URBANWATERS
FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP
Restoring Urban Waters, Revitalizing Communities
CotfHHaHen for
NATIONAL &
COMMUNITY
SERVICES
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Introduction 3
Program Results and Impact 4
Environmental Results Snapshot * 5
Progress at the 20 Urban Waters Locations 6
Five Star Urban Waters and Environmental Justice Grants 27
The Urban Waters Learning Network 28
Federal Partner Accomplishments and Spotlights 29
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O behalf of the 15 federal agencies in the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, it is
an honor to share this Progress Report that highlights recent accomplishments
of the national Urban Waters Program. The Urban Waters Program was
established in 2011 to strengthen underserved communities' connection to
their local water resources and to improve the quality of those water resources.
Since then, the program has grown from a handful of pilot locations and federal
partners to a robust program with 20 formal locations, 15 federal agencies and a
strong network of hundreds of external partners.
The Urban Waters Program is a locally-driven, partnership-based program that
connects communities to their vital waterways while supporting the goals and
objectives of the Clean Water Act. This voluntary program facilitates collaboration
across public and private sector organizations in boldly innovative ways to bring
together the best ideas, leverage all available resources and achieve the strongest
public health, environmental, economic, cultural and recreational outcomes on a local scale, where people
can engage with and experience the benefits of their urban waterways.
The Urban Waters Program has the distinction of being the nation's first multi-agency partnership engaging
communities at the confluence of underserved groups and diminished local waterbodies. By convening
federal, state and local partners and leveraging a wide variety of resources, the program provides a highly
effective and efficient way to meet Clean Water Act goals in local, urban settings. By connecting people with
their vital waterways, this program facilitates an increased connection and understanding of the role and
value of waterways for all communities.
I want to thank all of the federal, local, state, academic and non-profit partners and the community leaders
in each partnership location who were so instrumental in achieving the successes of the past year. I look
forward to even greater success in the years to come!
John Goodin, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, Office of Water
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States
Environmental Protection
^^^1 * * Agency
3
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Program Results and Impact
This Progress Report summarizes the accomplishments and significant milestones of the Urban Waters Program
(UW Program) working in 20 urban locations across the country.
The UW Program:
Urban Waters Partnerships are
located across the country and
Puerto Rico. While this map shows
them as cities, Partnerships work
with all municipalities in their
watershed. Local Urban Waters
Partnerships have an average of
37 member organizations from
diverse sectors.
Funded Five Star and Urban Waters
Restoration Grants
Funded watershed projects
t'iat enga8ec' more than 30,000
volunteers across over 270
organizations, implementing
dozens of projects across the country, which
resulted in over 10,000 trees and 20,000
marsh plants, seeds and native grasses
planted, preventing over 500,000 gallons of
stormwater from entering waterbodies.
Leveraged Funds
OS
Urban Waters secured more than
$33 million in grants and federal
funding for projects across the
country.
Facilitated Information Exchange through
the Urban Waters Learning Network
More than 580 members in the
(a~<\ online network connected to share
\jL-Ji best practices through seven
VJ// webinars, five newsletters and 700
website visitors per month.
Achieved Watershed Improvements
Partnership locations removed
Txl 258,000 cubic yards of
iSs* contaminated sediment and soil
' from rivers and sites, installed
50,000 square feet of bioswale and rain
gardens and restored 155 acres of marshes,
wetlands and fields.
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Environmental Results Snapshot
Data compiled below is not comprehensive of all Urban Waters 2019 activities and ongoing projects at the 20 locations.
It is reflective of completed projects listed in this report. Data from projects in the initiation or planning phase are not
included below.
In the past year alone. Urban Waters Locations:
Reached
164,349
Removed
258,000
Installed
community members through education
outreach events and campaigns
cubic yards of contaminated sediment and soil
from rivers and sites
50,000 square feet of bioswale
and rain gardens
Collected
1 9Q pounds of trash and 106
¦>»f Ida# pounds of recycling
150
Engaged
3,550
<40
Identified
water quality samples
volunteers and participants at Urban Waters events
new local partners in Urban Waters partners
Hosted
69
Site Awards
Anacostia River Watershed
(DC) - River Network's River
Hero Award was presented
to watershed leader, Dennis
Chestnut
Green-Duwamfsh
Watershed/Seattle (WA) -
River Network's River Hero
Award was presented to
James Rasmussen
Greater Philadelphia/
Delaware River Watershed
(PA, Nj, DE) - Delaware
River Watershed Initiative
was awarded the American
Water Resources Association
Integrated Water Resources
Management Award
Proctor Creek Watershed/
Atlanta (GA) - West Atlanta
Watershed Alliance received
the Atlanta Magazine's 2019
Groundbreaker Award
watershed-wide management
recommendations
community
workshops
Restored
155
acres of marshes,
wetlands and fields
Report Cards
Partners at several Urban Waters
locations evaluated the well-
being of their watersheds and the
productivity of local efforts by
creating report cards:
Middle Blue River
Anacostia River
San Antonio River Basin
Mystic River
Los Angeles County Rivers
Delaware River State of the Basin
Report
These report cards mark a
significant evaluation trend
that may be a model for other
locations in the future. Report
card results will help develop
a roadmap and workplan for
collaborative actions to improve
the Partnership watersheds and
encourage partners and the
community to engage in issues
that affect them.
