Great Marsh Coalition 2013

1. How Natural Coastal Systems Function for Flood/
Pollution Control and Storm Damage Prevention and the
Effects of Human Alterations
Georgeann
Keer,
Project
Manager,
Mass
Division
of
Ecological
Restora8on

2. Department
of
Fish
and
Game
Mary
Griffin,
Commissioner

3. Division
of
Ecological
Restora8on
(DER)
n
Physical
Restora8on
n Freshwater
and
Salt
Water
n
Flow
Restora8on
n RIFLS,
Dam
Management,
Comprehensive
Water
Planning
n
Technical
Assistance
(Riverways
Program)
n Adopt-­‐A-­‐Stream,
Wild
&
Scenic
Rivers,
Water
Quality,
etc.
The
mission
of
the
Division
of
Ecological
Restora5on
is
to
restore
and
protect
the
Commonwealth’s
rivers,
wetlands
and
watersheds
for
the
benefit
of
people
and
the
environment.

4. The
Massachuse>s
Coastal
Zone
North Shore: Amesbury, Beverly,
Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Lynn,
Manchester, Marblehead, Nahant,
Newbury, Newburyport, Peabody, Revere,
Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury,
Saugus, and Swampscott

5. Original: Clearwater Estates, MA Dept. of
Environmental Protection, 1987
Both figures from A Guide to the Coastal Wetlands Regulations, MA Dept.
of Environmental Protection, 1979

6. Natural Systems in the Coastal Zone
Bays
Sounds
Coastal Freshwater
Beaches
Streams, Ponds and
Barrier Beaches
Wetlands (BVW)
Rocky Shores
Dunes
Banks
Salt marshes
Tidal Flats
Uplands
Salt Ponds
Submerged Aquatic
(Buffer Zones)
Shellfish Beds
Vegetation
Eelgrass Beds
Marine
Estuarine
Riverine / Lacustrine /
Palustrine

8. Bays &
Sounds
• Large physically
protected bodies of
water.
• Support many
coastal habitats
(eelgrass beds,
shellfish beds, salt
marshes etc.).

9. Submerged Aquatic Vegetation / Eelgrass Beds
Pollution Control:
• Leaves facilitate deposition of particles and
absorb pollutants, improving water quality
(Short and Short, 1984).
• Absorb nutrients such as Nitrogen and
Phosphorous.
Photo: Ruppia maritima, Marilee Lovit, NEWFS
Flood Control &
Storm Damage Prevention:
• Attenuation of wave energy(Fonseca & Cahalan,
1992).
• Erosion control functions, stabilizing sediment with
extensive roots and rhizomes (Ward et al. 1984).
Mass Bays Program: Eelgrass Beds, Manchester Harbor, MA

10. Human Alterations
• Excessive nutrients from
urban runoff cause harmful
algal blooms that block the
sunlight / impede growth.
• Structures, such as
docks, can prevent
eelgrass from getting
enough sunlight.
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Loss of Habitat
• Scarring and uprooting
of plants from boat
propellers, chain
anchors, and moorings
www.buzzardsbay.org
• Dredging.
www.buzzardsbay.org
• Some shellfish harvesting
practices, such as hydraulic
clamming, damage eelgrass
beds.
Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies

11. Pollution Control:
Beaches
Barrier Beaches
Rocky Shores
Dunes
Banks
• Beaches and dunes provide water
quality services through water filtration,
nutrient cycling, nutrient uptake and
water storage.
• Dune vegetation takes up nutrients
such as Nitrogen and Phosphorous /
Pollutants.
VLAAMS INSTITUUT VOOR DE ZEE
The Trustees of Reservations: Crane Beach
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:
• Coastal Dunes, Banks and
Beaches supply sand to /
maintain each other.
• Attenuation of wind and
wave (Fonseca & Cahalan,
1992) energy.
• Absorb storm surge.
• Delay or prevent inland
flooding.
http://www.landforms.eu/Lothian/beach.htm
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/10/30/
hurricane-sandy-passes-tribes-begin-assessingdamage-143084

12. Human Alterations
Coastal structures (harbors,
jetties, groins, breakwaters
etc.) alter movement of
sediment along the
shoreline.
Loss of Habitat
Coastal structures such
as riprap and seawalls
decrease the amount
reduce sediment
supplied directly to the
shoreline, caused by
the reduction of dune
and bank erosion.
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/multimedia/14416
http://www.dispatch.com
Offshore dredging
impacts both sediment
transport and wave
energy, increasing
beach erosion.
www.clearwater.org
MA DER / Applied Coastal Engineering, Inc.
Upland stabilized by
development interrupts
natural erosion and
sediment transport
toward beaches.
http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/residents/parking/

13. Salt marshes
Salt Ponds
Tidal Flats
Shellfish Beds
Pollution Control:
• Salt marshes are highly productive
systems; vegetation takes up
nutrients, pollutants, sinks for carbon.
• Filter-feeding shellfish remove
microscopic particles (phytoplankton,
contaminants, etc.) from the water,
improving turbidity, light penetration,
and overall water quality as well as
serving as a source of nutrients.
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:
Wade et al. 1999.
• Salt marshes, tidal flats,
salt ponds have a high
carrying capacity / act as
basins for storm surge and
rainfall run-off.
• Wave attenuation by salt
marsh vegetation (Yang et
al. 2012) and shellfish
(Oysters: Scyphers et al.
2011)
• Salt marsh vegetation,
shellfish beds stablize
sediment and reduce
shoreline erosion.
www.essexheritage.org
Betty Flowers

