Georgeann keersm

Great Marsh Coalition 2013

1. How Natural Coastal Systems Function for Flood/
Pollution Control and Storm Damage Prevention and the
Effects of Human Alterations
Georgeann(Keer,(Project(Manager,(Mass(Division(of(Ecological(Restora8on((

2. Department)of)Fish)and)Game)
Mary(Griffin,(Commissioner((

3. ! Physical(Restora8on(
! Freshwater(and(Salt(Water(
! Flow(Restora8on(
! RIFLS,(Dam(Management,(Comprehensive(Water(
Planning(
! Technical(Assistance((Riverways(Program)(
! AdoptJAJStream,(Wild(&(Scenic(Rivers,(Water(
Quality,(etc.(
The$mission$of$the$Division$of$Ecological$Restora5on$is$to$restore$and$protect$the$Commonwealth’s$rivers,$
wetlands$and$watersheds$for$the$benefit$of$people$and$the$environment.$
Division)of)Ecological)Restora8on)
(DER))

4. North Shore: Amesbury, Beverly,
Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Lynn,
Manchester, Marblehead, Nahant,
Newbury, Newburyport, Peabody, Revere,
Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury,
Saugus, and Swampscott
The)Massachuse>s)Coastal)Zone)

5. Both figures from A Guide to the Coastal Wetlands Regulations, MA Dept.
of Environmental Protection, 1979
Original: Clearwater Estates, MA Dept. of
Environmental Protection, 1987

6. Salt marshes
Tidal Flats
Salt Ponds
Shellfish Beds
Coastal Freshwater
Streams, Ponds and
Wetlands (BVW)
Submerged Aquatic
Vegetation
Eelgrass Beds
Beaches
Barrier Beaches
Rocky Shores
Dunes
Banks
Bays
Sounds
Uplands
(Buffer Zones)
Natural Systems in the Coastal Zone
Marine Estuarine Riverine / Lacustrine /
Palustrine

8. Bays &
Sounds
• Large physically
protected bodies of
water.
• Support many
coastal habitats
(eelgrass beds,
shellfish beds, salt
marshes etc.).

9. Submerged Aquatic Vegetation / Eelgrass Beds
Mass Bays Program: Eelgrass Beds, Manchester Harbor, MA
Photo: Ruppia maritima, Marilee Lovit, NEWFS
Pollution Control:
• Leaves facilitate deposition of particles and
absorb pollutants, improving water quality
(Short and Short, 1984).
• Absorb nutrients such as Nitrogen and
Phosphorous.

Flood Control &
Storm Damage Prevention:
• Attenuation of wave energy(Fonseca & Cahalan,
1992).
• Erosion control functions, stabilizing sediment with
extensive roots and rhizomes (Ward et al. 1984).

10. Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies
• Dredging.
• Excessive nutrients from
urban runoff cause harmful
algal blooms that block the
sunlight / impede growth.
• Structures, such as
docks, can prevent
eelgrass from getting
enough sunlight.
• Scarring and uprooting
of plants from boat
propellers, chain
anchors, and moorings
• Some shellfish harvesting
practices, such as hydraulic
clamming, damage eelgrass
beds.
Human Alterations Loss of Habitat
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
www.buzzardsbay.org
www.buzzardsbay.org

11. Beaches
Barrier Beaches
Rocky Shores
Dunes
Banks
Pollution Control:
• Beaches and dunes provide water
quality services through water filtration,
nutrient cycling, nutrient uptake and
water storage.
• Dune vegetation takes up nutrients
such as Nitrogen and Phosphorous /
Pollutants.
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:

• Coastal Dunes, Banks and
Beaches supply sand to /
maintain each other.
• Attenuation of wind and
wave (Fonseca & Cahalan,
1992) energy.
• Absorb storm surge.
• Delay or prevent inland
flooding.
VLAAMS INSTITUUT VOOR DE ZEE
http://www.landforms.eu/Lothian/beach.htm
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/10/30/
hurricane-sandy-passes-tribes-begin-assessing-
damage-143084
The Trustees of Reservations: Crane Beach

12. Human Alterations Loss of Habitat
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Coastal structures such
as riprap and seawalls
decrease the amount
reduce sediment
supplied directly to the
shoreline, caused by
the reduction of dune
and bank erosion.
Coastal structures (harbors,
jetties, groins, breakwaters
etc.) alter movement of
sediment along the
shoreline.
Offshore dredging
impacts both sediment
transport and wave
energy, increasing
beach erosion.
Upland stabilized by
development interrupts
natural erosion and
sediment transport
toward beaches.
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/14416
http://www.dispatch.com
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/residents/parking/
www.clearwater.org

MA DER / Applied Coastal Engineering, Inc.

13. Salt marshes
Salt Ponds
Tidal Flats
Shellfish Beds
Pollution Control:
• Salt marshes are highly productive
systems; vegetation takes up
nutrients, pollutants, sinks for carbon.
• Filter-feeding shellfish remove
microscopic particles (phytoplankton,
contaminants, etc.) from the water,
improving turbidity, light penetration,
and overall water quality as well as
serving as a source of nutrients.
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:

• Salt marshes, tidal flats,
salt ponds have a high
carrying capacity / act as
basins for storm surge and
rainfall run-off.
• Wave attenuation by salt
marsh vegetation (Yang et
al. 2012) and shellfish
(Oysters: Scyphers et al.
2011)
• Salt marsh vegetation,
shellfish beds stablize
sediment and reduce
shoreline erosion.
Betty Flowers
www.essexheritage.org

Wade et al. 1999.

