Proceedings of the 2015 Mohawk Watershed Symposium, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 20 March 2015

(PREFACE to Volume - List of Extended Abstracts) A healthy ecosystem runs on clean water. There is clearly a growing appreciation for the Mohawk River, and there is a tremendous growth in stakeholder involvement in the watershed in terms of flood mitigation, improving water quality, community revitalization, and recreation. This is an interesting and exciting time for the Mohawk, because it is finally getting the attention it deserves. To ensure engagement and interest in the Watershed, we need to focus part of our efforts on water quality because with clean water we have exciting opportunities in community revitalization and recreation. Rivers are important to society and there is a resurgence in interest in preserving rivers, maintaining clean and healthy ecosystems, and re-engaging our communities with them. Communities are looking to the river as a source of recreation, transportation, and inspiration. We live in an interconnected watershed and maintaining water quality is a shared basin-wide responsibility. These concepts were captured in the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin Act of 2013 (H.R. 2973), which was introduced to Congress by Congressman Tonko in August 2013. Two key passages of that Bill that are especially relevant to a goal of clean water in a interconnected Hudson-Mohawk watershed: (i) There has been little integration of planning and program implementation to address the Hudson-Mohawk River Basin in a holistic manner.... and (ii) Development and implementation of projects to control flooding and improve water quality must be done with the full participation of local communities and citizens, address the needs they identify, and be conducted in a manner that respects private property and is consistent with the authorities of state and local jurisdictions. The Mohawk Watershed Symposium at Union College, now in its seventh year, has made a difference in unifying stakeholders in the basin. This symposium has been made a difference because it has brought together key stakeholders in the basin and leveled the playing field for advocacy and action in the basin. We are happy to welcome you back to Union College for our annual meeting. We are indebted to our sponsors NYS DEC and Union College for their continued support, which helps to make each Symposium a success. The changes we have been witness to at our annual symposium and within the watershed, which goes beyond the history of the Mohawk Watershed Symposium, are astounding. The accomplishments should be celebrated and the hard work continued. At this year's symposium we are pleased to feature over twenty poster presentations, and over a dozen invited and volunteered oral presentations. Our invited speakers represent interests within and from around the Mohawk Watershed and work to shape this year's program. Once again we are grateful to have Congressman Tonko give a plenary address and introduce our keynote speaker. Assistant Commissioner of Water Resources, James Tierney will lead off our afternoon sessions with a special address and summary of the important efforts made in the catchment and reaching beyond the Mohawk to the Hudson. The Keynote speaker this year is John Lipscomb, Riverkeeper Patrol Boat Captain, who brings an important message of protecting water quality and working together in the basin. In 2000 he began patrolling the Hudson for Riverkeeper with a central effort to monitor water quality. In 2014, he conducted Riverkeeper's first exploratory patrols on the Mohawk River to gage the interest of local Mohawk advocates and explore a potential partnership with Riverkeeper for the future. His efforts are symbolic of the theme of the conference this year: water quality as a priority for all and making connections in throughout Hudson-Mohawk watershed. Small Things in Small Streams in Small Towns Causing Big Problems H. Bachrach, A. Gubbins, M. Pfeffer, J. Stark, S. Turner, C. Gibson ......................................................... 1 An Investigation of Tree-ring Response to Extreme Flood Events Along the Schoharie Creek, New York A. Bartholomew, J. Rayburn, A. Walag ....................................................................................................... 2 Incapacity of Current Release Works at the NYPA Blenheim/Gilboa Pumped Storage Project to Pass the Probable Maximum Flood as Estimated by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection Howard R. Bartholomew .............................................................................................................................. 3 Tracking Pollution in New York Streams Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopic Composition of Primary Producers Michelle Berube and Anouk Verheyden-Gillikin ........................................................................................ 4 The Canajoharie and Otsquago Creeks: A Rapid Bio-Assessment of Two Tributaries of the Mohawk River Boyan et al., Fort Plain/Canajoharie Environmental Study Team ............................................................... 7 A Web GIS-Based Mohawk River Watershed Project Implementation Tracking System Katie Budreski ............................................................................................................................................ 12 Response of Macroinvertebrate Assemblages to Extreme Floods in Tributaries to the Mohawk River, New York M. Calderon, A.J. Smith, B. Baldigo, T. Endreny ..................................................................................... 13 Accomplishments and Status of NY Rising Sarah Stern Crowell ................................................................................................................................... 