The Tidal Delaware River
The Tidal Delaware River Urban Waterfront Case Study A Strategy for Enhancing Restoration, Recreation and Commerce Partnership For Delaware Estuary Science Conference February 1, 2011
Ecological Restoration - Urban Delaware River Estuary Connections to Greenways, Trails, and Riverfront Development Revitalization
Tidal Delaware Water trail
River recreation Green streets
Bulkhead
Ri Rap Rip R
Vision for a
st 21
Century River
•Enhanced natural function •Opportunities provided for recreation •Improved Improved economic development
Planning Initiatives North N th D Delaware l G Greenway Master Plan Central Delaware Master Plan Bucks County Waterfront Revitalization Plan
Bridesburg Park
Lardner’s Point Park
Pennypack on the Delaware Park
North Delaware Parks and Open Space
Pleasant Hill Park
North Delaware Neighborhood Connector Streets • • • • •
Bike lanes Pedestrian access L d Landscaping i ((street t t ttrees, planters, l t etc) t ) Signage Stormwater management pilot projects
North Delaware Residential Developments p • • • •
Westrum – Philly Coke site Fi t Philadelphia First Phil d l hi – Dodge D d St Steell site it Transactionable Property Solutions – Army Warehouse site p y Solutions – Northern Shipping pp g site Transactionable Property
Former Philly Coke site
Former Dodge Steel site
Former Tacony Army Warehouse site
Former Northern Shipping site
Ecological Restoration From T il tto Ri Trail River
Water Trails
Stewardship
Ecological Restoration Urban Waterfront Case Study Delaware Estuary Regional Restoration Initiative
Habitat Restoration Types • Upland U l d and d river i b bank k – Planting – Regrade and plant
• Off channel h l aquatic ti – Wetlands in upland matrix – Backchannels, floodplains and d wetlands tl d
•
Intertidal shoreline – Enhance/create wetlands (fringe) – Soften, S ft regrade, d or excavate bank – Marsh sill or breakwater
• Subtidal – Enhance structure and diversity
Upland and river bank: forests and meadows
slippery elm
Sycamore
High marsh plants
Red Maple
Black Willow
Wild rice
White te Oa Oak
cattails
Arrow arum
Photos from: Ce te for Center o Coastal Coasta Resources esou ces Management a age e t (ccrm.vims.edu/livingshorelines/photo_ga llery.html), Virginia Institute of Marine Science. USDA: http://plants.usda.gov
spatterdock Low marsh plants
Pickerel weed
Pennypack yp Park on the Delaware
Pleasant Hill Park
Excavate back channel wetland
Back-channel aquatic habitats
Shoreline and Bank Protection Options
Washington Green (Formerly Pier 53)
Pier 53 to Pier 78 Fish Survey Diverse fish community • 20 different species • Resident and migratory fish Habitat for migratory species “of concern” • Blueback herring • Alewife • American shad • Atlantic Menhaden Pier area used by migratory species as: • Areas of refuge (predator avoidance) • Foraging g g (food ( acquisition) q ) • Reproduction (spawning habitat) Philadelphia Water Department Survey 2009
Juvenile River Herring
PA Fish and Boat Launches
Lardner’s L d ’ Point Park
Pennypack Park
Pleasantt Pl Hill Park
Glen Foerd
Betsy Ross Bridge
Philadelphia North Delaware River Greenway Ecological Assessment and Prioritization Report November 2009 Urban waterfront with mixture of active commercial-industrial operations, p , vacant brown fields, public parks and access points, highway (I-95), and close-by neighborhoods
Basic Restoration Scoring Factors • Habitat H bit t S Scoring i F Factors t – – – –
Width of riparian and intertidal areas (60’) Excavation required (to achieve 5 to 1 slope) Protection from wakes/currents (exposed, moderate, protected) Living versus hardened shoreline (% armoring)
• Site S Wide Factors – Interest of landowner (low, medium, high) – Environmental (high (high, moderate moderate, background) – Stewardship (little resources, private with O/M staff, public with staff/friends)
• Recreational R ti lF Factors t – Public access – Types of uses (walk by, passive park, high active/passive uses)
Roxann: bottom substrate and depth
Chirp: sub subbottom to detect substrate change
Examples of higher priority sites; 34 parcels l along l reach h ranked k d
6975 and 7001 Wissinoming
Pleasant Hill Park
Dodge Steel Pennypack Park PA F&BC
Saint Vincent’s Lardner’s Point and vicinity K&T Trail T il N off Frankford F kf d Launch L h Bridesburg
Value Added Restoration Matrix Ecosystem Services: benefits people obtain from ecosystems
• Human health and well being (h l h recreation, (health, i trails, il fifishing, hi bi birding) di ) • Water quality (stormwater pollutant-sediment removal) (stormwater, • Living shoreline stabilization ((reduce erosion,, riverbank/wetland buffers)) • Carbon Sequestration (forests, meadows, wetlands) • Flood mitigation (increase storage, lower flood risks) • Living resources and their habitat (productivity, diversity, sensitive species) Determine D t i economic i ($) and/or d/ bi biophysical h i l service i values l and/or develop relative scoring factors
Recent Ecosystem Service Reports • E Econsult lt (2010), (2010) The Th P Potential t ti l E Economic i E Environmental, i t l Health, and Quality of Life Benefits of a Fully Connected Waterfront Greenwayy in Philadelphia, p , Final Report p Submitted To Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), September 21, 2010. • GreenSpace Alliance 2010, The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania produced for the GreenSpace Alliance and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission by the Economy L League off G Greater t Philadelphia, Phil d l hi E Econsult lt C Corporation, ti and d the Keystone Conservation Trust, November 16, 2010.