Photo credit: 2019 Blue River
Report Card
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Progress at the 20 Locations
|ral|%
Partnership locations featured in this section are organized by regional!
geographic location:
Northeast
Anacostia Watershed Partnership - District of Columbia/Maryland
Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds - New York
Delaware River Watershed Partnership - Greater Philadelphia / Delaware / New Jersey
Lower Passaic River Partnership - Northeastern New Jersey
Mystic River Partnership - Greater Boston, Massachusetts
Patapsco Watershed Partnership - Baltimore, Maryland
South
Cano Martin Pena Partnership - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Lake Pontchartrain Area Partnership - New Orleans, Louisiana
Proctor Creek Watershed Partnership - Atlanta, Georgia
San Antonio River Basin Partnership - San Antonio, Texas
Mid-west
Grand River Partnership - Grand Rapids, Michigan
Meramac and Big River Partnership - Near St. Louis, Missouri
Middle Blue River Partnership - Kansas City, Missouri / Kansas
Northwest Indiana Partnership
Western Lake Erie Basin Partnership - Near Toledo, Ohio
West
Green-Dumwamish Watershed Partnership - Seattle, Washington
Los Angeles River Watershed Partnership - Los Angeles, California
Middle Rio Grande Partnership - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rio Reimagined - Salt and Middle Gila River Watershed Partnership
South Platte Watershed Partnership - Denver, Colorado
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Anacostia Watershed Partnership District
of Columbia/Maryland K|
Federal Leads: Ambassador
Total partner
organizations:
125
Erin Garnass-Holmes,
Clean Water Fund
Partnership Highlight
Partners accomplished an important milestone in cleanup plans for the Anacostia River, with the
release of the District Department of Energy and Environmental (DOEE) Proposed Plan for the
Anacostia River Sediment Project. The Proposed Plan looks at an 815-acre study area and is part of a
process that will make the 9-mile tidal portion of the river and two other bodies of water safer for
human and environmental health.
Key Projects
Built new cohort of more than 20 programming
partners, including the National Reentry Network
for Returning Citizens. The cohort participated
in six capacity building workshops - that each
attracted over 200 people - to explore how
Anacostia Park programming can best support
underserved residents.
Managing a water quality monitoring program
engaging 40 volunteers in monitoring dissolved
oxygen, temperature and conductivity, and
reaching 500 community members through forums
and sharing monitoring data results.
Managing a new Anacostia River Pool project
including improving water quality; design,
engineering or planning studies exploring where
and how a swimming or wading facility would be
possible; community engagement around pertinent The Anacostia River watershed is home to 43
restoration issues. species offish, some 200 species of birds and
more than 800,000 people.
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Federal Leads: Ambassador
Total partner
organizations;
33
Sara Powell, Natural
Areas Conservancy
Partnership Highl ight
The New York City Parks, a key partner, released a draft Harlem River Watershed and Natural
Resources Management Plan. The plan included 14 strategies, 75 watershed-wide management
recommendations, and 98 site-specific recommended actions for ecological restoration, water quality
improvement, and enhanced access to the Bronx side of the Harlem River. The Plan is intended as a
road map for agencies, community partners, and other stakeholders in pursuing coordinated resource
protection and restoration in the watershed. The final plan will be published in both English and
Spanish in 2020.
Key Projects
Providing water and sediment quality monitoring
in support of planning for a new 5-acre park on
the Harlem River, which will be designed and
constructed using more than $5.6 million in public
funds.
Leveraging nearly $60 million in improvements
to Starlight Park on the Bronx River including the
construction of three new pedestrian bridges.
Efforts increased the size of the park by 11 acres,
and closed a key 2/3-mile gap on the Bronx River
Greenway.
The Harlem River separates the island of Manhattan from the Bronx, and connects the Hudson River and East River/Long
Island Sound, while the Bronx River originates in upper Westchester County and runs through the heart of the Bronx.
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Delaware River Watershed Partnership Greater
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey
Federal Leads: Ambassador
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Total partner
organizations:
112
Emily Baurnbach,
Partnership for the
Delaware Estuary
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Partnership Highlught
The Urban Waters Partnership teamed with the City of Wilmington to begin the construction of
the South Wilmington Wetlands Park. Funded by a nearly $3 million grant from the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
the wetlands park will reduce flooding to the area, restore 14 acres of degraded wetlands, enhance
coastal resiliency and create a new park for the community. Phase 1 construction removed 90,000
cubic yards of soil from the site.
Key Projects
Reconnecting residents of the Waterfront South
neighborhood with the Delaware River Waterfront
by transforming a 5.3-acre Brownfield site, now
Phoenix Park, into a park stormwater buffer that
manages over 5 million gallons of water.
Leveraged state grants of $1 million to revitalize
Philadelphia's 6-acre Graffiti Pier into a waterfront
public park.
The Delaware is the longest undammed river in the United States east of the Mississippi, extending 330 miles from Upstate
New York to the mouth of the Delaware Bay.
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Lower Passaic River Partnership
Northeastern New Jersey
Federal Leads: Ambassador:
Elizabeth Balladares,
JMJ NY/Nj Harbor and
of Engineers. Estuary Program
Total partner
organizations:
The NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) provided the city of Passaic with a grant to hold a series
of stewardship events focused on the Passaic River and Dundee Island Park, a riverfront park. The
stewardship events included a shoreline litter clean up, kayaking excursions on the river and a fishing
training program. The Partnership was also directly involved in incorporating HEP's "Stopping Trash
Where It Starts" initiative of reducing single use plastics into the stewardship events by providing
participants with informational materials on the harmful effects of floatables and single use
plastics and encouraging them to sign a plastic free pledge.
