Economic Study for Watts Branch Stream Restoration N. E Economic Study for Watts Branch Stream Restoration N.E. District of Columbia Mark A. Secrist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive Annapolis, Maryland 21401 www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay New Pic

Project Background 2001 USFWS Coastal Program and DC Department of Health entered into agreement to implement stream and riparian habitat restoration project First Tasks Watershed assessment of Watts Branch, Hickey Run, and Oxon Run Selected Watts Branch as first restoration project Implementation started December 2010 and completed in May 2012

Project Description Located in NE Washington D.C. 1.8 miles of stream and riparian restoration 3.3 square mile drainage area Poor in-stream habitat 1,500 tons of bank and bed erosion annually Located on DC parkland

Project Partners D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) National Park Service Environmental Protection Agency National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Washington Water and Sewer Authority (WASA)

Project Design A natural channel design methodology Watershed based assessment and design A natural channel design methodology Improve bedform diversity thru in-stream structures Floodplain connection and creation Reduce lateral erosion with bioengineering Increase riparian buffer width with native grasses, trees, and shrubs Invasive species removal Floodplain creation on right bank Instream structures in photos – they increase riffle and pool habitat - decrease stress on banks and reduce erosive forces Since photo, native plants have been planted on floodplain and adjacent slope

Project Photos

Project Benefits Improved bed form diversity from 90% riffle run to 60% riffle and 40% pool Significant reduction of bed and bank erosion Increased floodplain storage Reestablished riparian corridor Improved water quality – sediment reduction, DO, temperature reductions Improved habitat for American eel, alewife, and American shad

Economic Study Watts Branch Stream Restoration is one project in set of cases in 2011 Economic Impacts of the Department of the Interior’s Programs and Activities Report. Restoring a Stream, Restoring a Community-Urban watershed restoration fosters community improvement by Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Elizabeth Myrick USGS Fort Collins Science Center

Economic Study Background & Methods Three measures of economic impacts (2011 dollars): Employment - Includes full time, part time, and temporary jobs Labor income - Employee wages and salaries, payroll benefits and income of sole proprietors Value added – Contribution that the expenditures make to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Geographic Limits “Local” Area included in study Reasonable Commuting Distance – 60 miles Counties that were less than 60 miles from project site

Economic Study Results Construction took approximately 18 months to complete Due to urban nature of project, much of the money was spent in the “local economy” Direct Impacts Created 26 jobs $1.5 million in local labor income (salary, wages, and benefits) $1.5 million in local value added (contributions of expenditures to GDP) Indirect Impacts Supported an additional 19 jobs $1.1 million in labor income $1.9 million value added Total Impacts Restoration supported 45 jobs $2.6 million in local labor income $3.4 million in value added

Additional Benefits DC Parks and People – Green Corps Training A total of 173 people in 12 cohorts have now completed the full adult job training and readiness program, and thousands of youth have now connected with the youth component of the Corps They are working in urban forestry, landscaping, park revitalization, urban agriculture, green infrastructure, and a wide range of other trades. Photo Credit – DC Parks and People

Additional Benefits Sanitary sewer upgrades Increased aesthetic values Improved recreational areas Improved water quality The Economic Value of the Riparian Buffers in the Delaware River Basin - August 2018 Estimated value $10,000 per acre Watts Branch Project Created approximately 12 acres

Thanks! Conclusions Economics of restoration projects maybe complex Economic value of project can be much more than the actual construction costs Benefits are long term Thanks!

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive Annapolis, Maryland 21401 www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay Mark A. Secrist mark_secrist@fws.gov