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2007-04-03 .. .. DUTCHESS COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT 2715 Route 44, Suite 3 Millbrook, NY 12545 Phone (845) 677-8011 ext. 3 Fax (845) 677-8354 April 3, 2007 Dear Municipal Clerks, Please disseminate a copy of the attached letter and brochure to members of all Boards including the Planning and Zoning Boards as well as the Conservation Advisory Council. Thank you for assisting us with this educational campaign. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER .. . WAPPINGER CREEK WATERSHED INTERMUNICIPAL COUNCIL (WIC) C/o CCEOC ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM 2715 ROUTE 44 MILLBROOK. NEW YORK 12514 To: Members of the Planning and Zoning Boards and Conservation Advisory Councils of Municipalities within the Wappinger Creek Watershed From: Eileen C. Sassmann, WIC Chair and Bruce Donegan, WIC Vice Chair ~C'.~ ~~~ Re: Protecting our Water Supply Date: April 2007 Dear Municipal Officials of the Wappinger Creek Watershed, The Wappinger Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council (WIC) is a group of municipal officials and volunteers from thirteen (13) municipalities in Dutchess County who are working together to protect the environment of the Wappinger Creek Watershed. This includes the Wappinger Creek, its tributaries, wetlands, ponds and lakes, and the land in-between these waterbodies. The Wappinger Creek Watershed extends from the Towns of Milan and Pine Plains in northern Dutchess County, to the Towns of Wappinger and Fishkill in the south. Enclosed, please fmd a brochure that we believe will be useful to you as a municipal official involved in shaping the future of the Wappinger Creek Watershed. The brochure was developed by the Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation District (DCSWCD) and Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County's (CCEDC's) Environment Program, and discusses the results of a groundwater recharge and stream baseflow assessment recently conducted for the WIC by the Chazen Companies (Wappinger Creek Watershed Groundwater Re.-harge and Stream BaseJlow Assessment, March 2006). This assessment shows that only 25% (10 of 40-inches on average) of the total rain that falls within the Wappinger Creek Watershed each year actually enters the groundwater aquifers of the watershed and becomes available for use by humans for drinking, cooking, bathing, irrigation, etc. Since all residents of the watershed rely on the same limited water supply, it is imperative that municipal officials consider the importance of protecting these water resources during the planning and approval process for any development project, comprehensive plan, and/or build out analysis. Any increase of impervious area (e.g., pavement, rooftops, etc.) could further decrease the amount of water that is available to recharge groundwater supplies. A central goal of all municipal Departments and Boards should be to ensure that there is an adequate supply of clean drinking water for all current and future residents of the municipality. If you would like more information on working with the WIC or would like to attend educational forums on watershed issues, please contact CCEDC's Environment Program at 845-677-8223 x 136. For any technical questions or concerns, feel free to contact the DCSWCD at 845-677-8011 x 3. We also welcome your municipality's participation at the next WIC meeting on April 13th, 8AM, at the Farm and Home Center (Route 44, Millbrook, New York). We hope you will find this brochure useful and will work with us to protect our watershed! WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THE TYPE OF SOIL MAKE? Most areas in the Wappinger Creek Watershed contain relatively fine- grained soils called silt loamsthat have little pore space between particles for water to filter through. Water moves through these soils very slowly (it takes a long time for puddles to drain into the ground). As a result, most of the rainfall in these areas runs off directly to a waterbody. As a result, less water is available to replenish, or recharge, the groundwater supply, and it takes a longer time to get there. Some areas have more porous sandy soil. In these areas rainwater easily soaks into the ground and puddles rarely form. Most rainwater soaks into the ground to recharge the aquifer and very little runs off the surface. In developed areas with both wells and septic systems, the more porous a soil is, the higher the density of development it can support. Proper planning is necessary, however, to avoid contamination of drinking water wells, since these are also the areas where pollution of the aquifer is the greatest risk. A key aspect of planning is knowing the amount of dilution of septic waste that local groundwater and soil type can support. WaDDinaer Creek Watershed: Hydrologic Soil Groups ~PO!l< UnIon VIlo Hvdroloaic Soil GrOUDS C and GO Eo _ 0 On the map above, the green areas are fine- grained soils with slow rates of rainwater infiltration known as Hydrologic Soil Group C and 0 soils. Brown and pink areas contain soils with larger particles and pore spaces (A and 8 soilS) through which water drains more rapidly back into groundwater. Adapted from WaDDinger Creek Watershed Groundwater Recharae and Stream Baseflow Assessment The Chazen Companies, March 