Partnership Highlught
Key Projects
Javier Laureano, U.S. EPA Region 2 Water Division
Director, led a Partnership boat tour attended by
25 stakeholders representing federal, state, and
nongovernmental organizations. For the first time
on the river, stakeholders convened to discuss the
status of the river and review major Urban Waters
projects including:
• The Diamond Alkali Superfund Site
• The Minish and Passaic Tidal Project
• The Dundee Island Park Expansions and
Recreation Project and the future of public
housing on the waterfront
Worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest
Service Urban Field Station to assess stewardship
attitudes and interests in the community.
The Passaic River's lower reach is a 17-mile tidal stretch
from Dundee Dam in Garfield, New Jersey, to Newark Bay.
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Mystic River Partnership Greater Boston,
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Ambassador:
Federal Lead
Total partner
organizations
44
Darya Mattes,
Groundwork
Somerville
Partnership Highlight
Building off of the Mystic River Watershed Eutrophication Analysis, members of the Partnership
led five in-person meetings with watershed communities to discuss nutrient reduction strategies,
including stormwater management retrofit programs. Following the project, the town of Arlington,
built 11 small-scale infiltration trenches. The trenches are estimated to remove 35% of the total
phosphorus loading from the contributing drainage area. The town plans to build an additional 18
systems and will work with the Mystic River Watershed Association to sustain projects in the future.
Key Projects
Advancing water quality-focused stormwater
management programs in the watershed, based on
evidence that stormwater runoff is a major source
of nutrient pollution in the Mystic River and its
tributaries.
U.S. EPA provided technical assistance to examine
local development ordinances in six communities,
resulting in actions to advance requirements
related to stormwater runoff and quality. Together,
the six communities cover approximately one-
fourth of the watershed. They are home to over
a quarter million people, and are estimated to
collectively serve over 100,000 residents in the
Mystic River Watershed, one of the most densely
populated watersheds in New England.
The Mystic River Watershed is a collection of rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds that drain an area of approximately 76
square miles and 21 municipalities north of Boston.
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Patapsco Watershed Partnership
Baltimore, Maryland
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Agency Leads:
Ambassador:
University of
Maryland
Total partner
organizations:
30
Partnership Highl ght
With funding from the USDA Forest Service, the Green Resources and Outreach for Watersheds
(GROW) Center events, pop-ups and workshops were visited by 695 participants, representing over 100
neighborhoods in Baltimore. 376 trees and over 39 cubic yards of mulch were given away, over $2,000
worth of native plants and 121 recycling bins were sold and 16 workshops on community greening and
stormwater management were offered. The GROW Centers were a natural outgrowth of the
Partnership's Greers Pattern Book, a resource of strategies to help green Baltimore's vacant lands,
improve water quality and implement stormwater solutions.
Key Projects
Re-greening hundreds of vacant lots into parks,
vegetable gardens and raingardens to address
stormwater contamination of city rivers,
community flooding and community beautification,
for a total of more than 800 community managed
open spaces in Baltimore.
Facilitating the Actionable Science Flood Team,
establishing a new, broad network of organizations
to address the increasing frequency and severity of
flooding in central Maryland. The team is working
to enhance collaboration between researchers and
practitioners while educating policy makers and the
public about the flooding issues the area faces.
The Patapsco River flows to the Baltimore City Harbor arid ultimately into the Chesapeake Bay. The watershed includes
Maryland's largest population area of approximately 650,000 people.
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Cano Martin Pena Partnership San Juan,
Puerto Rico
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Total partner
organizations
30
Partnership Highlight
The Partnership played a key role in addressing
the community's needs after Hurricanes irma
and Maria, providing effective coordination with
the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and other partners. In 2018, the newly-launched
Urban Waters Program Relief Efforts allowed the
Partnership to expand its post-hurricane support
to create short- and medium-term restoration
plans in specific communities identified within
the 97 square miles of the urban estuarine
ecosystem known as San Juan Bay Estuary in
Puerto Rico.
The Carlo Martin Peha is a 3.75-mile long tidal channel
at the heart of Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan. It is
part of the San Juan Bay Estuary, the only tropical and
non-continental estuary within the National Estuary
Program. 26,000 people live adjacent to the channel,
60.7% of which live below the poverty line.
Key Projects
*
*
*
Working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
other federal, state and local partners to implement
the Cano Martin Pena Ecosystem Restoration
Project. The project includes rebuilding road
infrastructure, relocating residents to safer housing
and dredging the channel to a width of 100 feet to
restore the natural hydraulic connection between
the San Jose Lagoon and the San Juan Bay, which
has been eliminated through years of backfilling,
sedimentation and other factors.
Designing a baseball field using green infrastructure
to serve as water detention during community
flooding events, funded by State Revolving Fund
grants.
Developing a stormwater management plan for the
Cano Martin Pena District using green infrastructure
in combination with grey infrastructure.
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Federal Leads: Ambassador: Total partner
Rochelle Cole (ORISE) - interim organizations
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Partnership Highl ight
For the first time, the Pontchartrain Conservancy deployed samplers to collect cyanobacterial-
specific sampling and utilize newly developed EPA and NOAA satellite technologies (CyAN). The
Conservancy collected and analyzed 148 samples over the course of June through September from
both recreational and beach locations, as well as targeted boat sample locations. LSU's College of
the Coast & Environment analyzed the samples for nutrients and microcystin and found that the
water met the EPA recreational water quality criteria.
