CCMP UPDATES & PDE GOALS STAC/EIC Meeting– Sept. 5 th, 2013

Ground Rules  Agenda Time: 1.5 Hour  No comments until after the presentation!  Schedule a Call with Priscilla

Origins: Delaware Estuary Program  Delaware Estuary was nominated by the three state governors for inclusion into the National Estuary Program PA, DE, NJ  Delaware Estuary joined the National Estuary Program  Original Partners: EPA, DRBC, NJ, PA, DE, NOAA, USACE  Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP)

Management Division DELEP Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) Oversee Management Plan (CCMP) Coordinate dozens of partners (Agency, NGO, Academic, Corporate) Science Policy Restoration Education Fundraising DRBC Water Quantity & Quality Monitoring State of the Estuary Advisory Committees States Various: Restore habitat, Monitoring, Land management, etc. Reorganization in 2005

Where is the Management Plan Now?  PDE annually reports CCMP implementation to EPA  State of the Estuary Reports: 1996, 2002, 2008, 2012  CCMP Updates (est )  EPA Requirement – Measurable Goals for the Delaware Estuary

Updating the CCMP Category Action Ref. StatusCCMP OriginalUpdate ClimateH7 Needs updating Protect Littoral Habitats from Sea Level Rise Threats Refresh language to reflect current climate program & partner efforts Badge & Mascot E21, E22 Not relevant Create Estuary Environmental Badge & Mascot Delete CCMP Actions WetlandsH4 Needs updating Coordinate/Enhance Wetlands Management New wetland monitoring programs & restoration  STAC/EIC feedback from 2012 workshop  Website to contain updates  Roll out – Winter 2013

PDE Measurable Goals Healthy Waters 1. Brownfields, Public Access, Ecotourism, Urban Forests, Public Participation, Estuary Engagement Healthy Communities 1. Wetlands, Forests, Riparian Buffers, Fish & Shellfish Healthy Habitats Toxics, Nutrients, Dissolved Oxygen, Flow, Salinity

Progress Update YearDateActivity 2013Oct. 3Steering Committee 2013Aug 22- Sept 26 STAC/EIC – Final Review Period 2013Sept. 5STAC/EIC Meeting 2013June 6Toxics Advisory Committee Meeting 2013Feb-JulySTAC Committees/Webinars/Interviews 2013Jan. 28Delaware Estuary Science & Environmental Summit - Polling 2012Oct. 11Steering Committee (13 Goals Accepted) 2012Oct. 1-2STAC/EIC Workshop 2012June- Sept STAC Committees

Goals: Healthy Habitats Wetlands, Forests, Riparian Buffers, Fish & Shellfish

Goals: Healthy Habitats Healthy Habitats = Measure – short termMeasure – long term Responsible Agencies: Assumptions/ Needs Functioning wetlands  Get a robust tidal wetland monitoring program with a regional body for coordination and consistency of tracking wetland health in place by 2020  Develop estuary-wide baseline for tidal wetland health by 2020 and goals to sustain tidal wetland health by  Identify and implement tactics to maintain high value tidal wetlands and limit acreage loss to 5% of 2006 acreage by 2025  Take aggressive action to limit net acreage loss of tidal wetlands to 15% of 2006 acres by 2040  Tidal wetland health TBD in 2022 based on short term actions  No net loss of non-tidal wetlands PDE, EPA, States, USFWS, NOAA - Sustain MACWA to track wetland acreage and health - Establish wetland regional body - Develop estuary-wide baseline for health by 2020 Contiguous/ connected forests  Stem forest loss to less than 1% per year by 2025  Develop metrics and tracking system for loss of buffers and connectedness by 2017  TBD in/after 2025 based on short term actions States, USFW, USFWS, DRBC, EPA, TNC, NFS, USFS Field station, DVRPC Work with partners and existing tools to track forests Healthy fish and shellfish habitat  Secure dedicated funding of $1million or more per year for oyster shell planting by 2015  By 2017 define, map and inventory and by 2030 protect the following critical species habitat: o Mussel habitat (fresh and marsh) o Vegetated nursery habitat for fish & crabs, particularly in shallow intertidal areas o Beach habitat for horseshoe crabs o Critical bottom habitat for sturgeon (and other fish)  Facilitate 1-2 fish passage projects per year  Maintain or increase oyster beds at 2012 acreage with 25% increase in productivity by 2030  Increase freshwater mussel abundance and habitat by year and amount TBD based short term results  Achieve goals established in recovery plans for Atlantic and short-nosed sturgeon to improve habitat PDE, States, EPA, USFWS, NOAA, USCG, USACE, DRBC, ASMFC - EPA cannot participate in solicitation of funding - Subject to completion of MOU with NJ Heritage Program to id/map mussel habitat - Collaborate with partners in the areas of sturgeon recovery, fish passage, and oyster recovery

