Section 319
NDNPDINT SOURCE PROGRAM SUCCESS STDRY
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Menu of Measures is a Recipe for Success
WatPrhndv Imnrnvpd Edgewood Park Pond was in danger of becoming a marsh due
to its highly eutrophic condition and shallow depths. Project
leaders devised a plan that included stormwater diversion, dredging, revegetation, and fish habi-
tat restoration. These actions contributed to reduce sedimentation, improve fish habitat, and
reduce fecal contamination by waterfowl. Consequently, pond water quality has improved dra-
matically, the pond's eutrophic state has been eliminated, and large fish have returned. Because
of these results, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (CT DEP) expects to
partially remove the pond from the state's 303(d) list of impaired waters in 2006.
Problem
The 2.7-acre Edgewood Park Pond is northwest
of downtown New Haven, Connecticut, along
the shore of Long Island Sound. Over many
years, a steady accumulation of organic matter
reduced the pond's average depth to 2.5 feet.
During summer months, the shallow waters
became too warm for fish survival and algal
blooms transformed the pond into a pool of
green muck and unpleasant odors.
To understand the source, nature, and context
of the problem, the City of New Haven under-
took a diagnostic feasibility study of the pond
in 2000. With a goal of restoring the pond to a
warm-water fishery resource, the study included
an inventory and assessment of existing pond
and watershed conditions, determined factors
responsible for the pond's degradation, and
proposed specific actions to restore the pond.
The study revealed that the pond was a nutrient-
enriched, sediment-filled, shallow, highly eutro-
phic waterbody unsuitable for contact recreation
and fishing. It also concluded that the pond was
often an aesthetic and odor-emitting nuisance,
low-quality fish habitat, seasonal nutrient
source, and undesirable educational resource.
Several sources contributed to pond degrada-
tion. Sparsely vegetated — and hence highly
erodable — land sloped toward the pond and deliv-
ered high sediment loads during storm events.
Discharge from a nearby storm pipe further
exacerbated bank erosion. The storm pipe, pet
wastes left along the bank, and waterfowl were
also suspected bacteria and nutrient sources.
Decades of organic matter accumulation reduced
average pond depth to 2.5 feet, with some areas as
shallow as 1.5 feet. Dredging restored the pond to a
maximum depth of 10 feet.
By 2004, the pond was on the state's 303(d)
list for aquatic life use impairments due to low
dissolved oxygen and siltation caused by nutri-
ents and sediments. The pond was also listed
for primary contact recreation impairments due
to nutrients and bacteria. The state listed the
pond on the basis of observations of eutrophi-
cation and the absence of its former fishery.
Project Highlights
The City of New Haven applied for and
received several section 319 grants needed to
help restore the pond as a fishery and recre-
ation resource. In 2004 and 2005, the city, CT
DEP, and other conservation partners took a
number of measures:
• Dredging the pond to a maximum depth of
10 feet. This removed approximately 12,500
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One view of Edgewood Park Pond after restoration. Littoral plant-
ings and a stabilized bank are shown to the center and left.
cubic yards of nutrient-rich sediments from
the pond bottom.
Redirecting the storm pipe away from the
pond and into a nearby wetland, facilitating
the removal of nutrients, sediments, and
other nonpoint source pollutants.
Planting littoral vegetation to reduce slope
erosion and discourage geese and other
waterfowl from accessing the pond.
Improving fish habitat by installing fish struc-
tures, felled trees, and littoral zone plants.
Using construction and vegetative planting
approaches to stabilize the slope on one
side of the pond.
Results
The project was an overwhelming success,
with water quality improvements visibly appar-
ent to even the casual observer. Large fish
have returned, and the pond edge has been
stabilized.
With the nutrient and sediment impair-
ments resolved, CT DEP expects to remove
Edgewood Pond's aquatic life use impair-
ment from the state's 303(d) list in 2006.
While nutrient loads have been reduced, the
other cause of the pond's primary contact
recreation impairment—bacteria—remains a
problem. For this reason, the pond will remain
listed for primary contact recreation. Water
quality monitoring will continue beyond 2006.
Beyond the physical improvements to the pond,
this project produced many other benefits. For
example
• It restored the pond's status as a valuable
recreational and educational resource for city
residents.
• It demonstrated the benefits of urban envi-
ronmental restoration projects to human and
natural resources.
• It coalesced a diverse group of park and pond
constituents and raised general public aware-
ness about the need for continued steward-
ship of this important resource.
• It helped to enhance the quality of life for
low-income residents of New Haven affected
by pollution.
Since the restoration project was completed,
local schools have used the pond to conduct
seining activities and aquatic environment
education programs, and the Edgewood Park
Ranger has used it for canoeing and fishing
programs. The pond has once again claimed its
place as one of the most beautiful assets in
Edgewood Park and the surrounding neighborhood.
Partners and Funding
With support from the federal section 319
program, CT DEP provided $267,600 for the pond
study and restoration program. The City of New
Haven provided more than $90,000 toward the
project design and construction and contributed
in-kind services for project management,
landscape design, and site grading.
The city built on the success of the initial pond
restoration and mobilized the Elm City Parks
Conservancy, the Friends of Edgewood Park,
and the Yale University Forestry School's Urban
Environmental Initiative to undertake the final
slope stabilization project. The city provided an
additional $35,000 for a consultant to provide
construction materials and oversee volunteers.
I
5
s
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
\ Off ice of Water
% Washington, DC
EPA841-F-06-003H
July 2006
For additional information contact:
Stan Zaremba
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
860-424-3730 • stanley.zaremba@po.state.ct.us
Donna Hall
City of New Haven
203-946-7842 • DHall@Newhavenct.net
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