Key Projects
Restoring Coastal Wetlands in Big Branch Marsh
National Wildlife Refuge (BBMNWR) is a three-year
project to reestablish 325 acres of marshlands with
100,000 plugs of California bulrush, and nourish
maritime forests with a combination of 1,000 Sand
Oaks and Live Oaks in BBMNWR.
The Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail entails
the implementation of a 40-acre wetland park that
increase storm water storage capacity, with the
development of bald cypress and water tupelo
habitat and approximately 8 million gallons of
bioretention ponds. The project is located in the
Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans and increases the
migratory and native bird species utilizing the
habitat.
At over 40 miles wide, Lake Pontchartrain is the second largest inland saltwater body in the United States.
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Partnership Hiighl'ght
The Partnership worked with Coca-Cola, the City of Atlanta, and the National Recreation and Park
Association to secure five Litter Gitters and one Bandalong Litter Trap for the watershed, which
collected a total of 198 pounds of trash and 106 pounds of recyclables to date. The traps are
expected to collect and reduce 80% of downstream litter in the creek. See this video on the kickoff
event for the trap installation.
Key Projects
Partners U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District
and the City of Atlanta approved the recommended plan
of a three-year, joint-funded feasibility study for aquatic
ecosystem restoration in the Proctor Creek watershed. The
plan proposes to restore 44 acres.
Atlanta welcomed its newest green space, a 4.5-acre site
that offers dramatic views of the city's skyline in a part
of town that was in dire need of public green space. The
groups involved signed a memorandum of understanding
pledging to transform the area into a public green space
and maintain it for years to come.
Collected i-Tree Suite report data outlining estimated
economic and environmental benefits to the watershed for
community and developer sustainable development.
Monitoring plan completed for Proctor Creek to provide
water quality data to the city of Atlanta and the state of ^ne Proctor CreeK watershed covers about
Georgia by collecting baseline dry and wet weather data and sc!uore miles in SW Atlanta and flows up to
fish tissue data which will be used to clean up the creek. l'ne Chattahoochee River.
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San Antonio River Basin Partnership
San Antonio, Texas
Total partner
organizations:
56
Federal Leads: Ambassador:
I |Qf*Q Julio Beltran, U.S.
UuUU Geological Survey
science for a changing world
Partnership Highlight
USGS and EPA led Partnership efforts to partially fund the city of San Antonio's Ozone Attainment
Program, since high levels of smog have the potential to negatively impact San Antonio's water
quality. The Partnership has supported outreach to local communities and solicited input on the
city of San Antonio's Ozone Attainment Master Plan. The plan sets forth actions to achieve EPA's
ozone attainment standard of 70 parts per billion by December 2020.
The San Antonio River Basin extends through 15 counties in
south Texas. The San Antonio River, with its headwaters in
Bexar County, is the basin's major river flowing 240 miles to San
Antonio Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Key Projects
Published a Pre-Disaster Toolkit for Small- to
Medium-Sized Communities based on seven
local workshops led by EPA Region 6 across
Texas that extracted and identified best
practices from Hurricane Harvey response
efforts.
Leading the Mission Reach Ecosystem
Restoration and Recreation project to
transform an 8-mile stretch of the San
Antonio River and restore significant
ecological functions and values to a section
of the river that had been converted to a
channel for flood control.
Tracking 201 different species of birds, some
of which are endangered, through an aviary
survey. Efforts support the Migratory Bird
T reaty Act.
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Grand River Partnership Grand Rapids
Michigan
Federal Leads
Ambassador:
Matt Chapman, Grand
Rapids White Water
Total partner
organizations:
33
Partnership Highlight
The Grand River is undergoing a major legacy conservation effort to restore 127 acres of its urban
waters. The project is estimated to have a robust economic impact of $15-19 million annually, bring
more than 500,000 visitors to the river per year and create 80-100 new jobs. Grand Rapids
Whitewater, the lead Partnership organization, secured $4.4 million in new public and foundation
funding for the its restoration efforts of the Grand River.
Key Projects
*
*
*
*
Engaged over 2,600 residents through 40 community
presentations to provide feedback on how they would like to
connect with and use the river area in the future.
NFWF Urban Waters grant allowed for 60 residential
rainscaping site assessments and installation of bioswales
and rain gardens, involving 22 partners, and over 200
volunteers.
Students installed approximately 50,000 square feet of
bioswale and rain gardens in the Plaster Creek and Grand
River watersheds.
Students and residents helped propagate 50,000 native plants
to be used in green infrastructure installations.
Provided maintenance on 12 acres of green infrastructure.
Reducing bacterial and nutrient contamination, as well as
addressing flooding issues due to more frequent and larger
storm events.
The Grand River is the longest river in Michigan,
flowing over 250 miles before emptying into
Lake Michigan. The River runs through the
city of Grand Rapids, which was named for
the natural rapids located in the heart of the
downtown area.
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Meramec and Big River Partnership
Southwest of St. Louis, Missouri
Federal Lead
Ambassador
Total partner
organizations:
28
Mary Grace
Lewandowski, East-
West Gateway Council
of Governments
Partnership Hughl!ght
U.S. EPA jointly worked with the St. Louis District and plans to continue coordination with the District
in the Meramec River Basin Ecosystem Restoration Project. The ecosystem restoration project is a joint
federal/state/the Nature Conservancy partnership co-funded for $2.38 million by the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers and Missouri Department of Natural Resources, providing planning through design, and
ultimately construction of a cost-effective project that will protect, enhance, and restore the degraded
aquatic ecosystem within the Meramec River Basin. The Agency Recommended Plan will restore
approximately 1,600 acres of aquatic and riparian habitat in the Meramec River Basin at a total project
cost of approximately $92.5 million.
