NYS DEC PSRT Program-Tom Blanchard, NYSDEC and Andy Stiles, NYSDOT

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Post-storm Emergency Stream

Response Training Opportunities

Preparing for the Next

And Ever-increasing

Major Storm Event


August – September 2011

August 28:

Tropical Storm

Irene

September 7:

Tropical Storm

Lee


New York’s

Flood Response


Massive flooding


Destructive Power of Moving Water


Flood Response “Triage”

• Immediate Emergency

Items

• High Priority Items

• Assessment/Repair

• Documentation and Further

Needs


Rescues


Significant infrastructure impacts


Dramatic loss of property


Disrupted stream systems


Immediate Priority Items

Fire Stations Rescue Centers Hospitals

Water Wells & Systems Power Plants Sewage Treatment Plants

During or right after a flood some things must be

done, including, but not limited to:

Opening clogged bridges

Opening closed roads

Keeping important

installations functioning:


High Priority Items

High priority items are those items that are necessary for the first part of the cleanup process

This includes getting channels

back into some acceptable

condition by:

– Opening clogged channels

– Putting avulsed channels back in place

– Temporarily Stabilizing actively eroding streambanks & landslides

– Return the channel to a condition such that the natural processes of streams can begin to return it to its natural state


Assess the Stream Channels

• To decide where to work and where not to work

• To decide where to work first

• To identify the equipment and work force that

will be required

• To identify reaches that require technical

assistance


Intervention Needs

Restore proper channel size and

shape

Re-connect floodplains


Proper channel size and shape

Bottom Width

BF Depth

FP Width

BF Width


Project Benefit

A well-informed emergency response

will:

Reduce negative environmental impacts

Reduce future flood risks

React quicker and more effectively

Save time and money


Preparations for the next event

• Need to develop capacity for responding to

storm events

• Changing climate will result in more intense

storms more frequently


Post-storm Stream Response

Outreach and Training




Goal: To develop capacity in New

York municipal officials,

contractors, and agency

staff to properly respond to

storm impacts to streams

and adjacent and

associated infrastructure.


Project Objectives

•Develop a trained municipal employee

and contractor base

•Present science-based

emergency post-flood

stream repair techniques

•Use this knowledge to

mitigate/repair flood damaged streams


Project Objectives

• Spread this knowledge to other municipal

employees and contractors

•Develop protocol for emergency

post-flood stream intervention training

• Pilot post-flood intervention training


New York’s Department of Environmental

Conservation and the Department of

Transportation have committed to working with

communities and their contractors to prepare

for future storm events.






This is only a first step in a long-term commitment to

outreach, education and capacity building for living

with streams.

Will also need to address: •better land use planning

•proper implementation of flood plain management

•improved stream corridor management

•comprehensive habitat conservation


Three-prong approach to

Capacity Building

Awareness building

uses existing events to provide literature and/or staff

presentations to raise awareness

Education

actual education of municipal officials and heavy

equipment operators

Information

Provide basic technical information for interested

publics


Awareness Building

Raise awareness of:

How storms affect streams and associated infrastructure

How “typical” post-storm responses actually exacerbate

flood risks and habitat loss

Simple steps that communities can take to properly

respond to future storm events.


Awareness Building

Example of events to be attended by DEC and

DOT staff to reach municipalities and public:

Association of Towns meeting

Association of County Highway Superintendants

Cornell Highway School

Environmental Management Council

Association of General Contractors

Others? Suggestions?


Education

How to properly respond to stream impacts after

the flood – developing local capacity.

Coordinate and facilitate the replication of the Delaware

County Soil and Water Conservation District training for

communities.

Include a component to develop better understanding by

DEC and DOT staff about what worked (or not) in the

2011 and earlier flood events.


Education

Trained Individuals

•Contractors 61

•Municipal Leaders 73

• Agency Staff 51

•Watershed Assoc.

Members 30

•Total Trained 215*


Training Goal Provide municipal employees and private

contractors with science, skills and techniques to

address immediate post-storm stream issues.


