Watershed-based Plan To Restore the Hackensack Meadowlands: The Meadowlands Comprehensive Restoration Implementation Plan Terry Doss and Karen Appell The Louis Berger Group, Inc. Bill Shadel and Pete Weppler U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, N.Y. District

Introduction Purpose: develop solutions to ecosystem degradation in the Meadowlands at a watershed scale Mill Creek Wetland Enhancement Site

Key Project Participants The Public Non-Federal Sponsor New Jersey Meadowlands Commission Lead Federal Agency U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Cooperating Agencies U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service N.J. Department of Environmental Protection National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Study Authority Resolution of 15 April 1999: “Resolved by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the United States House of Representatives, That, the Secretary of the Army is requested to review the reports of the Chief of Engineers on the New York and New Jersey Channels…with a view to determining the feasibility of environmental restoration and protection relating to water resources and sediment quality within the New York and New Jersey Port District, including but not limited to creation, enhancement, and restoration of aquatic, wetland, and adjacent upland habitats.”

Project Status STEPSTARGET DATE Overall Hudson-Raritan Estuary (HRE) ReconnaissanceJanuary 2000 Project Management PlanApril 2003 Meadowlands Environmental Site Information Compilation (MESIC)May 2004 Public scoping meeting February 2005 Meadowlands Comprehensive Restoration Implementation Plan (MCRIP)Underway

Project Cooperation Agreement Study Process Request for Federal Assistance Study Problem and Report Preparation Project Management Plan Feasibility Study MCRIPEIS Implementation Operation and Maintenance Interim Project Cost Sharing Agreements (PCSAs) Separate Construction Projects Problem Identification Preconstruction Engineering and Design Federal Authority and Funding

Project Need Habitat Loss/Alteration Tidal Restrictions Channelization Fill Channel Siltation Dredging Sea Level Rise Marsh Accretion Marsh Subsidence Habitat Fragmentation Infrastructure/Shoreline Hardening Example of Tidal Restriction in the Meadowlands

Project Need (cont’d) Sediment and Water Pollution Toxic Contaminants in Water/Sediment Non-Point Source Pollution/Discharge Landfill Leachate Sewage Treatment Plant Outflows /Combined Sewer Outfalls (STP/CSO) Floatable Debris Invasive, Exotic, Nuisance Species Invasive Vegetation Monoculture Plant Associations Predator/Prey Imbalance Feral Animal Species Disease Vector Species Non-Sensitive Public Use Personal Water Craft Harrier Meadow Wetland Enhancement Site

Project Goals and Objectives Goal 1: Identify Historical Ecological Functions of the Meadowlands Goal 2: Identify Impairments to Ecological Functions of the Meadowlands Goal 3: Identify Physical Impairments to the Meadowlands Goal 4: Identify Quantifiable Restoration Performance Metrics Water Quality Wetland Acreage Sediment Quality Vegetative Diversity Wildlife Species Abundance and Diversity Public Access

Project Goals and Objectives (con’t.) Goal 5: Identify Conceptual Restoration Opportunities Goal 6: Conduct Site Characterization and Selection Goal 7: Evaluate Restoration Alternatives and Functions Restored Goal 8: Assess Cost/Benefit Goal 9: Select Restoration Opportunities Goal 10: Monitor and Measure Performance Mill Creek Wetland Enhancement Site

Potential Restoration Sites

Restoration Plan Components Restore Wetland Hydrology Remove Tidal Restrictions Restore Creek Morphology Remove Fill Dredge Contaminated Sediments On-site Contamination Attenuation Invasive Vegetative Species Control Plant Native Species Nuisance Wildlife Control Control Landfill Leachate Control Non-Point Source Runoff Control STP Discharge Quality Manage Motorized Watercraft

Evaluating Wetlands and Restoration Alternatives Habitat Evaluation Techniques HGM – Hydrogeomorphic Assessment (tidal fringe wetlands) IVA – Indicator Value Assessment (all wetland types) Best Professional Judgement Compare existing conditions at Reference Restoration Site and Potential Restoration Sites Selection based on: Meadowlands-wide goals Initial Critical Restoration Sites Anderson Creek Marsh Lyndhurst Riverside Marsh Meadowlark Marsh Metro Media Others? Riverbend Wetlands Preserve

Benefits: Meadowlands-wide and Site Specific Water Quality Wetlands Sediment Quality Wildlife Habitat Cultural Resources Air Quality Public Access Kearny Marsh

Anderson Creek Marsh Fragmented Contamination Impaired Hydrology Invasive Species Non-Point Source Runoff

Anderson Creek Marsh - Historical

Local sponsor support Enhance and improve hydrology Plant with native species Control any potential remobilization of buried contaminants Potential Restoration Alternatives

Conceptual Design for Anderson Creek Marsh