Key Projects
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Facilitating technical input to assist the completion of the U.S.
EPA Superfund treatability study along five locations on the
Big River.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration
Trustees from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Missouri
Department of Natural Resources, U.S. EPA and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers secured $24 million for bank stabilization
and riparian corridor restoration.
USACE hosted a Paddle Your Parks event with 225 fourth-
graders at George Winter Park in Fenton, Missouri to learn
about water quality issues.
The Meramec River is one of the longest free flowing rivers in Missouri and contains nationally significant ecological
resources. The Meramec flows for over 220 miles before emptying into the Mississippi River.
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Middle Blue River Partnership Kansas City
Missouri
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Federal Lead: Ambassador: Total partner
Jill Erickson, Heartland organizations:
Conservation Alliance 38
Partnership Highlight
The partnership leveraged an EPA Urban Waters Small Grant to catalyze restoration and action on
roughly 1S acres of land in six action areas along the Blue River.
Through $1.2 million in funding from federal, state and local entities, the partnership restored 23
acres of wetland habitat and engaged 150 people at five community days at its Municipal Farm site
and reached more than 152,000 with its Renew The Blue campaign.
Key Projects
Published the first Blue River Report Card with six indicators
to determine the overall health of the river: community
connection, development, governance, habitat, recreation
and water quality. The river received a passing grade in its
first report card evaluation.
Graduated 50 trained stewards from four underserved
communities through the Green Guard Stewardship
program.
A Created a Blue River documentary including personal stories
about the threats and benefits of protecting the Blue River.
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Northwest Indiana Partnership
Federal Leads: Ambassador
Total partner
organizations:
70
Jennifer Birchfield
Purdue University
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Partnership Highlight
The Partnership made significant accomplishments
related to land revitalization. • Along the shore of Lake Michigan, at Jeorse Park
Beach, 16 acres of dune and swale habitat were
• Along Trail Creek, 24 acres of a former restored and beach best management practices
unregulated dump site were remediated. are being implemented to improve water
quality.
• Near Deep River, 40 acres of farmland were
converted to native grasslands to improve
water quality.
Key Projects
Local partners secured nearly $3 million in grants
to advance green infrastructure and streambank
stabilization projects that will restore urban waters
and revitalize communities.
168,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment was
dredged and removed from the Grand Calumet
River.
CommuniTree worked with more than 500
volunteers to plant over 2,000 trees in 10 low-
income communities.
More than 6,000 students and residents learned
about local waterways and natural resources as
part of partner's watershed education programs,
which featured paddling with Canoemobile.
The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership region
contains more than 1,200 miles of waterways, 45 miles
of Lake Michigan shoreline, and over 15,000 acres of
National Park land with globally rare dune and swale
habitat and a range of threatened and endangered
species.
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Western Lake Erie Basin Partnership Near
Toledo, Ohio
Federal Leads
Ambassador
Total partner
organizations:
48
American Rivers
US Army Corps
of Engineers.
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Partnersh p Highlight
With education and youth engagement as a main focus: 13 partners were able to offer four days of
educational programming at three parks in the Toledo area. More than 300 people completed monitoring
of Toledo area streams and entered 10 years of historical data into a new water quality database.
Key Projects
*
*
*
*
Funding from Urban Waters grants and the cooperation of
local partners helped to accomplish the following:
The Junction Community developed an urban greening
plan, implemented green infrastructure installations, and
is connected to the Partnership through grant research and
communication channels.
Successful stream cleanup events hosted 1,165 volunteers
and collected 22,941 pounds of trash in the Toledo area.
Outreach events helped educate 3,249 local residents
on issues and potential solutions in the Maumee River
watershed.
Equal Opportunity Employe' and Provider
The Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) is almost 6
million acres in size. The basin drains portions
of 29 counties into the shallow western third
of Lake Erie and is home to over two million
citizens.
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Green-Dumwamish Watershed
Partnership Seattle, Washington
Federal Leads: Ambassador
Total partner
organizations:
50
Weston Brinkley,
Street Sounds
Ecology, LLC
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Partnership Highlight
At 45.4 acres, the largest potential site to restore shallow-water estuarine habitat on the Duwamish
River is the Desimone Oxbow. Seattle University students were engaged to evaluate how green
infrastructure can support salmon population recovery in the Duwamish River at the Desimone
Oxbow.
The team developed three conceptual design alternatives for redevelopment, each addressing
the need for shallow-water tidally inundated habitat, with two of the three designs incorporating
commercial development. They also produced a summary of estuarine habitat restoration on the
Duwamish containing a variety of vital factors to successful redevelopment.
Key Projects
Implementation of a communications strategy with
local Green the Green network to organize revegetation
efforts in the Lower Green River.
Riparian Restoration Return on Investment study with
American Rivers to analyze the impact that floodplain
restoration projects have on property values.
Conducted a community led air quality monitoring
project, using trees and moss as air quality indicators.
More than 60 moss samples from street trees were
prepared for laboratory analysis, which are being
analyzed for 29 different heavy metals as an indicator of
air pollution.
