Category: News

Written by NutmegTrout21710Sep, 2013

Sample aquatic life in the Saugatuck

The Nature Conservancy is hosting its 10th annual macroinvertebrate sampling and training program to monitor the health of the Saugatuck River system, and you are invited to participate in one or both events.

The first part of the morning will be an indoor training on macroinvertebrates and the sampling method. Volunteers will then break into teams and drive out to a river site to take their samples. Staff will move from site to site to offer assistance in the identification of the different organisms.

The first Macroinvertebrate Training and Sampling Event begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Weston Public Library, 56 Norfield Road, Weston, continuing at sampling sites along the Saugatuck River.

The second event will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, in the Community Room at the Redding Community, 37 Lonetown Road), Redding (behind Redding Elementary School, then move to sampling sites along the Saugatuck River

All volunteers work in teams.

Work is usually completed by 9 a.m.

Registration is required by Tuesday, Oct. 1. To register or obtain more information, contact Cynthia Fowx, Saugatuck Forest Lands Office Administrator & Volunteer Coordinator, at The Nature Conservancy, Devil’s Den Preserve, P.O. Box 1162, 33 Pent Road, Weston, CT 06883. She can also be reached at theden@tnc.org, 203-226-4991 Ext. 116 (Phone) or 203-226-4807 (Fax).

All participants are required to register in advance.

New volunteers must submit a liability waiver and information short forms as part of the registratio; contact Fowx if you need these forms, which are also available at http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/connecticut/volunteer/index.htm.

The sampling program is part of the Connecticut DEEP’s Rapid Bioassessment in Wadeable Streams & Rivers by Volunteer Monitors (RBV) Program, which provides a way of determining the health of a river system by identifying organisms found in the stream bottom. Data is submitted to CT DEEP for use in water quality assessments. Information can be found at http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=325606&depNav_GID=1654 or in The Nature Conservancy’s flyer at http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/connecticut/volunteer/ct-river-sampling-event-2013.pdf.

Freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates are animals without backbones that are visible to the naked eye and dwell in the bottom of streams. The group includes crayfish, mollusks such as clams and snails, aquatic worms and immature forms of aquatic insects such as stonefly, dragonfly and mayfly nymphs. These organisms have varying tolerances for environmental conditions and therefore are excellent indicators of water quality.

At least two members of each sampling team should go into the water.  The water can be quite chilly, but doesn’t require that you go in above a wadeable height (somewhere between the tops of rain boots and your waist, usually).

Those who volunteer should take a bag lunch and a change of clothes. Dress for the weather and to go in the water (waders or water shoes and clothes you don’t mind getting wet).  Sunscreen and bug spray are also recommended. Some other things you might want to take include a ground cloth or cushion to sit on the ground and sort your samples, a towel in case you get wet and plastic zip-top bag(s) for phone or other items.

Bob Campbell stacks bags filled with Japanese Knotweed cut and removed from the banks of the Mill River along Congress Street. The nearly 20 bags stacked represent only a few hours work on the project.
Written by NutmegTrout21707Jul, 2013

Progress on many fronts in Mill River Knotweed removal

Bob Campbell stacks bags filled with Japanese Knotweed cut and removed from the banks of the Mill River along Congress Street. The nearly 20 bags stacked represent only a few hours work on the project.

One of our high-priority goals this year is to take steps to remove invasive Japanese Knotweed where it’s growing along the Mill River so indigenous plants will again line the banks and restore the natural balance of flora and fauna for a healthy stream. We’ve begun with the section flowing along Congress Street in Fairfield because of its concentration of this invasive. Here’s what we’ve done so far:

•    Cut down Knotweed in the biggest growths along the Fairfield side (between the river and Congress St.) from Route 59 downstream (west) to the Congress St. bridge over the river. We have significantly weakened all these growths so their rhizomes and shoots will be more susceptible to controlled herbicide spraying this Fall.

•    Intentionally left selected growths standing as control plots for the upcoming herbicide spraying. This will help us determine the extent cutting is needed going forward vs. spraying only, in our multi-year plan for eradication.

•    Won approval from all(!) eight Easton homeowners on the north bank to help them eradicate knotweed on their properties and cut down the major knotweed growths there. This paves the way for our future collaboration on additional key restoration steps such as improving in-stream structure and sinuosity.

•    Cut down knotweed on the Covenant Church Easton property, having won their support for our efforts.

•   Built/strengthened partnerships with the Fairfield Conservation Department and  Easton Conservation Commission to pursue Knotweed eradication (and other restoration steps) along the Mill.

