"\
Section 319
NDNPDINT SOURCE  PROGRAM SOGGESS STORY
 Stream Restoration Project Improves Water Quality of Wallkill River
\A/ato  hnH   I   n n  oH   Stormwater runoff from residential, agricultural and steep-slope
                                forested areas led to the impairment of two segments of the
 Wallkill River and their addition to New Jersey's Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of
 impaired waters. The "Wallkill River at Route 15" segment was listed as impaired for aquatic
 life (benthic  macroinvertebrates) in 2000, and "Wallkill River at Sparta" was listed as impaired
 for total phosphorus (TP), fecal coliform (FC), and temperature in 2002. To address the problem,
 local, state and federal partners restored the shape of stream banks and floodplain areas and
 replanted the riparian buffer and upland fringe areas using native plant species. As a  result of
 these efforts, the combined Wallkill River listing (including both the "Wallkill River at Route 15"
 and the "Wallkill River at Sparta" stream segments) was removed from the 2006  impaired
 waters list for its temperature and aquatic life impairments.
 Problem
 Northwestern New Jersey's Sparta Glen Brook is
 a tributary of the Wallkill River in Sparta Township
 in Sussex County. This section of the Wallkill River
 watershed is a scenic area encompassing Sparta
 Glen Park, a highly used recreation area. The
 brook receives Stormwater runoff from residential,
 agricultural and steep-slope forested areas. This
 section of the watershed includes the "Wallkill
 River at Route 15" and "Wallkill River at Sparta"
 segments (Figure 1), which were combined  into
 one watershed-based, CWA section 303(d)-listed
 segment in 2006 as part of New Jersey's water-
 shed management restructuring efforts.

 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Rapid
 Bioassessment Protocol sampling data collected
 between 1996 and 2000 indicated that the "Wallkill
 River at Route 15" segment had a habitat value
 below 60 (considered impaired) and a High Gradient
 Macrobiotic Index (HGMI) value of less than 10
 (considered severely impaired)—both indications
 of waterbody impairment. On the basis of these
 data, the New Jersey Department of Environmental
 Protection (NJDEP) added this segment to the
 impaired waters list for aquatic life (benthic macro-
 invertebrates) in 2000.

 In addition, water quality monitoring data collected
 during the same period indicated that the "Wallkill
 River at Sparta" segment did not comply with the
 state's surface water quality standard for tempera-
 ture (31°C daily maximum and  a rolling 7-day maxi-
 mum average of 28°C). This segment also violated
                               Legend
                                A  Ambient WQ Monitoring Station
                                   Wallkill River
                               I   I Hue 14 Watersheds
                                   Hue 12 Watersheds
                              Figure 1. The impaired segments are in the headwaters of the
                              Wallkill River watershed in northern New Jersey.

                              TP and FC standards. As a result, NJDEP added
                              the "Wallkill River at Sparta" segment to the 2002
                              impaired waters list for temperature, TP and FC.

                              Adding to the watershed's challenges, severe flood-
                              ing struck the area in 2000 when more than 14 inches
                              of rain fell within 24 hours (Figure 2). Because the
                              county was declared a federal disaster area, fund-
                              ing became available to support debris cleanup and
                              emergency work to restore the stream's hydraulic
                              carrying capacity. Nevertheless, significant stretches
                              of the stream bank remained unstable.

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                                     Figure 2. Sparta Glen
                                     Brook, three months
                                     after 2000 flooding
                                     event and before
                                     stream restoration. In
                                     this picture the brook
                                     is flowing in a small
                                     channel next to the
                                     road at the base of the
                                     cliff.
Results
    Figure 3. Sparta
       Glen Brook,
   after restoration
        (July 2010).
  Partners restored
     and replanted
  stream banks, the
  riparian zone and
    the transitional
upland fringe areas.
          Project Highlights
          Federal, state, county and municipal government
          officials joined forces with interested watershed
          residents, as well as representatives from the
          agricultural, lake and educational communities, to
          form the Wallkill River Watershed Management
          Group (WRWMG). In 2000 the WRWMG developed
          a characterization and assessment plan for a large
          watershed management area that included the
          Wallkill River watershed. Restoration of Sparta Glen
          Brook was designated as an "action now" project
          shortly after the 2000 flooding event.

          In 2002 the Township of Sparta was awarded a
          CWA section 319 grant to restore approximately
          5,700 feet of Sparta Glen Brook in Sparta Glen  Park
          (Figure 3). The CWA section 319 funds supported
          efforts to restore and stabilize the stream banks
          using bioengineering techniques and to revegetate
          the riparian buffers and transitional upland fringe
          areas using native plant species.  Township staff
          from the Parks and Recreation Department and
          the Department of Public Works  planted  more  than
          1,500 native trees, shrubs and saplings along the
          stream banks and slopes of Sparta Glen Brook.
          Large boulders were placed along the stream cor-
          ridor to stabilize the stream banks.
Stream bank armoring has significantly reduced
stream bank erosion, and the increased organic
groundcover has substantially eliminated sediment
loading into Sparta Glen Brook. The revegetated
areas provide shade and have reduced water tem-
perature to the point that the previously impaired
waters now comply with the state's surface water
quality temperature standard. Restoration efforts
have improved  the stream's visual aesthetics,
thereby improving the social benefit to the local
community.

Fish habitat has improved, thanks to decreased
water temperatures and sedimentation levels.  In
the most recent Rapid Bioassessment Protocol
sampling, the "Wallkill River at Sparta" and "Wallkill
River at Route 15" segments received an  HGMI
rating of 43.05  (considered good) and a habitat
rating of 166 (considered optimal). On the basis of
these data, NJDEP removed the combined segment
(including both  the original "Wallkill River at Sparta"
and "Wallkill  River at Route 15" segments) from the
impaired  waters list for temperature and aquatic life
use in 2006. The combined segment remains listed
as impaired for FC and TP
Partners and Funding
Following the federally declared flooding disaster in
2000, approximately $700,000 in federal Emergency
Watershed Protection Funds became available to
support debris cleanup and emergency stream res-
toration work. NJDEP has been actively involved in
watershed management in the Wallkill  River water-
shed since March 2000. Approximately $300,000
in state Corporate Business tax funds supported
the development of a Wallkill River watershed plan.
Total CWA section 319 funding for this  project was
$62,440.

The Township of Sparta provided in-kind services
through project design assistance and  construc-
tion inspections. Staff from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation
Service and the Sussex County Soils Conservation
District provided technical support to Sparta
Township for the design and implementation of
restoration projects. Township staff from the Parks
and Recreation Department and the Department of
Public Works led the revegetation of stream banks
and slopes along Sparta Glen Brook.
I
               U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
               Office of Water
               Washington, DC


               EPA841-F-11-001EE
               September 2011
For additional information contact:
Terri Romagna, Supervisor
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
terri.romagna@dep.state.nj.us • 609-633-3301
David McPartland, Environmental Specialist
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
david.mcpartland@dep.state.nj.us • 609-633-3301

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