The Green-Duwamish Watershed flows for over
93 miles beginning at the crest of the Cascade
Mountains ending as it empties into Elliott Bay in
downtown Seattle.
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Los Angeles River Watershed Partnership
Los Angeles, California
Federal Leads: Ambassador
Total partner
organizations:
46
Justin Yee, National
Park Service
Partnership Highlight
Released in 2019 and initiated by the Partnership, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BoR) study on
improving ecosystem services demonstrates how the riverbed of urban channels can be redesigned
to provide improved habitat and fish passage. Several non- governmental partners assisted with
the research study, through multiple Partnership meetings, and the BoR received valuable
feedback and direction, including important parameters on species and design features. Following
release of the study, Los Angeles River stakeholders received a grant to develop partial designs for
a reach that includes the pilot site for this study.
Key Projects
U.S. Department of Agriculture - Forest Service
and Loyola Marymount University released the LA
River StewMAP survey to better connect potential
volunteers, agencies, donors and stewardship
groups to convene action around watershed goals.
Developed designs and secured brownfields
remediation funding for transformation of the
City's 42-acre parcel along the river called Taylor
Yard G2 River Park Project.
Finalized a strategic plan titled "Pathway to Parks &
Affordable Housing Joint Development."
The Los Angeles River flows from its headwaters in the Angeles National forest to the Pacific Ocean in Long Beach. Fifty-one
miles long; the river covers 870 square miles of watershed and winds through 14 cities.
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23
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Federal Leads:
Ambassador:
Shelby Stimson, The
Nature Conservancy
Total partner
organizations:
30
Partnership Highlight
Multiple Urban Waters partners completed the construction and grand opening of Albuquerque's first
"Mobile Pop-up Park". This project transformed a vacant lot into a community green space with native
trees and plants, benches and shade structure, sculpture art and mural walls, and rainwater catchment
storage on site. The park was built to be transportable and a replicable model for other underserved
communities. The location of the park was chosen to prioritize a low-income area, with the highest
population density and only 3% tree canopy and green space, suffering extreme heat island
Key Projects
Bernalillo County was awarded the $220,000 grant which will be
used to install green stormwater infrastructure and low impact
landscaping along recreational trails at the Valle de Oro Urban
Wildlife Refuge.
The 10-acre South Valley Health Commons site will provide a
platform for five new businesses focused on health and wellness.
The project also aids in stormwater management by utilizing an
existing 2.5-acre storm drainage pond for an orchard with walking
trails. The project promotes water conservation and building
material reuse.
The Rio Grande is over 1,900 miles long, running from its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains near Creede, Colorado,
and flowing into the Gulf of Mexico.
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24
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Rio Reimagined - Salt and Middle Gila
River Watershed Partnership
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Federal Leads
Total partner
organizations:
89
Ambassador:
Arizona State
University
(interim)
In conjunction with the USAGE, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and the city of Mesa,
the ecosystem restoration and recreation project for the approximate 14-mile reach of the Salt River
would consist of approximately 5.1 miles of multi-use trails, parking lots, rest stops and interpretive signs.
Implementing the plan would restore and improve approximately 1,485 acres of habitat, including 880
acres of cottonwood/willow community, 380 acres of mesquite bosque, 200 acres of wetlands, and 25 acres
of Sonoran desert scrub. Additionally, about 2,600 acres of existing cover type would be improved through
invasive species control. This plan would support endangered and special species recovery, improve water
quality, and restore greater ecological balance in the project area.
Key Projects
Tempe Town Lake, Arizona's second-most visited public
attraction, has a Master Plan with 12 zones for design,
recreation and entertainment improvements with a cost of
construction estimated at a total of $381 million. The success
of the lake is inspiring other revitaiization efforts in the river
corridor.
The Tres Rios Environmental Restoration Partnership
Highlight project involves the rehabilitation of nearly 700
acres in and around the Salt River, restoring a vital wetland
and riparian habitat.
Maricopa County (MC) is updating its multi-jurisdictional
Hazard Mitigation Plan, and in December 2019 EPA, FEMA, city
of Phoenix, city of Tempe, and MC Flood Control District held
a planning workshop to understand local jurisdictional needs.
The County is using this information to update the multi-
jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan that is slated for release
in 2020.
Arizona's Watersheds
Rivers, with its headwaters from three larger
watersheds: the Salt which starts west of Alpine,
AZ; the Upper Gila which starts east of Baldy
Mountain in New Mexico; and the San Pedro
which starts in Mexico.
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South Platte Watershed Partnership
Denver, Colorado
Federal Leads:
Ambassador: Total partner
Sam Haas, Peak organizations
Facilitation Group 83
tZJMENT Of AGRlUjS
Partnership Highl ght
The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership funded a critical update to its local Water Quality
Assessment Tool, shifting from a static platform to one that will continually update, pulling data from
the Water Quality Portal. The tool provides both context and direct access to cross-jurisdictional water
quality data for the Denver metro area and shows a snapshot of conditions for water quality
parameters, including E. coli, contaminants of emerging concern, total dissolved solids, total suspended
solids, selenium and nutrients. The tool makes water quality data easily accessible to the public,
including teachers who use this data for classroom learning, and provides storylines that assist the
public in taking action to improve water quality. The Partnership's Science and Data Committee is
collaborating with water utilities, state, city and county entities, nonprofit organizations, academic
partners and three Urban Waters Federal Partnership agencies on the project.