14 Lock 7 Dam Fixed Design Endangers Schenectady Area James E. Duggan ........................................................................................................................................ 15 Clean Water Planning and TMDL Vision Angus Eaton ............................................................................................................................................... 19 The New York Streamflow Estimation Tool Chris L Gazoorian ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Spatial Differences in Contemporary Fish Assemblages of the Mohawk River Scott George, Barry Baldigo, and Scott Wells ........................................................................................... 21 Cartographic Mapping of Water-related Environmental and Societal Indicators Ashraf Ghaly .............................................................................................................................................. 22 Water: The New Oil that Fuels International Conflicts Ashraf Ghaly .............................................................................................................................................. 23 Flood Warning and Optimization System for the Mohawk Watershed Howard M. Goebel ..................................................................................................................................... 24 Common Core: An Uncommon Approach - Workshops for educators on how to bring environmentally based experiential learning to schools and beyond Scott Hadam and John M. McKeeby ......................................................................................................... 26 Sedimentological Record of Large Magnitude Floods Recorded in Collins Pond, Scotia, NY C.M. Hedges and D.T. Rodbell .................................................................................................................. 27 Role of Invasive European Water Chestnut as a Nutrient Bioextractant From Wastewater Outfalls in The Hudson River Estuary K. Hu, N. Jesmanitafti, Y. Yang, and S. Rogers ........................................................................................ 28 Utilizing GIS to Study Erosion, Mitigation Reliability, Costs, and Effective Coastal Engineering Practices Christopher J. Kelly and Ashraf M. Ghaly ................................................................................................. 30 Monitoring the Hudson and Beyond with HRECOS (Hudson River Environmental Conditions Observing System) Gavin M. Lemley and Alexander J. Smith ................................................................................................ 31 How Common is Textbook" Migration in the Blueback Herring? A Look At the Hudson-Mohawk Population Through Otolith Chemistry Karin E. Limburg Sara M. Turner ............................................................................................................ 32 Flooding Prediction in a Large Watershed: An Example from the Mohawk River in New York Antonios Marsellos and Katerina Tsakiri .................................................................................................. 35 Surface Water Quality Measurements Upstream and Downstream of Concentrated Human Activity on Flood-Impacted Line Creek in Middleburgh New York Melissa A. Miller Barbara L. Brabetz Neil A. Law ................................................................................. 39 The Mohawk River Watershed Management Plan: Engaging the Community Elizabeth C. Moran Linda P. Wagenet and A. Thomas Vawter .............................................................. 40 Mohawk River Watershed Coalition Update: Management Plan- Long Term Vision Peter M. Nichols ........................................................................................................................................ 41 Flood Inundation Maps for the Schoharie Creek at Prattsville New York Elizabeth Nystrom ..................................................................................................................................... 42 Schoharie County Streams: A Long Road Toward Recovery? Dakota Raab Eric Malone Mark Cornwell John Foster & Benjamin German ...................................... 44 Inspiring Residents to Address Watershed Pollution through Citizen Science Dan Shapley John Lipscomb Jen Epstein ................................................................................................ 45 Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment in the Mohawk River Basin Alexander J. Smith Margaret A. Novak and Gavin M. Lemley .............................................................. 46 USGS Streamgage Network Expansion in the Mohawk River Watershed Travis Smith and Gary R. Wall .................................................................................................................. 48 Swimming the Entire Length of the Mohawk River Christopher Swain ...................................................................................................................................... 49 The New York State Mesonet C. Thorncroft E. Joseph and J. Brotzge .................................................................................................... 50 Using Geospatial Data to Analyze Trends in Onsite Wastewater Systems Use Sridhar Vedachalam Tim Joo Susan J. Riha ............................................................................................ 51 USGS Ice Jam Monitoring System Mohawk River Schenectady NY - An Update Gary R Wall and Chris Gazoorian ............................................................................................................. 52"

Union College Schaffer Library Digital Projects

Geosciences Department, Union College: https://minerva.union.edu/garverj/mws/2024/symposium.html

Mohawk River Watershed (N.Y.)
Watershed management

Schenectady (N.Y.)
Mohawk River (N.Y.)