14. An Oyster in the Storm
By PAUL GREENBERG
NY Times Published: October 29, 2012
…I wish I had some oysters.
I’m not talking about oysters to
eat — although a dozen would be
nice to go with that leftover bottle
of Champagne that I really should
drink if the fridge goes off. I’m
talking about the oysters that
once protected New Yorkers from
storm surges, a bivalve population
that numbered in the trillions and
that played a critical role in
stabilizing the shoreline from
Washington to Boston. …

15. Human Alterations
Salt marshes
Salt Ponds
Tidal Flats
Shellfish Beds
Loss of Habitat
Direct filling of habitat leads to
habitat loss and function, lack
of migration potential.
Transportation crossings (bridges,
culverts, roads & paths) impound or
restrict tidal flow. Altered hydrology
reduces flood storage capacity, alters
sediment transport.
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Tide-gates control flow to tidal
marshes / salt ponds. Lack of
proper operation reduces flood
storage capacity upstream.

16. Human Alterations
Salt marshes
Salt Ponds
Tidal Flats
Shellfish Beds
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Loss of Habitat
• Ditching
• Non-point source pollution
including fertilizers, run-off from
impervious surfaces lead to habitat
degradation and loss of function.
Marsh collapse.
• Coastal development at the
mouth of estuarine systems
prevents migration of primary
tidal channels, increased risk of
mouth closure.
Trnerr.org
Deegan et al. 2012

17. Coastal Freshwater
Streams, Ponds and
Wetlands (BVW)
Pollution Control:
• Freshwater wetlands are highly productive
systems; vegetation takes up nutrients,
pollutants, sinks for carbon.
• Stabilized sediment is prevented from
carrying pollutants / affecting water quality
downstream.
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:
• Reduce danger of
damaging floods by
preventing rapid runoff
of water / slow
floodwaters to reduce
damage.
• Storage / holding basins
for floodwaters.
• Vegetation stabilizes
sediment and creates
friction / absorbs energy
from floods and wave
action, reducing erosion.
Restored Freshwater Marsh, Fairhaven, MA / NOAA

18. Human Alterations
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Loss of Habitat
• Channelized and impervious surfaces
reduce infiltration, increase runoff and
accelerate movement of floodwaters
• Filling of wetlands decreases / removes
flood storage capacity.
www.buzzardsbay.org
• Non-point source pollution including
fertilizers, run-off from impervious
surfaces / point-source pollution lead to
habitat degradation and loss of function.
L.A., Hieu Nguyen
Alewife Brook, MA, Magicpiano

19. • Transportation crossings
(bridges, culverts, roads &
paths) impound or restrict
stream flow. Altered
hydrology reduces flood
storage capacity, alters
sediment transport.

20. …and what about Dams?
•
•
•
•
•
More than 3000 dams in MA
43 are flood control dams
44 licensed hydropower dams
164 water supply dams
Federal, state, NGO, municipal owners

21. DAM!

22. • Block fish passage
HOT
DIGGETY
DAM!
• Warm temperatures
• Trap sediment and nutrients
• Degrade water quality
DAM!
HOT!

23. Uplands
(Buffer Zones)
Flood Control &
Storm Damage
Prevention:
• Healthy upland natural
communities soak up
precipitation and allow it to
slowly drain into streams and
rivers while moderating
stream flows and limiting
erosion.
• Natural rates of erosion
supply sediment to maintain
habitats (wetlands, beaches
etc.) downstream.
• Undeveloped upland
provides space for wetland
migration (Long-term).
Smith, J.A.M. 2013
Pollution Control:
• Vegetation uptake of
nutrients and pollutants.
• Stabilized sediment is
prevented from carrying
pollutants / affecting water
quality downstream.
Bartlett Dam Removal, Alex Hackman

24. Human Alterations
Loss of Habitat
Uplands
(Buffer Zones)
Loss of Ecosystem
Services
Primary alteration to upland habitat is development.
Uplands are least-protected habitat (lacking in
regulations as compared to wetlands etc.).
• Hardened structures (buildings, paving,
etc.) interrupt flow, increase flooding, and
alter natural patterns of sediment transport
that sustain habitats downstream.
Fall River, MA, Herald News
• Increased impervious
surface exacerbates
flooding from runoff and
contributes toward nonpoint source pollution.
Left, Photograph by Mark Holtzman; right, By George Riethof.

25. DER
Projects
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Over 1,000 acres of coastal
wetlands restored
Over 200 miles of stream
continuity restored
73 active projects
Over 75 restoration projects
completed
Over 30 dam removal
projects in design and
permitting
5 active urban river
revitalization projects
Assisting on largest salt
marsh restoration project on
eastern seaboard (1,110
acres- Herring River,
Wellfleet)

26. Briggsville Dam, Clarksburg, September 2008
15 feet
Photo by B. Lambert

27. June 2011

28. Newman Road, Newbury

29. Worlds End, Hingham
2010
2009

30. Ballou Dam, Yokum Brook, Becket
2006

31. September, 2011

32. Jones River, Kingston, MA

34. Summary
• Human alterations to the coastal
landscape have significantly affected
the pollution control, flood control, and
storm damage prevention functions of
these natural systems.
• Look at restoration opportunities to
address loss of these functions.
• Look ahead at how Global Climate
Change / SLR will change these
systems and incorporate in future
plans / designs.
Wetlands to provide a storm surge buffer for New York City. Image from
Architecture Research Office