Key Projects
Leveraging Urban Waters funding with U.S. Geological Survey, U.S.
EPA, city county, district and private secotr funds to complete a
longitudinal study of the South Platte for orthophosphate.
Conducting the Sun Valley Green Infrastructure Study — a
groundbreaking study of four different alternatives for managing
stormwater that demonstrated the cost effectiveness of green
infrastructure through looking at capital and 20-year maintenance
cost.
Developing a professional development unit (PDU) focused on
water education. PDUs are action-learning courses designed for
Denver Public School teachers for topics of student need, and this
would package together a choice of tours, trainings, etc., that could
improve teachers' practice when it comes to teaching students
about water and engaging students on locally relevant water issues.
Implementation of this course will empower students to take on
critical water challenges and contribute to community discourse and
decision-making regarding solutions to water issues.
The South Platte River is one of the
two principal tributaries of the Platte
River, flowing through the U.S. states of
Colorado and Nebraska.
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Five Star Urban Waters and Environmental
Justice Grants
Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grants
The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program is a public-private partnership combining federal
and private sector grant funding with funds from: U.S. EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's - Forest Service,
the U.S. Department of Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, Southern Company and FedEx. The grants help states
leverage resources and build community capacity for restorative projects that address core Clean Water Act goals.
42 projects funded by Urban Waters federal partner agencies closed in the 2019 calendar year. Non-federal
project funds and grantee matching contributions leveraged total federal funding of $1.2 million at a one-to-one
ratio—providing $2.4 million.
22 new grants were awarded in 2019 to address stormwater runoff and improve water quality.
2019 Five Star Statistics
564,200 gallons of stormwater runoff prevented (across 3 projects)
20,100 marsh plants, seeds, and native grasses planted
38,193 volunteers 34 projects that directly contributed to
environmental justice goals in underserved
12,898 trees planted anc' under-resourced communities
469 organizations
contributing to
project goals
483 acres restored
389 jobs created
Environmental Justice Small Grants
The U.S. EPA Environmental Justice and Urban Waters programs have partnered in 2018 and 2019 to provide
funding and expertise to underserved communities disproportionately impacted by clean water issues, while
giving preference to projects located in qualified Opportunity Zones, as designated in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act.
The Urban Waters program funded 10 small grants - a project for each U.S. EPA Region across the country. The
small grants provide direct funding to community-based organizations and tribes for projects that help residents
of underserved communities understand and address local environmental and public health issues. The 10 Urban
Waters-funded projects address urban watershed issues including disaster resiliency, toxic water-based algae
blooms, local green infrastructure development and watershed restoration. Visit U.S. EPA's website for additional
information on the grant awards.
Five Star Project Spotlights:
Washington State Salmon
Restoration
Restored 14.4 acres of riparian habitat.
Improved 2 miles of riverbank through
hands-on salmon recovery work. 1,671
volunteers learned how to properly
plant 5,202 trees, preventing 520,200
gallons of stormwater runoff captured
by new green infrastructure practices
on 16 stream sites.
Anacostia Mussel Restoration Project
7,000 freshwater mussels to filter up to 26 million gallons
of water annually in the Anacostia River in the District of
Columbia, improving water quality conditions and aquatic
biodiversity.
Lays groundwork for future mussel restoration efforts by
determining suitable habitats and feasibility and educating
and engaging more than 500 people in mussel propagation.
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The Urban Waters Learning Network
The Urban Waters Learning Network (UWLN) provides support and opportunities for members to share successful
strategies, challenges and resources from across the country to improve urban waterways and revitalize the
neighborhoods around them.
The National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program is a partner in the UWLN, and
manage all funding that goes to UWLN coordinators. Groundwork USA and River Network. Groundwork USA and
River Network provide assistance and guidance to U.S. EPA Headquarters and Regional staff in identifying and
reviewing tools for practitioners use and providing input on potential U.S. EPA-sponsored initiatives, conferences
and training opportunities.
UWLN Highlights
585 members (up from 380 in 2016)
webinars with 764 attendees
24 person Urban Waters Delegation at the U.S.
Water Alliance One Water Summit
WHAT WE DO
• Established a new communication channel
on Basecamp for EJ resources and topics for
the EPA PPB National Estuary Program, which
encompasses 28 major coastal watersheds
• New Interactive Story Map telling the story of
Urban Waters locations' history and impact
Expanded and initiated working groups
on emergent themes.
The UWLN introduced two more working groups
for Anti-Displacement Strategies and Building
Resilient Communities. The working groups will
compile existing resources and tools, identify the
needs of UWLN practitioners and develop original
resources addressing these themes.
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National Accomplishments by
Federal Partners
In the past year, the UW Federal Workgroup, with representatives from the 15 agencies in the
Urban Waters Federal Partnership, reached consensus to achieve:
20
Locations in
2020
The Urban Waters Federal
Partnership coordinated
on the approval of the 20th
Urban Waters location—the
Rio Reimagined - Salt/Gila
River Corridor Project in
Phoenix, Arizona—first new
location since San Antonio in
2015.
A unified vision for the future
of the program
The federal partners finalized the report, "Sustaining the
Urban Waters Program in 2020 and Beyond: New Strategies
to Support the Program," which lays out a number of key
programmatic adjustments and refinements that will
strengthen the program moving forward.
UW Federal Partner Spotlights:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Program Sustainability - The Urban Waters Program is looking to expand and diversify the
funding base that supports the program through engaging new partners and strategizing how
to leverage all available support in locations. The program developed a strategy, resources and
tools to promote best practices for accessing non-federal resources.
