Minutes
Minutes
Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC)
Cape Cod National Seashore Headquarters
Wellfleet, MA
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Members Present: Tim Smith, Steve Spear, Eric Derleth, Steve Block, Hunt Durey, Gary Joseph, Hillary Greenberg
Others Present: Margo Fenn, Martha Craig, Christine Odiaga, Don Palladino, Carole Ridley, Helen Miranda Wilson
Administration/Coordination:
Approval of Minutes: The Committee voted to approve the minutes of the July 12, 2017 meeting.
Schedule of Meetings: The Committee approved the following schedule for upcoming meetings:
Tues. & Wed., September 19 & 20, 2017 HRRC regular meeting
Monday, September 25, 2017 Herring River Exec Council Meeting
Thursday, October 19, 2017 HRRC regular meeting
Discussion and Updates:
Fundraising: Don Palladino and Carole Ridley discussed some draft materials that they are developing to begin the fundraising process for Project construction, including a preliminary budget, a draft prospectus and proposed action plan. Don Palladino reviewed a preliminary draft construction budget, which is based on engineering estimates from Project consultants, the 2012 Value Analysis and estimated management costs. The Committee discussed how to estimate contingencies for each infrastructure element, the likely time frame for construction, and how to factor in inflation over time. The group also discussed how to sequence construction activities and plan for other long-term costs such as operations and maintenance, vegetation management, monitoring, and adaptive management. The Committee agreed that a structured work session (perhaps including Project engineering consultants) is needed to focus on these questions.
Hydrologic Modeling: Eric Derleth reported on the discussion of the modeling subcommittee regarding proposed Phase 1 water levels. The subcommittee recommended that the Project restore up to a specified acreage within the Herring River floodplain in Phase 1 that would not require active gate management at the Chequessett Neck Road (CNR) bridge in order to protect low-lying structures. No tidal restoration will be proposed for Upper Pole Dike Creek; partial restoration (approximately 21 acres) will be proposed in Mill Creek. Phase 1 maximum water surface elevations and corresponding CNR gate openings and acreage of wetland restoration in the main Herring River basin will be confirmed with the Woods Hole Group modeling consultants.
Active tide gate management is planned at the Mill Creek dike during extreme high tide and storm events. The protocol would be to close the Mill Creek tide gates during specified storm and tide conditions to ensure appropriate storage capacity in the basin to prevent water levels from exceeding the maximum specified elevation that will be proposed in the permit applications for Mill Creek. A detailed gate operation and management protocol will be developed in association with Project permitting.
It is preferable to control storm tides with active gate management at Mill Creek rather than at the Chequessett Neck Road (CNR) bridge, in order to maximize restoration in the main basin of the river (including sediment delivery from storm tides). Planned drainage improvements in Mill Creek (such as cleaning and deepening channels) and lowering low tides in the main river basin are anticipated to substantially improve drainage in Mill Creek.
The Committee discussed some additional modeling work by the Woods Hole Group (WHG), which will be completed prior to filing the Cape Cod Commission Development of Regional Impact/Project of Community Benefit (DRI/POCB) application.
Budget/Contract Review: The Committee discussed several proposed consulting contracts, including a proposal from the Consensus Building Institute to facilitate the meetings of the Herring River Stakeholders Group (HRSG). The Wellfleet Town Administrator and Truro Town Manager are collecting nominations for the HRSG and plan to present a proposed slate of members to the Herring River Executive Council (HREC) at its September 25, 2017 meeting. The HREC and appointed Chair of the HRSG will decide the extent to which facilitation services are needed.
Tim Smith and Eric Derleth reviewed several pending modeling contracts with the WHG. HRRC members and Friends of Herring River (FHR) staff are finalizing the scopes of work for these contracts so that work can begin. FHR is also working with the National Park Service and ESS to finalize a scope of work for sediment sampling in the estuary. NPS intern Katey LaVallee will coordinate with ESS to collect and analyze sediment samples during the month of September 2017. The HRRC approved proceeding with this work.
The Committee also discussed an ongoing United States Geological Survey (USGS) water quality monitoring program. Additional funding is needed to continue this work for another year. This would provide three years of baseline water quality data for the river. Steve Block asked how this fits into the overall monitoring plan for the Project. Tim Smith noted that the NPS is developing a broad monitoring plan, in coordination with the development of the adaptive management plan, but this is still a work in progress. Carole Ridley suggested using the list of monitoring elements from the adaptive management plan to describe the general approach to monitoring.
Mill Creek Pump: In the event that restoration begins in the main basin of the river before the Chequessett Yacht and Country Club (CYCC) golf course is raised, the Mill Creek tide gates will remain closed, and a pump will be installed at the Mill Creek dike to assist with drainage of freshwater. Water-level thresholds for turning on and off the pump will be developed in consultation with CYCC. The goal is to prevent any damage to the CYCC golf course while protecting wetland hydrology. Steve Spear reported on the status of the design contract for the proposed pump.
CYCC Golf Course Design: Steve Spear also reported on progress with the golf course design work. ESS and CYCC officials have agreed upon a location for an irrigation pond. Additional cultural resources analysis might be needed for the irrigation pond area and the modified golf practice area. ESS is also exploring what channel work might be needed on CYCC property to enhance drainage.
Permitting: The Committee discussed review of the draft Cape Cod Commission DRI/POCB application prepared by ESS. HRRC members and FHR staff will review the latest draft application and provide comments to ESS.
Presentation for Herring River Executive Council (HREC) on Project Phasing: HRRC will provide the HREC with a presentation on Project phasing at its next meeting (September 25, 2017). The presentation will describe proposed restoration activities, water levels, and property mitigation proposed for Phase 1. It will also include a description of ongoing public outreach efforts. The Committee noted that most of the area affected in Phase 1 would be NPS land. The group discussed what graphics should be used to explain Phase 1 activities.
Public Outreach: Don Palladino reported that FHR is working on several public education videos and is continuing to have one-on-one meetings with interested citizens and landowners. FHR had its annual meeting in August, with a very interesting presentation by Dr. Kevin Kroeger of the USGS Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through wetland restoration (Blue Carbon). Cape Cod Life will also be doing an article on the Restoration Project in an upcoming issue.
The Committee discussed preparing a letter to the Herring River Executive Council (HREC) to describe the Project phasing and respond to some of the misinformation that has been circulated in the community.
Wellfleet Harbor Dredging: Don Palladino is consulting with Project engineers about the feasibility of coordinating construction and implementation of the Restoration Project with the Wellfleet Harbor dredging project.
Documents Referred to in the Meeting:
-Minutes of the July 12, 2017 HRRC meeting