Controlling Sediment in the Black & Oatka Creek Watersheds
Black Creek Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat format)
Oatka Creek Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat format)
Erosion and Sediment Control - Municipal Meetings (Black Creek)
In
the Oatka Creek Watershed each Town or Village Board received a short
presentation in 2003-2004 giving them an overview of the OCWC, Stormwater
Phase II Regulations, and the State of the Basin Report.
The same was done in 2005 for each Town and Village Board in the Black
Creek Watershed.
They were then asked to sign an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) and
send a representative to the Oatka Creek Watershed Committee (OCWC) or the
Black Creek Watershed Coalition (BCWC). This
was important for carrying out the work related to this project as well as
moving toward the development of watershed management plans for the two
watersheds. The process
used for the Black Creek Watershed was as follows:
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The G/FLRPC worked with the Monroe County Planning Department, the Genesee County SWCD, and the BCWC to do a meeting in each of the 13 municipalities that have significant land area in the Black Creek Watershed
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Developed material for each municipal board
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Got on the municipal board agenda of all municipalities in the Watershed
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Gave a brief presentation to each municipal board outlining the following: The Black Creek Watershed Coalition (BCWC); The State of the Basin Report (Executive Summary); Watershed management planning, including preservation of riparian corridors; the importance of erosion and sediment control and the role of the Stormwater Phase II regulations; the need for an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) and a representative from each municipality for the development of a watershed management plan; and the need for an assessment and analysis of local laws, ordinances and practices.
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Followed-up with each municipality
Task
2 - Erosion and Sediment Control – Identification and Analysis of
Riparian Corridor
The streambank
inventory was used as a starting point for a the development of the
Identification &
Analysis of the Riparian Corridor in the Black & Oatka Creek Watersheds
riparian corridor analysis
that produced implementation-ready recommendations for riparian
corridor erosion and sediment control including the following:
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Use of a riparian corridor expert
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High resolution digital aerial photography assessment of areas identified in the streambank inventories as highly impacted sites
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Additional ground checking and field assessment of highly impacted sites
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Checking of federal, state and local laws, regulations, and controls (including drainage easements) related to highly impacted sites (will be integrated with Task 3)
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Recommendations including specifications and approximate cost including structural controls; riparian controls, practices, and bioengineering; regulatory controls; and funding integration (local, state and federal funding sources such as transportation funding).
As of June 2006, two sites have been funded for restoration.
Task
3 – Erosion and Sediment Control Assessment and Analysis of Federal and
State Laws and Regulations and Municipal Local Laws, Ordinances and
Practices in municipalities in the Black and Oatka Creek Watersheds
There are many state and federal regulations that govern water quality, but many other activities and regulatory procedures that impact water quality occur at the local municipal level. This is particularly true in New York State. Therefore, the process of assessing local laws, ordinances and practices is a key component of successful water quality protection.
G/FLRPC set up a multi-pronged approach to completing the
assessment form and
followed this general approach in the Black and Oatka Creek Watersheds.
Work
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Initial mailing to all municipalities in the project area to introduce the project and provide a project description; sent to the attention of highest elected official/administrator (mayor, supervisor, city manager); clerk; planner/planning board chairperson (if the municipality has these positions); code enforcement and/or zoning enforcement officer; and highway superintendent/director of public works.
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Project information sent to relevant county and intermunicipal organizations and agencies such as county planning offices, watershed councils, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).
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Used local laws for each municipality, information from the completed state of the basin reports (SBRs), and other sources to complete as much of the
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Consulted with county and intermunicipal organization staff to help complete the assessment
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Set up a visit and/or telephone interview with each municipality to finish completing the
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Results were tabulated to provide a very thorough assessment of the state of local laws, ordinances, and practices in the project area in order to allow residents, officials, and planners to see where progress has been made and where improvement still needs to occur (see Municipal Law Review and Analysis)
Task 4 - All water quality/resource issues identification
In
the process of moving from a State of the Basin report to a watershed
management plan it is important that everyone involved identifies and understands the issues.
Task 2, 3 and 5 were an integral part of this process.
In this way the high priority issues (including erosion and
sediment) can ultimately have strategies and recommendations developed for
implementation. Issue
identification used an objective, standardized
process. The following was used for
the Water Resource
Issue Identification and Prioritization issue identification
report: State of the Basin
Report and supporting studies and monitoring activities; NYS Priority
Waterbodies List; Rochester Embayment Remedial Action Plan;
Genesee
River Basin Action Plan; BCWC and OCWC (including municipal
representatives); Black Creek and Oatka Creek Streambank Inventories;
Oatka Creek Flood Mitigation Plan; Streambank Inventories;
Task
5 - Assistance to Municipalities in Revising Local Laws
Each one of the 24 municipalities in the two watersheds (the watersheds share parts of six municipalities) could receive assistance in revising their local laws based on the assessment and the models discussed above in Task 2 and 3 in relation to their existing local laws, existing State and federal laws and regulation, assessment and recommendations of the riparian corridors, and land use patterns, issues and concerns. This involved an initial meeting with each municipality’s town/village, and planning board to explain the assessment and analysis process and to seek a working relationship. Additional meetings revolved around proposed revisions and ultimately adoption. The process used included attempting to integrate erosion and sediment control practices into comprehensive plans, zoning ordinances, subdivision ordinances, site plan review, and/or stand-alone erosion and sediment control ordinances and to provide models and checklists for town and planning boards. Applications were distributed to all municipalities in the watershed for Assistance to Municipalities in Revising Local Laws. The deadline for applications was October 3, 2005. Four municipalities sent in an application requesting assistance. G/FLRPC staff worked with three of those towns and published the report of this work entitled Revising Local Laws.
50
West Main Street, Suite 8107
Rochester, New York 14614
tel:
585.454.0190
fax: 585.454.0191
Last Modified: May 02, 2007