Strengthening Local Responses to Natural Disasters
U.S. EPA strengthened Urban Waters Partnerships' response to natural disasters through
funding from EPA's Non-Point Source Management Program, which provides technical
assistance to incorporate low-impact development (LID) and green infrastructure (Gl) into
hazard mitigation planning.
Two Urban Waters Partnerships received funding from the U.S. EPA Non-Point Source
Program. The Gl/LID teams will provide technical assistance to identify suitable sites for
GI/LID, suggest methods to incorporate GI/LID into existing multi-jurisdictional planning
activities and hold training workshops for local communities. These efforts will enable the
Partnership communities to strengthen their responses to natural disasters.
Department of the Interior
^f>CH 3,^
The Department of the Interior (DOI) advances the goals of the Urban Waters Program by
coordinating the work of its bureaus in Urban Waters locations as well as providing national
policy coordination. For example, in 2019, DOI, through U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), invested $1.2 million in on-the-ground projects related to Urban
Waters in locations across the country. Additionally, 42 staff from DOI in four bureaus (USGS,
FWS, National Park Service and Bureau of Reclamation) support the day-to-day operations of
the 20 Urban Waters locations. DO! also facilitated information exchange among local partners
in many ways, including newsletters and facilitated meetings. DOI played an instrumental role
in planning the designation event and follow-up workshop for the launch of the 20th Urban
Waters location, Rio Reimagined.
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UW Federal Partner Spotlights
Department of Agriculture Forest Service
The Forest Service (FS) leads U.S. Department of Agriculture engagement in the Partnership,
advancing the UW Program as a multi-departmental initiative and leading interagency
collaboration in five locations (Patapsco River Watershed, LA River, Northwest Indiana, South
Platte River and Green-Duwamish). Staff from all three mission areas of the agency (State and
Private Forestry, Research and Development and National Forest System) participate in and
provide technical assistance to 13 Partnership locations. This year, FS was able to provide direct
Ambassador and project funding to seven locations as well as funding the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grants Program alongside U.S.
EPA and U.S. DOI. FS staff also provided technical assistance to UW locations through webinars,
workshops and toolkits on topics such as Urban Heat Islands, Green Stormwater Infrastructure,
Stewardship Mapping, Tree Planting and Maintenance and Urban Wood Academies.
DOI-U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
2 USGS
science for a changing world
USGS appropriation included $717,000 in funds through the National Water Quality
Program as USGS directed Cooperative Matching Funds (CMF) to support USGS-UWFP joint
projects. USGS funded 11 UWFP projects in nine Urban Waters locations in FY19; projects
included local partner matches for a total of approximately $1.4 million in leveraged funds.
All funded projects have buy-in from the local Urban Waters Ambassador and local partners
and include a water-quality component that involves monitoring, assessment or modeling.
More information about funded projects is available at USGS' Urban Waters webpage.
Through these funded projects, signifigant progress was made to install water-quality
probes and gages, and collect, process and analyze surface water and groundwater
samples.
Samples included organic contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), nutrients and sediment. Water quality parameters
included temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen.
— Geographic areas with projects selected for funding:
Anacostia River Watershed—Washington. DC, area
Bronx and Harlem River Watersheds—New York. NY
Delaware River Watershed—Greater Philadelphia, PA, area
Grand and Little Calumet Rivers—Northwest Indiana
Lake Pontchartrain—New Orleans, LA, area
Los Angeles River Basin—California
Lower Duwamish Waterway—Seattle. WA, area
Lower Gila River—Phoenix. AZ, area
Lower Passaic River Basin—Newark. NJ, area
Middle Blue River—Kansas City, MO, area
Middle Rio Grande—Albuquerque. NM, area
Patapsco Watershed—Baltimore. MD, area
San Antonio River Basin—Texas
South Platte River—Denver. CO, area
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A Message from the Program
Through all the projects, programs and accomplishments highlighted in this report, the Urban Waters
Program has helped advance water quality improvements and community connections to local waterways
across the country. This success would not have been possible without the tireless contributions of
federal, state, local, academic and non-profit partners, as well as our vitally important Ambassadors. For
more information about the UW Program, please visit urbanwaters.gov.
Photo Credits
Page 1 - Friends of the Los Angeles River (above)
Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (bottom
left) Confluence Environmental Center (bottom right)
Page 2 - Confluence Environmental
Page 3 - Friends of the Los Angeles River
Page 6 - Friends of the Los Angeles River
Page 7 - Anacostia Watershed Society
Page 8 - Bronx River Alliance Governments
Page 9 - PhillyVoice
Page 10 - The Nature Conservancy
Page 10 - Blue Water Baltimore
Page 12 - iStock.com/benkrut
Page 13- ENLACE
Page 14 - Groundwork New Orleans
Page 15 - West Atlanta Watershed Alliance
Page 16 - San Antonio River Authority
Page 16- Grand Valley Metro Council
Page 18 - Missouri - The Nature Conservancy
Page 19 - Heartland Conservation Alliance
Page 20 - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Page 21 - Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of
Governments
Page 22 - iStock.com
Page 23 - Friends of the Los Angeles River
Page 24 - The Nature Conservancy
Page 25 - MDB, Inc.
Page 26 - Groundwork Denver
Page 28 - San Antonio River Authority
www.urbanwaters.gov
January 2021
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