Phase II Storm Water Program
Fact Sheet #1
Sensitive
Waterbodies in Your Area
Storm water
runoff is generally classified as excess rainwater or snowmelt that is
transported to surface waters by overland flow. Surface waters include any open body of water, such as lakes,
rivers, streams or impoundments. Storm
water runoff directly impacts sensitive waterbodies in your area by discharging
pollutants carried by overland storm water flow.
Since the
passage of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the quality of the Nation’s waters has
improved dramatically. Despite this
progress, degraded surface waters still exist.
According to the 1996 National Water Quality Inventory, 79 percent of
the waterbodies are polluted by urban/suburban storm water runoff and the
balance by runoff from construction sites.
Accordingly, in 1990 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
issued new regulations under the DWA affecting storm water runoff. Phase I of these regulations addressed storm
water runoff from: (1) “medium” and “large” Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) generally serving populations of
100,000 or greater, (2) construction activity disturbing 5 acres of land or
greater, and (3) ten categories of industrial activity. Phase II regulations, issued on December 8,
1999, addressed storm water runoff from: (1) “small” MS4s generally serving
populations of less than 100,000, and (2) small construction activity
disturbing 1 to 5 acres of land.
When it rains,
pollutants from overland areas and impervious surfaces such as city streets,
driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks are transported directly into nearby
surface waters and the sensitive waterbodies in your area. Pollutants transported from overland flow
may include oils and greases (from improperly maintained automobiles),
litter
and debris and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (from roofs and parking lots)
pesticides and herbicides
(from lawns and gardens) and other dissolved solids such as salts
and chlorides (from
de-icing agents). In addition to
pollutants from developed areas, uncontrolled runoff from ongoing construction
sites yield pollutants such as sediments, petroleum products, and
construction chemicals,
resulting in streambed scouring, erosion and destruction of near-stream
vegetative cover. Sediment-laiden
runoff, petroleum products, and construction chemicals also contribute to loss
of in-stream habitats for fish and other aquatic species. In addition, excessive sediments may cause
blinding of water filtration plants, a reduction in reservoir storage capacity,
and frequently contribute to increased flooding and a reduction in the
navigational capacity of waterways.
Pollutants from
overland flow eventually end up in the sensitive waterbodies, located in your
watershed, defined as that area of land that catches the storm water runoff
from rain and snowmelt.
Numerous
streams, lakes, wetlands and other surface impoundments are located within the
Town of Philipstown. All the streams in
Philipstown are tributaries to the Hudson River, which runs approximately 9.5
miles of the Town’s shoreline. These
sensitive waterbodies include Clove Creek and Foundary Creek to the north,
Indian Brook and Philipse Creek in the center of the Town, and Annsville and
Canopus Creek to the south. Other
sensitive waterbodies in Philipstown include Cold Spring Reservoir, an
important source of surface drinking water supply for the Town, ponds and
lakes, scattered throughout the Town.
In addition to
streams, ponds and lakes, numerous freshwater wetlands, regulated by the State
of New York, Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), are located in
Philipstown. Wetlands are transition
areas between uplands and aquatic habitats and may include marshes, swamps,
bogs and wet meadows. To be regulated
and protected under the Freshwater Wetlands Act, a wetland must be at least
12.4 acres (5 hectares) or larger.
Wetlands, smaller than 12.4 acres, are also protected if they are
unusual or of a sensitive nature to the environment. Around every regulated wetland is an adjacent area of 100 feet,
provided to as a buffer to protect the wetland.
Following EPA’s
framework for Unified Watershed Assessment (UWA), New York State developed a
Watershed Protection and Restoration Priorities Program that identified and
categorized those watersheds, within the entire state, that needed further
preserving, protection and restoration.
One of the watersheds identified as a Category I Watershed (watersheds
that are facing imminent threat of not meeting clean water and other natural
resources goals) included the Hudson River Watershed.
According to
USGS Circular 1165, on “Water Quality in the Hudson River Basin, New York and
Adjacent States, 1992-95,” stream-bottom sediments in the Hudson River,
contained elevated concentrations of metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which frequently exceeded federal
and state water quality standards.
Residents along
the shoreline rely on the Hudson River for a wide variety of uses such as
boating, kayaking, fishing, swimming, picnicking and relaxing. The Hudson River and its tributary streams
serve as important habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna. As cited in the “Draft Philipstown
Comprehensive Plan,” these natural resources contribute to the public health,
habitat, recreation and the Town’s community character. Hence, controlling the discharge of storm
water pollutants into the Hudson River and its tributaries will further enhance
the water quality and aquatic habitat restoration efforts of this important
natural resource of the Town of Philipstown.
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