14. …I wish I had some oysters.
I’m not talking about oysters to
eat — although a dozen would be
nice to go with that leftover bottle
of Champagne that I really should
drink if the fridge goes off. I’m
talking about the oysters that
once protected New Yorkers from
storm surges, a bivalve population
that numbered in the trillions and
that played a critical role in
stabilizing the shoreline from
Washington to Boston. …
An Oyster in the Storm
By PAUL GREENBERG
NY Times Published: October 29, 2012

15. Salt marshes
Salt Ponds
Tidal Flats
Shellfish Beds
Human Alterations Loss of Habitat
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Direct filling of habitat leads to
habitat loss and function, lack
of migration potential.
Transportation crossings (bridges,
culverts, roads & paths) impound or
restrict tidal flow. Altered hydrology
reduces flood storage capacity, alters
sediment transport.
Tide-gates control flow to tidal
marshes / salt ponds. Lack of
proper operation reduces flood
storage capacity upstream.

16. Salt marshes
Salt Ponds
Tidal Flats
Shellfish Beds
Human Alterations Loss of Habitat
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
• Non-point source pollution
including fertilizers, run-off from
impervious surfaces lead to habitat
degradation and loss of function.
Marsh collapse.
• Coastal development at the
mouth of estuarine systems
prevents migration of primary
tidal channels, increased risk of
mouth closure.
• Ditching
Deegan et al. 2012
Trnerr.org

17. Coastal Freshwater
Streams, Ponds and
Wetlands (BVW)
Pollution Control:
• Freshwater wetlands are highly productive
systems; vegetation takes up nutrients,
pollutants, sinks for carbon.
• Stabilized sediment is prevented from
carrying pollutants / affecting water quality
downstream.
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:

• Reduce danger of
damaging floods by
preventing rapid runoff
of water / slow
floodwaters to reduce
damage.
• Storage / holding basins
for floodwaters.
• Vegetation stabilizes
sediment and creates
friction / absorbs energy
from floods and wave
action, reducing erosion.
Restored Freshwater Marsh, Fairhaven, MA / NOAA

18. Human Alterations Loss of Habitat
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
• Filling of wetlands decreases / removes
flood storage capacity.
• Non-point source pollution including
fertilizers, run-off from impervious
surfaces / point-source pollution lead to
habitat degradation and loss of function.
• Channelized and impervious surfaces
reduce infiltration, increase runoff and
accelerate movement of floodwaters
L.A., Hieu Nguyen
Alewife Brook, MA, Magicpiano
www.buzzardsbay.org

19. • Transportation crossings
(bridges, culverts, roads &
paths) impound or restrict
stream flow. Altered
hydrology reduces flood
storage capacity, alters
sediment transport.

20. • More than 3000 dams in MA
• 43 are flood control dams
• 44 licensed hydropower dams
• 164 water supply dams
• Federal, state, NGO, municipal owners
…and what about Dams?

21. DAM!

22. DAM!
HOT!
HOT
DIGGETY
DAM!

•  Block fish passage
•  Warm temperatures
•  Trap sediment and nutrients
•  Degrade water quality

23. Uplands
(Buffer Zones)
Pollution Control:
• Vegetation uptake of
nutrients and pollutants.
• Stabilized sediment is
prevented from carrying
pollutants / affecting water
quality downstream.
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:

• Healthy upland natural
communities soak up
precipitation and allow it to
slowly drain into streams and
rivers while moderating
stream flows and limiting
erosion.

• Natural rates of erosion
supply sediment to maintain
habitats (wetlands, beaches
etc.) downstream.

• Undeveloped upland
provides space for wetland
migration (Long-term).

Smith, J.A.M. 2013
Bartlett Dam Removal, Alex Hackman

24. Uplands
(Buffer Zones)
Human Alterations Loss of Habitat
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Primary alteration to upland habitat is development.
Uplands are least-protected habitat (lacking in
regulations as compared to wetlands etc.).

• Increased impervious
surface exacerbates
flooding from runoff and
contributes toward non-
point source pollution.
• Hardened structures (buildings, paving,
etc.) interrupt flow, increase flooding, and
alter natural patterns of sediment transport
that sustain habitats downstream.
Fall River, MA, Herald News
Left, Photograph by Mark Holtzman; right, By George Riethof .

25. DER)Projects)
! Over 1,000 acres of coastal
wetlands restored
! Over 200 miles of stream
continuity restored
! 73 active projects
! Over 75 restoration projects
completed
! Over 30 dam removal
projects in design and
permitting
! 5 active urban river
revitalization projects
! Assisting on largest salt
marsh restoration project on
eastern seaboard (1,110
acres- Herring River,
Wellfleet)

26. Briggsville Dam, Clarksburg, September 2008
Photo by B. Lambert
15 feet

27. June 2011

28. Newman Road, Newbury

29. Worlds End, Hingham
2009 2010

30. Ballou Dam, Yokum Brook, Becket
2006

31. September, 2011

32. Jones River, Kingston, MA

34. Summary
• Human alterations to the coastal
landscape have significantly affected
the pollution control, flood control, and
storm damage prevention functions of
these natural systems.

• Look at restoration opportunities to
address loss of these functions.
• Look ahead at how Global Climate
Change / SLR will change these
systems and incorporate in future
plans / designs.
Wetlands to provide a storm surge buffer for New York City. Image from
Architecture Research Office