•    Worked with these departments, the Aspetuck Land Trust and DEEP to determine the best multi-step approach to Knotweed eradication, involving biologically safe herbicide treatment this coming Fall.

•    Begun a plan for free other sections of the Mill from Knotweed incursion, and from other invasive species, building on the work Ross Ogden led for us with the ALT.

So we’ve done a lot with solid results so far, and with more to come! We hope you’ll drive along Congress Street to see how the Knotweed there is weakened and picture how this section of the Mill will look when native plants once again are the only species growing there!

Beneath the surface of the lower Mill River lies lead and other waste from the former Exide battery plant. The company has announced a plan to clean the river, but some neighbors and conservationists fear what the work could stir up. (Fairfield Sun/Shawn O'Sullivan)
Written by NutmegTrout21707Jul, 2013

Meetings on Exide plan come to Fairfield

Local discussions of a plan to remediate industrial wastes left behind by the former Exide battery plant next to the Mill River are scheduled to begin this week.

The draft plan calls for the lower Mill River to be dredged. The full plan can be downloaded from the Fairfield Conservation Department website, at http://www.fairfieldct.org/conscomiss.htm.

The Harbor Commission will review a draft Remediation Action Plan (SedRAP) Monday, July 8, at 4:30 p.m. in the second floor conference room at Sullivan Independence Hall. Public comment will be allowed.

The Shellfish Commission will perform its review Wednesday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m., also in the second floor conference room at Sullivan Independence Hall.

The Board of Selectmen will also discuss the plan at a date to be announced, and permits will be required for all work.

A hearing with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is also pending.

If the Town of Fairfield, the DEEP, Exide and Fair PLAN, a local environmental group, can come to agreement on the plan, the DEEP hearing will be closed and work will begin.

But if those parties cannot agree on how to proceed, the hearing will continue and a hearing officer will determine the course of action based on evidence presented.

Hearings were held in March. Details on the entire process can be found at http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2719&q=517076&deepNav_GID=1654.

Nutmeg TU members commented during earlier hearings on the proposal.

Fish and fishing would be affected during implementation of the plan.

Part of the deliberations center on increased sediment suspension and a greater disruption to flora and fauna if more material is removed.

“A significant socio-economic issue to consider in assessing overall benefits is the anticipated impact to recreational fishing and shellfish harvesting during and after remedial activities,” the draft reads. “The analysis concludes that risk to humans through consumption of fish/shellfish or ingestion of lead-contaminated sediment is substantially elevated in Area II, and elevated in  Area I, with no substantial risks in Areas III, IV & V.  The present risks  must be weighed against the disturbance of these activities both during  and after remediation.  During remedial activities fishing/shellfish harvesting will not be physically possible in the immediate area of work and the destruction of substrates (i.e. submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and the benthic community) on which fish and shellfish are dependent may temporarily decrease fish and shellfish populations.  According to Exponent, recovery of SAV and the benthic community from dredging activities is expected to take 1-3 years.  These factors must be weighed against the overall remedial goal, which is complete removal of human risk from consuming lead-contaminated fish or shellfish.”

The long-term gains from removing lead, according to background in the plan, outweighs short-term disruptions.

Because a installation of a curtain that won’t restrict migration, dredging will not be allowed during the anadromous fish migration period in the Southport Harbor area, bounded by Harbor Road and a project limit line 225 feet south of Harbor Road.

Dredged material will be dried at the former Exide facility, 2190 Post Road, currently a vacant lot next to the Mill River, surrounded by a chain-link fence. That site will also be used for access and egress, staging of equipment and operations headquarters. The east bank of the Mill River, where work stopped during the 2005-09 Upland RAP, will need to be remediated and stabilized to allow the use of this area.

In preparation for the full project, the contractor would need to strip topsoil and install a layer of crushed stone. “The contractor may propose to install asphalt paving in lieu of crushed stone but will need to account for, through the use of engineered controls, any stormwater run-off that may results from this paving,” according to the draft plan.

Dredged material would be placed in Geotubes, “large bags made from a high tensile strength woven polypropylene fabric “geotextile” panels sewn to form long tubes for containment of pumped slurry,” according to the draft plan. The sediment will dry in those.

“In addition,” the plan continues, “two soil/sediment stockpile cells will be constructed using concrete barriers (construction block). Each concrete cell will have a capacity of no more than 250 cubic yards, surrounded by high-density sheeting to contain sediment.

The contractor will be required to “dredge, properly handle, transport and dispos of contaminated material (hazardous and non-hazardous), including characterizing the material, manifesting the loads, and obtaining approval from EPA-approved RCRA landfills and RCRA Out-of-State lined landfills,” according to the plan.

