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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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