Goals: Healthy Communities Brownfields, Public Access, Ecotourism, Urban Forests, Public Participation, Estuary Engagement

Goals: Healthy Communities Healthy Communities = Measure – short termMeasure – long term Responsible Agencies: Assumptions/Needs: Growth That Helps People and Living Resources  Assess and inventory urban waterfront brownfields (UWB) and public access opportunities by 2015  Prioritize and increase urban waterfront brownfield projects by 2017  Reclaim 50% of waterfront brownfields to include public access and living shorelines/wetlands by 2050 States, EPA, NOAA, DRBC, PWD, counties & municipalities, PDE - UWB = brownfields with frontage on tidal waters - Standardize use of term “brownfield” to align with EPA’s definition - Connect with existing brownfield partners to inventory, prioritize, and increase brownfield projects Restored/Protecte d Living Resources*  Establish goals and measures to reconnect the public to natural resources through ecotourism, urban forests, and protected lands with public access by 2015  Sustain or enhance existing public access points in bay- front communities, and increase access points (relative to 2012) in underserved urban areas to reconnect communities to the water States, USFS, EPA, PWD, DRBC, USFW, counties & municipalities, PDE, UWFP Connect with other organizations and partnerships working on similar goals Public Understand- ing and Participation  PDE marketing & communications plan completed by 2015  Begin implementing marketing/branding campaign by 2018 with means to measure results  TBD between 2015 and 2018 based on PDE marketing and communications plan PDE, States, EPA, USFWS,NPS - Coordinate with partners to connect with other regional marketing and communication plans - Contract with marketing professions - Include assessing feasibility of using public polling to determine increase in affinity for Delaware River and Bay and its major tributaries in planning

Goals: Healthy Waters Toxics, Nutrients, Dissolved Oxygen, Flow & Salinity

Healthy Waters =Measure – short-termMeasure – long-term Responsible Agencies: Assumptions/ Needs: Few or no toxic impacts  Assess the need for and establish biological endpoint criteria for contaminants of concern by 2020  Continue support for established monitoring programs, and achieve expansion of toxics monitoring with biological endpoints by 2025  Prioritize urban waterfront brownfield projects by 2015  Reduce PCB concentrations in fish tissue by 25% by 2050 (relative to 2013 levels) Notes – Establishing new biological endpoints by 2020 will help to guide long-term reduction goals. DRBC, States, EPA, NOAA, PDE -Inventory existing toxics monitoring programs by Conduct gap analysis of monitoring programs, funding needs -Identify relevant biological endpoints (eggs, blood, tissue, drinking water, etc.) by Total load reduction of PCBs by ~25% by 2025 Few or no nutrient impacts  Assess nutrient impacts on estuarine resources (e.g. wetlands and shellfish); establish criteria by 2015 and targets based on that assessment by 2020  Implement appropriate DO standards in Zone 2-6 for fish and other key aquatic species, with interim standards for existing use by 2015 and standards for highest attainable use by  By 2030, estuarine resource endpoints show improvement from targeted nutrient reductions.  Achieve highest attainable use for DO by 2030 DRBC, States, EPA, counties & municipalities, PDE Following EPA’s release of ammonia criteria, further assessment into other nutrient impacts Research nutrient impacts on shellfish (e.g. sediment ammonia and freshwater mussel erosion) Research nutrient impacts on wetlands by 2020 Flow to support drinking water and ecology  Utilize model-derived benchmarks for flow management as they become available  Establish and incorporate low flow/salinity benchmarks for natural balance and ecological highest attainable use in flow management by 2017  By 2025 achieve and maintain flow at benchmarks for drinking water and ecological highest attainable use in the face of changing watershed conditions, including climate change. DRBC, States, PWD, ACOE, NYC, water purveyors (WRADRB). PDE Biological inputs needed for flow model Goals: Healthy Waters

Goals: Comments Received  Request to add The Nature Conservancy as a partner for two goals: Restored/Protected Living Resources and Public Understanding and Participation  Request to remove climate change language from the Healthy Waters goals.  Concerns raised about the “criteria setting” language in the Healthy Waters goals, especially with “establishing biological endpoint criteria by 2020” (Healthy Waters Row # 1) and “nutrient criteria by 2015” (Healthy Waters Row # 2); Request to consider replacing with language establishing metrics upon which eventual criteria would be based in the future.