2006. SO... DO WE HA VE ENOUGH CLEAN WA TEm There is evidence of increasing frequency of both droughts and floods on the Wappinger Creek. Part of this is due to more water use and part is due to more impervious surfaces (from both residential and commercial development). While there is definitely cause for concern, this does not mean we are "running out of water" just yet. Fortunately, there are steps we can all take to help ensure an adequate supply of clean water. Wise plannir'\g of development is one of the keys to making sure our water resources remain intact. Also, as citizens, we can each do our part. Careful use and conservation of water is a simple way to reduce the stress on our aquifer and help ensure we will always have an adequate supply. Here are some suggestions: . Fix leaky toilets and faucets. Leaky toilets can waste 200 gallons of water per day! . Take a shower instead of a bath-it uses less than half the water. 00 . If you have a pool or spa, keep it covered when not in use to limit evaporation. . Wash your car on the lawn-this lets the water filter back into the soil and recharge groundwater. If you wash your car on pavement the soapy and contaminated water may end up in a nearby stream. . Recycle paper. It takes 120 gallons of water to produce one Sunday newspaper. . Water gardens and lawns in the early morning instead of midday-this reduces water loss to evaporation so that you don't need to use as much water. . Capture roof runoff using a rain barrel equipped with a spigot for a hose. This water can be used to water the lawn or help fill a pool or spa. Th~poo~aoonw~pre~redw~ funding provided by the New York State Department of State to the Village of Wappingers Falls under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Act. Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District Cornell Cooperative Extension Wappinger Creek Watershed Intermunicipal Council WHAT DOES LAND USE HAVE TO DO WITH WATER SUPPLY? Surface waters in a watershed are connected to waters underground in the groundwater supply, or aquifer, used as a source of drinking water by many Dutchess County residents. Under undeveloped conditions, rain water and snowmelt filter into the soil. Some of this water follows shallow clay or rock layers and reaches streams and ponds quite quickly, never getting deep enough to enter aquifers. A larger portion of this water migrates through deeper pores and rock fractures, and only later reaches streams. This share of groundwater is called aquifer recharge and is important for well water supplies, dilution of septic system wastes, and support of stream flows. When pavement or rooftops (hard or "impervious" surfaces) are present, water cannot pass through to replenish the aquifer. Instead, it runs off these surfaces into a gutter or street drain, and to a stream or pond. Flooding may result because water running off hard surfaces arrives in streams rapidly and all at once, whereas in undeveloped areas water arrives in streams over many hours or days. Later, in dry weather or drought, little water is left in the soil to replenish streams. Stream waters may drop sharply or dry up entirely. Steps can be taken to reduce these problems in new developments. Often this is accomplished with a "retention pond" that temporarily stores rain water so that it is released to streams gradually rather than all at once. This approach helps to avoid flooding and allows for some aquifer recharge. Where the right type of soils are present and slopes are gentle, retention ponds may not be needed. Water from hard surfaces can be allowed to return directly to the groundwater supply by soaking into the ground (this is known as "infiltration). Once again, this approach decreases the risk of flooding and provides recharge. ABOUT 40 INCHES OF RAIN FALLS IN THE WAPPINGER CREEK WATERSHED DURING AN AVERAGE YEAR. WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT WATER? About 20 inches evaporate back into the atmosphere or are taken up by plants and transmitted back to the air through their leaves. About 6 inches run off the land surface directly into Wappinger Creek or one of its many tributary streams. From there, the water flows to the Hudson River. About 4 inches moves slowly underground a few feet below the surface toward Wappinger Creek. This water keeps streams flowing between rain events. Only 10 inches (on average) enter the groundwater aquifers of the Wappinger Creek Watershed and can be used for drinking, cooking, washing, bathing, irrigation, etc. Adapted from WaDDinoer Creek Watershed Groundwater Recharoe and Stream Baseflow Assessment The Chazen Companies, March 2006. The Wappinger Creek Watershed: Do we have enough clean water? FIRST OF ALL: WHAT IS A WATERSHED? A watershed is the area of land that drains to a given body of water. In other words, if rain falls on a hillside and flows downhill into the Wappinger Creek, that hillside is in the Wappinger Creek Watershed. The Wappinger Creek Watershed includes parts of 13 municipalities extending from Pine Plains to the Town of Wappinger, and covers about a quarter of Dutchess County. The movement of water in a watershed. Rainfall may run directly off the surface into a stream, flow a few feet below the surface to the stream, or move deep into local aquifers. Water in the air comes from ,I bodies of water and plants. ,