Restoring Eelgrass to the Neponset River Estuary

Restoring Eelgrass to the Neponset River EstuaryThe Influence of Salt Marshes

Goals of Neponset Restoration Restore water quality Restore ecosystem heath and function Restore ecosystem services

Are oysters the answer?

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 80005

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Turbidity (NTU) at Station 140

Conversion from NTU to TSS is site specific but is estimated as NTU*2.5 =TSS (mg/L)

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 7000

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Turbididty (NTU) at Station 89

0 100 200 300 400 500 60005

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Turbidity (NTU) at Station 41

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 5000

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Turbidity (NTU) at Station 54

0 100 200 300 400 500 6000

102030405060

Turbidity (NTU) at Station 42

Conversion from NTU to TSS is site specific but is estimated as NTU*2.5 =TSS (mg/L)

Salt Marshes Extremely productive ecosystems Rich in marine life Important animal habitat

Nursery Sanctuary

Protect shore lines Wave action Erosion Filtering nutrients

Enhance water quality

Water Quality Improvement Sedimentation along marsh

Deposited during tidal flux and storms Rates vary among sites and depend on

particle size Rates currently unknown for Neponset

Will be enhanced with salt marsh restoration Particulate nutrients also deposited in marsh

Excess of nutrients in most coastal systems Basins general net importers of nutrients Majority of nutrients deposited in marsh

Marshes of Neponset Historic

Marshes of Neponset Present

How much marsh do we need?

These are measurements of kg/ 532 km2

In 1991 there was ~1km2 of marsh in the Neponset

For 1km -39.5 33.3 -1.1 -2.6 -0.6 9.0 -1.6 -0.4 -2.2

Nutrient Concentrations at Station 140- 1994-2011 Average

Average uM multiplied by MW

Yearly volume based on low river flow (0.6m^3/s)

Yearly volume based on high river flow (3.1m^3/s)

Ammonium 3.84(uM) 307.01 (ug/m^3) 5.81 (kg) 30.03 (kg)Nitrate+Nitrite 6.21 (uM) 385.00(ug/m^3) 7.29 (kg) 37.66 (kg)Total Dissolved N 25.71(uM) 360.17 (ug/m^3) 6.82 (kg) 35.23(kg)Particulate N 6.10(uM) 85.42(ug/m^3) 1.62(kg) 8.36 (kg)Phosphate 0.92 (uM) 87.59 (ug/m^3) 1.66 (kg) 8.57 (kg)Total Dissolved P 1.15(uM) 35.75(ug/m^3) 0.68(kg) 3.50 (kg)Particulate P 0.68 (uM) 21.10 (ug/m^3) 0.40 (kg) 2.06 (kg)Total Phosphorus 4.44(uM) 137.50(ug/m^3) 2.60 (kg) 13.45 (kg)Particulate C 47.20(uM) 566.88 (ug/m^3) 10.73(kg) 55.46 (kg)

Examples of Restoration Success

Long Island Sound- CT Sachuest Salt Marsh- RI San Francisco Bay- CA

And failures San Diego Bay- Sweetwater Marsh Several small sites in NW Europe

Debate over “success” vs. “failure” What is “restoration”? What goals need to be reached? Often cannot restore biodiversity May take longer for some factors to recover

Neponset Restoration Potential Two projects already under taken:

In 2005 dredging restored 0.06km2 of salt marsh to the Neponset Estuary

In 2011 0.2km2 were restored at Broad Meadows in Quincy

Small restoration takes a lot of effort Broad Meadows cost $5.4 million

Need to set goals and timeline Need room to expand

Needs to be suitable habitat

Marshes of Neponset Present

References Oysters and TSS:

Cerco and Noel 2007 Nutrient Data:

MWRA Neponset River Physical Measurements, collected 1989 through 2011 http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/projects/ma/bhnip/MonitoringRpt09/Summary%20Report%20Plume%20Monitoring.pdf

General Marsh Information: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/saltmarsh.html http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/habitats/saltmarshes.htm http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/dynamic.html

Water Quality and Marshes: http://

www.bainbridgewa.gov/documents/pln/2011_smp_reference3/stumpf_rp_the_process_of_sedimentation_on_the_surface_of_salt_marsh.pdf

http://geotest.tamu.edu/userfiles/167/110.pdf Maps of Marsh Loss:

http://www.mass.gov/czm/ma_estuarine_trends_1.pdf Marsh Nutrient Up-take:

http://www.bainbridgewa.gov/documents/pln/2011_smp_reference3/stumpf_rp_the_process_of_sedimentation_on_the_surface_of_salt_marsh.pdf

Current Marsh Extent: http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/map_ol/oliver.php http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/Documents/Wetland-Status-and-Recent-Trends-for-the-Neponset-Watershed-Massachusetts-1977-1991

.pdf

Restoration Information: ftp://ftp.epchc.org/EPC_Wetlands_FTP/Hart/Literature/Zedler%20and%20Callaway%201999.%20Tracking%20Wetland%20Rest..pdf http://

www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us/documents/pln/2011_smp_reference3/thom_rm_adaptive_mgmt_of_coastal_ecosystem_restoration_projects.pdf

http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/114137.pdf Prior Restoration Efforts:

http://www.neponset.org/Restoration-SaltMarsh.htm http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/der/pdf/der_annual_report_2011.pdf

Cover and Land Use Maps: http://www.neponset.org/BasinPlan/Low%20Resolution/NeponsetAssessLoRes.pdf