PWD 2007-08 2007 08 Wetland Survey • ~ 30 30-40 40 enhancement or creation projects • 60-100 acres total • Survey from Darby to Poquessing Creek
Areas of potential wetland creation or enhancement from Walt Whitman to B j i F Benjamin Franklin kli b bridges id
Central Delaware Master Plan
Increasing existing tree cover from ~3% 3% to 30% or more (GW) Increasing park land and developing river trail Establishing riparian continuity from extending from mud flat to low marsh succulents to high marsh diverse vegetation to healthy uplands
Queuing up Projects: 1. Topographic, Bathymetric & Biological Benchmark Survey 2. Environmental Site Assessment (Phase 1) 3 Geophysical/Geotechnical Surveys 3. 4. Preliminary Engineering Assessment of existing piers and proposed breakwaters 5. Preliminary Design 6 Cost 6. C t Estimate E ti t and d Mitigation Miti ti A Analysis l i
Next Steps for North Delaware Ecological Restoration • Support S t Lardner’s L d ’ P Point i tP Park kC Construction t ti (DRCC) • Bridesburg Preliminary Design: – funding strategy for final design and construction
• Queue up other projects: – Interface with East Coast Greenwayy trail development p – Consider restoration prioritization scores – Data collection and conceptual designs (next slide)
• Funding F di St Strategy: t – – – –
Value of available credits/coordinate with mitigation interests Federal appropriations pp p ((e.g. g ACOE Programs) g ) Grants NRDA
Questions
Ecological Restoration - Urban Delaware River Estuary Connections to Greenways, Trails, and Riverfront Development Revitalization
Tidal Delaware Water trail
River recreation Green streets
Bulkhead
Ri Rap Rip R
Vision for a
st 21
Century River
•Enhanced natural function •Opportunities provided for recreation •Improved Improved economic development
Planning Initiatives North N th D Delaware l G Greenway Master Plan Central Delaware Master Plan Bucks County Waterfront Revitalization Plan
Bridesburg Park
Lardner’s Point Park
Pennypack on the Delaware Park
North Delaware Parks and Open Space
Pleasant Hill Park
North Delaware Neighborhood Connector Streets • • • • •
Bike lanes Pedestrian access L d Landscaping i ((street t t ttrees, planters, l t etc) t ) Signage Stormwater management pilot projects
North Delaware Residential Developments p • • • •
Westrum – Philly Coke site Fi t Philadelphia First Phil d l hi – Dodge D d St Steell site it Transactionable Property Solutions – Army Warehouse site p y Solutions – Northern Shipping pp g site Transactionable Property
Former Philly Coke site
Former Dodge Steel site
Former Tacony Army Warehouse site
Former Northern Shipping site
Ecological Restoration From T il tto Ri Trail River
Water Trails
Stewardship
Ecological Restoration Urban Waterfront Case Study Delaware Estuary Regional Restoration Initiative
Habitat Restoration Types • Upland U l d and d river i b bank k – Planting – Regrade and plant
• Off channel h l aquatic ti – Wetlands in upland matrix – Backchannels, floodplains and d wetlands tl d
•
Intertidal shoreline – Enhance/create wetlands (fringe) – Soften, S ft regrade, d or excavate bank – Marsh sill or breakwater
• Subtidal – Enhance structure and diversity
Upland and river bank: forests and meadows
slippery elm
Sycamore
High marsh plants
Red Maple
Black Willow
Wild rice
White te Oa Oak
cattails
Arrow arum
Photos from: Ce te for Center o Coastal Coasta Resources esou ces Management a age e t (ccrm.vims.edu/livingshorelines/photo_ga llery.html), Virginia Institute of Marine Science. USDA: http://plants.usda.gov
spatterdock Low marsh plants
Pickerel weed
Pennypack yp Park on the Delaware
Pleasant Hill Park
Excavate back channel wetland
Back-channel aquatic habitats
Shoreline and Bank Protection Options
Washington Green (Formerly Pier 53)
Pier 53 to Pier 78 Fish Survey Diverse fish community • 20 different species • Resident and migratory fish Habitat for migratory species “of concern” • Blueback herring • Alewife • American shad • Atlantic Menhaden Pier area used by migratory species as: • Areas of refuge (predator avoidance) • Foraging g g (food ( acquisition) q ) • Reproduction (spawning habitat) Philadelphia Water Department Survey 2009
