdown Habitat watershed land use riparian buffer fragmentation

16. Recommendation #4: Immediately establish reference conditions for specific (high quality) resource types and propose actions to insure these areas are afforded the highest level of protection Rivers and Streams Lakes and Reservoirs Wetlands Estuaries

17. Recommendation #5: Establish assessment criteria to identify mitigation conditions for each resource type to insure these areas are identified on CT’s List of Impaired Waters and prioritized for restoration

18. Recommendation #6: Establish a research and monitoring agenda to support integration efforts. HighQuality “VALUE” LowQuality “STRESSORS” Natural Disturbed R&M to better understand how the system is supposed to function and better define reference conditions. Preservation R&M to inform decisions on balancing competing uses and better define stress/response relationships. Conservation R&M to help formulate effective mitigation strategies and evaluate progress. Mitigation Human Disturbance Gradient

19. EMERGING ISSUE How can Connecticut work with EPA to implement an Integrated Water Resource Management Program (for the future management of the state's water resources founded on sound science, sustainability and the public trust)? What is the appropriate role for Water Quality Standards in developing and Implementing IWRM?

20. Correllary Issues: WQS and Criteria in appropriate form to support decision-making at local, state, and national levels (narrative v numeric) WQS and Criteria linked to maintaining natural structure and function (wetlands, nutrients) WQS and Criteria appropriately specific to address “tiered” aquatic life and recreational uses. Balancing scientific uncertainty with environmental risk of inaction (“new” contaminants, economic concerns) Delegation of responsibility, administrative roadblocks, resistance to change.

22. “Ideas are but dreams till their effect be tried” Shakespeare

23. AGENDA Adopt regulations , in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, establishing flow regulations for all river and stream systems.

24. Commissioner’s Advisory Group Scientific – Technical Workgroup Policy – Technical Workgroup

25. Such flow regulations shall: • (1) Apply to all river and stream systems within this state; • (2) preserve and protect the natural aquatic life, including anadromous fish, contained within such waters; • (3) preserve and protect the natural and stocked wildlife dependent upon the flow of such water;

26. (4) promote and protect the usage of such water for public recreation;

27. (5) be based, to the maximum extent practicable, on natural variation of flows and water levels while providing for the needs and requirements of public health, flood control, industry, public utilities, water supply, public safety, agriculture and other lawful uses of such waters; and

28. (6) be based on the best available science, including, but not limited to, natural aquatic habitat, biota, subregional basin boundaries, areas of stratified drift, stream gages and flow data, locations of registered, permitted, and proposed diversions and withdrawal data . . . , locations where any dams or other structures impound or divert the waters of a river or stream and any release made therefrom, and any other data for developing such regulations or individual management plans.

29. Such flow regulations may provide special conditions or exemptions including, but not limited to, an extreme economic hardship or other circumstance, an agricultural diversion, a water quality certification related to a license issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or as necessary to allow a public water system, . . . , to comply with the obligations of such system as set forth in the regulations . . . .

30. Any flow management plan contained in a resolution, agreement or stipulated judgment to which the state, acting through the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, is a party, or the management plan developed pursuant to section 3 of public act 00-152, is exempt from any such flow regulations.

31. “Such flow regulations shall preserve and protect the natural aquatic life, including anadromous fish,contained within such waters. Sec 26-141b (2) CGS Physical Integrity Biological Chemical “…while providing for the needs and requirements of public health, flood control, industry, public utilities, water supply, public safety, agriculture and other lawful uses of such waters.” Sec 26-141b (5) CGS

32. STREAMFLOW ALTERATION Natural Impaired Conceptual Model for Stream Classification 1 2 3 4 STREAM CLASS

33. Stream Classification System Preliminary Assessment Framework

34. Class 1 Waters Natural Flow Condition Waters not currently influenced by diversions, withdrawals, significant impoundments, or watershed development that fully support all riverine functions and values and support habitat and recreational uses characteristic of free flowing waters.

40. Class 4 Waters Flow-Impaired Condition Waters influenced by diversions, withdrawals, impoundments or watershed development to the extent that aquatic habitat and recreational uses have been impaired and designated uses established for these waters in Connecticut Water Quality Standards are not supported.

41. Saugatuck River Subregional Basin (7200) Census 2000 Population 37,740 Population per sq mi 777 Area (sq mi) Conn 48.54 Out of state 0.00 Total 48.55 Belongs to Major Basin - Southwest Coast (7) Regional - Saugatuck (72) Includes Towns - Bethel, Danbury, Easton, Fairfield, Norwalk, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport, Wilton An unnamed tributary to the Hawleys Brook was documented dry by Don Mysling, DEP Fisheries. Hawleys Brook enters the Saugatuck River just below Saugatuck Reservoir.

42. Unnamed Tributary to Hawleys Brook Flow Impaired Section, Easton, CT- Spring 2005 Fall 2005

43. Unnamed Tributary to Hawleys Brook Flow Impaired Section, Easton, CT- Unnamed tributary to Hawleys Brook at unnamed forest road crossing • DEP Fisheries electrofished this section of stream during mid-summer 2005 and collected 200+ brook trout in a 150 - 200 meter reach.

45. Class 2 Waters Near Natural Flow Condition Waters influenced by the presence of minor diversions, withdrawals, impoundments or watershed development that fully support riverine functions and values and support aquatic habitat and recreational uses characteristic of free flowing waters substantively similar to Class 1 waters.

46. Class 3 Waters Flow-altered Condition Waters influenced by diversions, withdrawals, impoundments or watershed development that experience periodic substantial flow reductions during drought and near drought periods. Aquatic habitat may be significantly altered or recreational uses limited yet water quantity is sufficient to maintain consistency with minimum criteria for recreational and aquatic life uses established in Connecticut Water Quality Standards.

50. QUESTIONS What are the key natural and anthropogenic factors affecting stream flow? How can we define the natural hydrograph? How can we define the existing (potentially altered) hydrograph? How can we quantify the extent of alteration? What are the ecological implications of various degrees of alteration? What are the use implications of various degrees of alteration? How can good science be incorporated into a stream flow management program that balances protecting and maintaining ecological uses with anthropogenic uses?