•Training Course developed

•Based on stream mechanics

•Takes advantage of the self-stabilizing

tendencies of streams

•Is easily applied in the field

Can be applied throughout New York

Education


Geographic Regions of New York


Regional Information Available

• Regional stream channel

geometry tables, based

on drainage size

Regional watershed maps

that identify drainage size

at any point on a stream

within any watershed

SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN Bankfull Hydraulic Geometry vs. Drainage Area for Selected Drainage Areas

Construction Dimensions

D. A. (sq. mile)

Bankfull Area

(sq. ft)

Bankfull Width

(ft)

Bankfull Depth

(ft)

channel bank side

slope

D (ft)

3D (ft)

X (ft)

TW (ft)

Min FP (ft)

1 11 13.5 0.8 3:1 1.1 3.2 3.5 13.5 30

2.5 23 20.4 1.1 3:1 1.4 4.3 5.9 20.4 45

5 41 27.8 1.5 3:1 1.8 5.5 8.4 27.8 61

7.5 57 33.4 1.7 3:1 2.1 6.3 10.4 33.4 73

10 72 38.0 1.9 3:1 2.3 7.0 12.0 38.0 84

12.5 86 42.0 2.1 3:1 2.5 7.5 13.5 42.0 92

15 100 45.5 2.2 3:1 2.7 8.0 14.7 45.5 100

17.5 114 48.8 2.3 3:1 2.8 8.5 15.9 48.8 107

20 127 51.8 2.4 3:1 3.0 8.9 17.0 51.8 114

22.5 140 54.6 2.6 3:1 3.1 9.3 18.0 54.6 120

25 153 57.3 2.7 3:1 3.2 9.6 19.0 57.3 126

27.5 165 59.8 2.8 3:1 3.3 9.9 20.0 59.8 132

30 177 62.2 2.8 3:1 3.4 10.2 20.9 62.2 137

32.5 190 64.4 2.9 3:1 3.5 10.6 21.6 64.4 142

35 201 66.6 3.0 3:1 3.6 10.8 22.5 66.6 147

37.5 213 68.7 3.1 3:1 3.7 11.1 23.3 68.7 151

40 225 70.7 3.2 3:1 3.8 11.4 24.0 70.7 156

42.5 236 72.7 3.2 3:1 3.9 11.6 24.8 72.7 160

45 248 74.6 3.3 3:1 4.0 11.9 25.5 74.6 164

47.5 259 76.4 3.4 3:1 4.0 12.1 26.1 76.4 168

50 270 78.2 3.4 3:1 4.1 12.3 26.8 78.2 172 *From USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5247

Instructions:

1) Select the table for the drainage basin that your project is in.

2) Select the drainage area (D. A.) in the selected table that most closely matches the D. A. at your project site.

3) Under "Construction Dimensions" read the channel dimensions tabulated.

4) Build the channel to these "approximately bankfull" channel dimensions.

C L min. FP

TW

3D X X 3D

D D


Post-Storm Response Training

What it is not:

Stream restoration

Flood prevention or mitigation

A fix for every possible flood-caused

problem in streams


As a pilot, the DEC will facilitate and support

training by the Upper Susquehanna Coalition

in the Upper Susquehanna River watershed,

including the

Chemung River

sub-basin.



Course held on three non-consecutive days

Day 1: classroom training

Day 2: field visit to view work in progress

Day 3: field visit to view finished construction;

class room review of methods applied



Information

Further develop the DEC web gateway to

increase public access to information regarding

flood protection and stream restoration.

Provide a half-hour Powerpoint presentation on

the DEC website to identify the basics, let

people know that they need more information,

and where to get more information.


Information

Develop a one-page “Do’s and Don’ts” that will

be available as a quick reference to those in the

streams. Also post on the website.

Continue networking with other agencies (ie.

DOT, Ag and Markets, other states) that are

involved in the issue to get the best information

and resources to the publics that need them.


Next Steps

Provide “train-the-trainer” training

to SWCD staff

Pilot Susquehanna with USC

Get materials on the web

Develop incentives


Permitting

Emergency Stream Intervention provides an opportunity to streamline post flood permitting.


Questions?


For Further Information Contact:

Mark Woythal

Instream Flow Unit Leader

Div. of Fish Wildlife & Marine Resources

Phone (518) 402-8847

[email protected]

NYS DEC PSRT Program-Tom Blanchard, NYSDEC and Andy Stiles, NYSDOT

Technology

department oftransportation

negative environmental

typical poststorm responses

stream channels

preparefor future storm

tropical storm ireneseptember

increasingmajor storm

future flood risks