Fairfield’s sewer system cannot handle the volume of water discharged as the slurry is “dewatered,” according to the SedRAP, so filtrate will need to be discharged back into the Mill River.

Exide has applied to the DEEP to permit the discharge under a federal EPA program.

Bacteria sampling, if deemed necessary by DEEP and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, will be conducted and evaluated by the agencies.

Exide has proposed construction of a “turbidity curtain,” or barrier, to contain sediment, with a corridor 15 feet wide and 2 feet deep to allow migration of fish from April through July.

Written by NutmegTrout21726Jun, 2013

UConn replies to Farmington River petition

The University of Connecticut has responded to a petition opposed to its plan to draw water from the Farmington River, which Trout Unlimited and other conservation groups opposed.

Moveon.org shared the reply Wednesday, June 26.

Dear Voice of the Farmington River,

Judging from the email updates we have received on the number of petition signers, it’s clear to us at UConn that the interest in our proposed alternatives for a new source of water supply is still very strong.  Thank you for your continued interest, and I would like to provide you with an update on our work, especially for those who have signed the petition since my previous posting.

As you know, our Environmental Impact Evaluation concluded that each of three possible interconnections with existing water supply systems, those of MDC, Connecticut Water, and Windham Water, were considered viable in terms of their feasibility and the ways by which their respective environmental impacts could be mitigated.

With respect to the petition’s expressed concern for the possible transfer of water from the reservoirs along the Farmington River, we received numerous similar public comments on the EIE. Many of the commenters questioned the EIE’s thoroughness in addressing social and economic considerations for this as well as the other alternatives. To that end, we have formally reached out to each of the potential water suppliers for additional information that will help us address those questions. I’m pleased to report that these efforts have been useful in furthering our assessment.  There’s more on the timing of our response to the EIE comments below.

We also received several comments during the EIE public comment period suggesting that UConn locate the UConn Technology Park away from the Storrs Campus. The proximity of the Technology Park to the Main campus – where graduate and undergraduate students study and reside and faculty teach, research and advise – offers a location best suited to support both our academic mission and economic development. The UConn Technology Park, supported by the enactment of legislation in 2011, advances the University’s role as a top-tier academic and research institution and its pursuit of the fulfillment of its Academic Plan. By offering proximity and access to advanced technology, specialized equipment, faculty expertise, and graduate students, research and technology parks are typically located adjacent to universities’ core science, technology, engineering and math facilities in order to support the creation of partnerships with industry. For these reasons, the Tech Park has been sited
at UConn’s main campus in Storrs. In addition, the North Campus area has been the subject of several previous environmental impact reports, similar to that undertaken for potential sources of water supply, which envisioned this type of use. You can find these reports on the UConn Office of Environmental Policy’s website at http://www.envpolicy.uconn.edu/eie.html (scroll down the website below the water EIE information).

Our work continues on preparing the EIE’s corresponding Record of Decision, the official document that will formally address the issues identified in the comments. This document will require our UConn Board of Trustees endorsement prior to its formal submission to the CT Office of Policy and Management for their review and approval. At this point, we expect the Record of Decision to be presented to the Board of Trustees at their scheduled August 7th meeting. Please check the UConn Office of Environmental Policy’s website (http://www.envpolicy.uconn.edu/eie.html) for updates on the EIE and Record of Decision.

And, as mentioned in my last posting, your patience is very much appreciated.

Jason Coite
UCONN Environmental Compliance Professional
jason.coite@uconn.edu

Bob Campbell and Mike Rowinsky with the sign that lets passers-by know who's cleaning up the side of the Mill River along Congress Street.
Written by NutmegTrout21725Jun, 2013

Help remove knotweed, have a hot dog with friends Saturday

Bob Campbell and Mike Rowinsky with the sign that lets passers-by know who's cleaning up the side of the Mill River along Congress Street.

To help gather manpower for another major push against the knotweed choking the side of the Mill River, Nutmeg TU will hold a cutting day on Saturday, June 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. along Congress Street.

If you can attend and pitch in for any part of that span, stop by and relieve stress by chopping down an invasive that threatens native species and the flow of the river itself.

We’ll have some food and beverages so members can catch up with each other, telling fish tales and exchanging ideas about this and other projects or group outings Nutmeg can take part in.

If you have not done so yet, drive down Congress Street and see how much progress on removing knotweed small groups have made. Then come out and join the party on June 29.

If you can spare just an hour, it will make a difference. Please RSVP by posting a comment on the events calendar on the website so we know how many hot dogs to buy.

