# Presentation: 187371

## ANACOSTIA RESTORATION

- Indicators: How They Are Helping Achieve Water Quality Goals?

**SWRR April 2006 Meeting**
**Ted Graham, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments**

**Notes:**
Thank you
This is about a project funded by the Summit Fund of Washington
A project to:
Work extensively with the community 
To develop a set of indicators to measure progress in restoring the Anacostia watershed
To develop a set of numerical targets for those indicators to help define program priorities
This project will also achieve the indicators and targets requirements set forth in last May’s Anacostia restoration agreement

## Indicators and Water Quality Goals

- Restoration of the Anacostia Watershed
- Water quality
- Habitat
- Stewardship
- Institutional Framework for Restoration
- Setting for Indicators & Targets
- Indicators and Targets: How are They Helping?
- Keeping score
- Setting program targets
- Communicating progress
- Incentive?

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## <footer>

- <date/time>

## The Anacostia Watershed

**The Anacostia Watershed**

- Size (square miles):

- District of Columbia      30 (17%)
- Prince George’s             86 (49%)
- Montgomery                  60 (34%)
- TOTAL                        176 (100%)

- Population**:**

- District of Columbia   292,811 (36%)
- Prince George’s          311,573 (39%)
- Montgomery               200,073 (25%)
- TOTAL                       804,457 (100%)

- 0.3% of the Chesapeake Bay watershed area (64,000 sq. mi.)

- 5.7% of the Chesapeake Bay watershed population (14,000,000)

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Slide 5

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Priority Problems

- Fecal bacteria
- Low oxygen levels
- Sediment_[ ](http://dgl.microsoft.com/mgnsrv.dll?1,en,j0124333)_
- Toxics
- Trash_[ ](http://dgl.microsoft.com/mgnsrv.dll?1,en,NA00617_)_
- Degraded habitat

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## POOR WATER QUALITY

**SOURCES**

**CARRIERS**

**RESULTS**

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Restoration by Regulation

- CSO Long-Term Control Plan
- DC-WASA (2001)
- Municipal Stormwater Permits (Beginning in 1990s)
- DC-WASA, DOH & DPW
- Prince George's County
- Montgomery County

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Restoration by Cooperation

- Regional cooperation since 1987
- 1987, 1991 & 1999 Agreements
- Local, state, federal partnership
- Common commitment to I&T

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

**Notes:**
Full Title:
Anacostia River Summit
Toward a Restored Anacostia Watershed

Signed on May 10, 1999

## Agreements

- Agreement to Cooperate (1987)
- Six Point Action Plan (1991)
- Goal 1 – Improve water quality
- Goal 2 - Restore & protect ecological integrity
- Goal 3 - Restore natural range of fish
- Goal 4 - Increase wetlands
- Goal 5 - Expand forest cover & riparian buffer
- Goal 6 - Increase public awareness and participation
- Indicators and Targets (1999, 2001)
- Define indicators tied to the six goals
- Set targets to be achieved by 2010
- Reconvene biennially to assess progress

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## I&T Expectations

- Encourage watershed-based planning
- Foster regional cooperation
- Develop public involvement and support
- Help set program & budget priorities
- Engage elected officials

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Indicators & Targets

- Indicators
- 50 selected from over 100 candidates
- Each measures a distinct aspect, e.g.:
- “Inputs” - Stream Miles Restored
- Tied to management actions
- “Outputs” - Dissolved Oxygen
- Tied to expected outcomes
- 2010 targets selected for each of the 50 indicators

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Goal 1 – Reduce Pollutant Loads

- Ten Indicators, including:
- Total suspended solids (sediment)
- Combined sewer overflows
- Fecal coliform contamination
- Dissolved oxygen
- Trash index
- Toxics and metals
- Example
- Dissolved Oxygen
- 2001 Baseline - 75% of the time less than 5 mg/L
- 2010 Target - 10% of the time less than 5 mg/L

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Slide 14

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Sediment

**Urban Development**

- Potomac River

- Anacostia River

- Washington D.C.

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Toxics

- 1992 Sediment Study:
- Metals
- Lead
- Mercury
- Zinc
- Cadmium
- Organics
- DDT
- Chlordane
- PCBs

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Trash

- Trash problems are widespread and require constant attention.

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## 4,000 tires dumped in the Anacostia River drainage

**Robert Boone, Anacostia Watershed Society**

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Goal 2 – Ecological Integrity

- 11 indicators, including:
- Temperature
- Macroinvertebrate community health
- Resident fish community health
- Stream miles restored
- Example: Stream Miles Restored
- 2001 Baseline: about 15 miles since 1987
- Target: 20 additional miles by 2010

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Stream Restoration

- To ***repair*** degraded stream habitat

**Restoration on Wheaton Branch of Sligo Creek**

**Devastation - 1990**

** ****Restoration - 1992**

**Natural Healing - 1999**

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Little Paint Branch Stream Restoration 

***Little Paint Branch Stream Restoration***

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Goal 3 – Fish Passage

- Three indicators, including:
- Percent anadromous fish range open
- Percent anadromous fish habitat utilization
- Example: Percent historic spawning range open
- 2001 Baseline: about 15 miles open
- Target: 20 additional miles

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Slide 23

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Goal 4 – Wetland Acreage	

- Three indicators, including:
- Created/restored tidal wetland acreage
- Created/restored non-tidal wetland acreage
- Example: Restored Tidal Wetland Acreage
- 2001 Baseline: about 75 acres created since 1987
- Target: create an additional 60 acres

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Kenilworth Marsh in D.C.

***After***
***Restoration***

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Goal 5 – Forest Cover

- Five indicators, including:
- Miles of created riparian forest
- Acres of created upland forest
- Example: Miles of Created Riparian Forest
- 2010 Baseline: about~12 miles created since 1987
- Target: create an additional 112 miles

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Slide 27

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Goal 6 – Public Involvement

- Eighteen indicators in three categories:
- Use
- Stewardship
- Advocacy
- Example: Active Subwatershed “Friend of” Groups
- 2010 Baseline: six active
- Target: fourteen, covering all subwatersheds

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Volunteer Tree Planting

***Gum Springs – Fall 2000***

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## I&T Accomplishments

- Promoted interagency coordination
- Stimulated public awareness
- Systematic program for monitoring, tracking & reporting
- 50 indicators
- 2010 targets for each indicator
- Basis for 2001 signing ceremony
- Framework for reporting progress & continuing need

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

- Restoration Indicators and Targets ‘Report Card’ (2002-2010)

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Not a Panacea

- Biennial meetings have not occurred
- Incentives and pressures are indispensable
- Grants
- Consent orders
- Permit conditions

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006

## Contact Information

- Ted Graham
- WashCOG
- (202) 962-3352
- tgraham@mwcog.org

- SWRR April 2006 Meeting

- April 25, 2006