Juvenile River Herring
PA Fish and Boat Launches
Lardner’s L d ’ Point Park
Pennypack Park
Pleasantt Pl Hill Park
Glen Foerd
Betsy Ross Bridge
Philadelphia North Delaware River Greenway Ecological Assessment and Prioritization Report November 2009 Urban waterfront with mixture of active commercial-industrial operations, p , vacant brown fields, public parks and access points, highway (I-95), and close-by neighborhoods
Basic Restoration Scoring Factors • Habitat H bit t S Scoring i F Factors t – – – –
Width of riparian and intertidal areas (60’) Excavation required (to achieve 5 to 1 slope) Protection from wakes/currents (exposed, moderate, protected) Living versus hardened shoreline (% armoring)
• Site S Wide Factors – Interest of landowner (low, medium, high) – Environmental (high (high, moderate moderate, background) – Stewardship (little resources, private with O/M staff, public with staff/friends)
• Recreational R ti lF Factors t – Public access – Types of uses (walk by, passive park, high active/passive uses)
Roxann: bottom substrate and depth
Chirp: sub subbottom to detect substrate change
Examples of higher priority sites; 34 parcels l along l reach h ranked k d
6975 and 7001 Wissinoming
Pleasant Hill Park
Dodge Steel Pennypack Park PA F&BC
Saint Vincent’s Lardner’s Point and vicinity K&T Trail T il N off Frankford F kf d Launch L h Bridesburg
Value Added Restoration Matrix Ecosystem Services: benefits people obtain from ecosystems
• Human health and well being (h l h recreation, (health, i trails, il fifishing, hi bi birding) di ) • Water quality (stormwater pollutant-sediment removal) (stormwater, • Living shoreline stabilization ((reduce erosion,, riverbank/wetland buffers)) • Carbon Sequestration (forests, meadows, wetlands) • Flood mitigation (increase storage, lower flood risks) • Living resources and their habitat (productivity, diversity, sensitive species) Determine D t i economic i ($) and/or d/ bi biophysical h i l service i values l and/or develop relative scoring factors
Recent Ecosystem Service Reports • E Econsult lt (2010), (2010) The Th P Potential t ti l E Economic i E Environmental, i t l Health, and Quality of Life Benefits of a Fully Connected Waterfront Greenwayy in Philadelphia, p , Final Report p Submitted To Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), September 21, 2010. • GreenSpace Alliance 2010, The Economic Value of Protected Open Space in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania produced for the GreenSpace Alliance and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission by the Economy L League off G Greater t Philadelphia, Phil d l hi E Econsult lt C Corporation, ti and d the Keystone Conservation Trust, November 16, 2010.
PWD 2007-08 2007 08 Wetland Survey • ~ 30 30-40 40 enhancement or creation projects • 60-100 acres total • Survey from Darby to Poquessing Creek
Areas of potential wetland creation or enhancement from Walt Whitman to B j i F Benjamin Franklin kli b bridges id
Central Delaware Master Plan
Increasing existing tree cover from ~3% 3% to 30% or more (GW) Increasing park land and developing river trail Establishing riparian continuity from extending from mud flat to low marsh succulents to high marsh diverse vegetation to healthy uplands
Queuing up Projects: 1. Topographic, Bathymetric & Biological Benchmark Survey 2. Environmental Site Assessment (Phase 1) 3 Geophysical/Geotechnical Surveys 3. 4. Preliminary Engineering Assessment of existing piers and proposed breakwaters 5. Preliminary Design 6 Cost 6. C t Estimate E ti t and d Mitigation Miti ti A Analysis l i
Next Steps for North Delaware Ecological Restoration • Support S t Lardner’s L d ’ P Point i tP Park kC Construction t ti (DRCC) • Bridesburg Preliminary Design: – funding strategy for final design and construction
• Queue up other projects: – Interface with East Coast Greenwayy trail development p – Consider restoration prioritization scores – Data collection and conceptual designs (next slide)
• Funding F di St Strategy: t – – – –
Value of available credits/coordinate with mitigation interests Federal appropriations pp p ((e.g. g ACOE Programs) g ) Grants NRDA
Questions