Phil Jacques shows just how tall and dense knotweed can grow if left unchecked. (John Kovach Photo)
Written by NutmegTrout21712Jun, 2013

Sign up to help restore habitat

Knotweed growing in the water in the Mill River along Congress Street. (John Kovach Photo)

Volunteers from Nutmeg TU, and their supporters, will return to the banks of the Mill River along Congress Street in Fairfield Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16, to continue to hack away at Japanese knotweed that is overwhelming that natural habitat for native plants and beginning to threaten the river itself (see above).

Phil Jacques shows just how tall and dense knotweed can grow if left unchecked. (John Kovach Photo)Working in pairs, a handful of members and a conservationist have cut down the weed, which can approach 10 feet in height, the first two weekends in June. Other than a large bank on a steep slope that will require more help, the tandems have cut down much of the knotweed from the bridge where the Mill River winds under Congress Street to the eastern edge of the Mobil station on the southbound Merritt Parkway.

Thanks to Mike Abramowitz, Phil Jacques and Gian-Andrea Morresi of Nutmeg TU, and Mike Rowinsky, who organized the recent Rooster River cleanup, for pitching in.

Volunteers are needed for morning and afternoon sessions this weekend.

To sign up, go to “Events” under “Get Involved” at nutmegtrout.org. In the June calendar there are 2 sessions listed for each weekend day in June.

Click on any session you wish to sign up for. The event window will open, and below the listing you will see “Leave a reply.” Enter your name and email address in the fields marked with an asterisk, then type “John Doe can attend for the entire session” or “John Doe is available from 9 to 11 a.m.” in the window marked comment. Include a cell phone number where you can be reached if there is a schedule change.

Click “Post Comment” to complete the process. THAT’S IT!!

Please sign up for any and all sessions when you may be able to help by clicking on that particular morning or afternoon session. The process must be repeated for each session you can attend.

Also indicate the maximum number of sessions you can attend so we do not overbook you.

Thanks for your help with the crucial conservation project

Mike Abramowitz attacks Japanese knotweed some 7 to 8 feet tall Saturday, June 1, 2013. The towering stalks are now only inches tall, but must be cut again to keep the invasive plant from reestablishing itself.
Written by NutmegTrout21703Jun, 2013

Knotweed removal begins along Mill River

Mike Abramowitz attacks Japanese knotweed some 7 to 8 feet tall Saturday, June 1.

Nutmeg TU members took to the woods over the past week to begin the removal of invasive Japanese Knotweed from land between Congress Street and the Mill River.

Tuesday, President Charles Petruccelli and Vice President Bob Campbell ventured in to make the initial cuts and determine the scope of the project.

Saturday Mike Abramowitz answered the call for volunteers and join John Kovach. The two cut down most of the largest bank of knotweed closest to where the river passes under Congress Street.

Sunday Campbell and Kovach bagged much of the cuttings during a 3-hour period. Some remains to be bagged, but 14 42-gallon bags of knotweed await pickup by the Town of Fairfield.

Written by NutmegTrout21730May, 2013

We need you to help fight invasive species

Nutmeg TU needs more than a few good anglers  to join its war against an invasive species threatening the crown jewel of Nutmeg’s territory, the Mill River.

With the full support of the Fairfield Conservation Office, Nutmeg TU is working Saturdays and Sundays in June to stem the invasion of Japanese knotweed on the banks of the Mill River along Congress Street. Not only is the invasive species pushing out indigenous plants on the ground: The rapidly spreading weed is taking root in the stream itself, on rock piles and gravel bars. (Click here to read more about knotweed.)

Be part of the solution

Nutmeg is about to fire a major salvo in a multi-pronged battle that will take at least a year to win.

During June, volunteers must physically cut all of the knotweed along Congress Street, and drag the remains to the street for pickup. In the fall, when the plant is ready to reproduce, an herbicide safe for use near rivers will be sprayed on the weakened plants. If the stand is successful, then a second cutting next spring should  turn back the invader and allow Nutmeg to begin to plant native species along the Mill River.

A recon team earlier this month determined how to  battle the menace and got a handle on what it will take to get the job done.  This work cannot be done by a handful of people. Nutmeg needs more members to answer the call, up to 20 volunteers on any scheduled cutting.

Sessions are scheduled each Saturday and Sunday in June, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or from 1 to 4 p.m. An email address is being established so volunteers can register, but drop-ins are welcome especially the weekend of June 1-2.

All volunteers must read this safety advisory.

We’ve been permitted by the town to reclaim the habitat.  It’s up to us to show that we’re up to the task, and people are watching.

Charles Petruccelli, President