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Croton
Watershed Planning
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|CROTON
WATERSHED OVERVIEW| |RESOURCE STRUCTURE|
|WORK TASKS|
|WATERSHED LINKS|
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The
preparation of a Comprehensive Croton System Water Quality Protection Plan
(referred to in the remainder of this document as the “Croton Plan”) is
provided for in the Rules and Regulations
for the Protection from Contamination, Degradation and Pollution of the New York
City Water Supply and Its Sources (1997),
Section 18-82. The Rules
and Regulations specify that the Croton Plan will:
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Identify
significant sources of pollution to the Croton watershed system;
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Recommend
measures to be taken by the northern Westchester watershed municipalities,
Westchester County and the New York City Department of Environmental
Protection (NYC DEP) which, in conjunction with other water quality
protection programs (local, state and federal), will prevent degradation to,
and improve water quality of the Croton watershed, with the long term goal
of attaining water quality standards in the Croton system as set forth in
the NYC
Watershed Rules and Regulations; and
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Recommend
measures to be taken to protect the character and special needs of
communities located within the watershed.
The
Croton Plan, together with work produced through the Westchester County
Wastewater Diversion Study, will serve as a resource for identifying and
prioritizing eligible implementation projects for the East of Hudson Water
Quality Investment Program. The
following information serves as the revised work plan based on the past 16
months of work conducted as part of the development of the Croton Plan.
This document will serve to further identify how the Croton Plan will
be developed within the 48-month plan preparation period as allocated in
the Rules and Regulations and sets
forth the proposed components. Click
here to view a slide presentation that highlights general information
contained within the draft plan.. |Back to
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THE
CROTON WATERSHED - AN OVERVIEW The
Croton Watershed for the New York City water supply system encompasses all or
parts of ten municipalities in Westchester County (the Towns of Bedford,
Cortlandt, Lewisboro, Mt. Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pound
Ridge, Somers, and Yorktown) - a total of 113,265 acres (177 square miles) which
represent 39% of Westchester County’s total area. Two additional Westchester
municipalities that are part of the NYC Watershed, the Town/Village of Harrison
and the Town of Mount Pleasant, are not included in the scope of Croton planning
due to the fact that their watershed land areas lie entirely within the
boundaries of the Kensico Reservoir basin.
The Kensico basin is being studied under other programs through the New
York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP). 
In
physical terms, the Croton Watershed in Westchester County is comprised of the
drainage basins of seven NYC reservoirs - Amawalk Reservoir, Croton Falls
Reservoir, Cross River Reservoir, East Branch Reservoir, Muscoot Reservoir, New
Croton Reservoir and Titicus Reservoir. Only
the basin of the New Croton Reservoir is located entirely in Westchester County;
portions of the other reservoir basins extend into Putnam County, NY and the
State of Connecticut. The
seven reservoir basins can be further divided into 27 subwatershed areas.
These smaller areas, ranging in size from 691 acres (1 square mile) to
11,162 acres (17 square miles), are a critical geographical area for watershed
planning and for “land-based” water quality enhancement and protection
initiatives. The
Croton Watershed municipalities must work together to restore, enhance and
improve water quality throughout the watershed because water quality issues go
beyond the political boundaries of any one municipality. The Resource Structure
described below highlights the importance of coordination in creating the Croton
Plan. |Back to
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RESOURCE
STRUCTURE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE CROTON PLAN
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Description
of Resource Structure Steering
Committee (SC). The
Steering Committee is composed of the Northern Westchester Watershed Committee (NWWC),
the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the County of
Westchester and the New York State Department of Health. The NWWC is composed of
the Supervisors/Mayors of the twelve (12) municipalities of Westchester County
that lie fully or partially within the New York City Watershed.
(Towns/Villages of Bedford, Cortlandt, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mt. Kisco,
Mt. Pleasant, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers and
Yorktown.) The Steering Committee
oversees all aspects of the development of the Croton Plan and its
implementation. Westchester
County Department of Planning (WCDP).
Serves as coordinator and facilitator of the Croton Watershed Water Quality
Planning Program. Watershed
Advisory Committee (WAC). Composed of representatives from government
agencies, non-profit organizations, private business alliances, academic
institutions and professional organizations. The WAC provides additional
guidance in the three subject areas of Croton Planning (Land, Water and
Information and Education) by bringing to bear their experience in natural
resource management, public policy, education and economic development. Work
Groups. Work groups are smaller subcommittees made up of members from the
WAC and MATs showing the greatest interest and technical expertise to address
specific program areas of Croton Planning. The Information and Education Work
Group will exist as a standing work group.
Additional work groups will be created and will continue to meet as the
individual tasks of Croton Planning necessitate. Municipal
Action Team (MAT). Each of the
ten Croton Watershed municipalities has a committee consisting of approximately
5-11 members working on the Croton Plan. MATs
are composed of local municipal officials, board representatives and interested
residents. MATs provide the local component of Croton Planning and assist with
program tasks. |Back to
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WORK
TASKS The
Rules and Regulations specify that
within six months after the release of the draft plan, the final Croton Plan
shall be agreed to by the watershed municipalities and the NYC DEP.
The procedures for this “agreement” are set forth in section 18-82,
paragraph (D)(1-6) of the Rules and Regulations. It
is anticipated that some of the programs and projects identified during the
development period of the Croton Plan will be recommended for immediate
implementation. In other words, implementation
of water quality protection, public education and regulatory programs will not
necessarily be delayed until the completion of the entire Croton Planning
process. As the results of
individual completed work tasks are reviewed, implementation will be considered.
Any such implementation will require individual compliance with SEQR
procedures and determinations. The
original work plan (dated December 1998) identified 17 work tasks to meet the
regulatory requirements of the Croton Plan as found within the Rules
and Regulations. This
revised work plan will revisit the 17 work tasks and repackage them in relation
to the major planning initiatives and other efforts of the planning program at
this time. The
discussion will continue with the division of work tasks according to three
general subject areas:
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LAND
MANAGEMENT
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WATER
MANAGEMENT, and
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INFORMATION
OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
Emphasis
will be placed on planning elements that are currently underway and those which
will be undertaken in the future. I.
LAND MANAGEMENT
Areas
of Study:
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Comprehensive
Land Use Update (Tax parcel basis)
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Community
Sustainability
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Economic
and Population Characteristics and Trends
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County
and Local Ordinance Review
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Impact
of Rules and Regulations
Local
government regulation of land use and development impacts the way in which a
waterhed is managed. It is
important to understand the current regulatory framework for actions taken
within each municipality and to relate these regulations and practices to
basin-wide protection efforts. The
development of the Croton Plan relies heavily on the use of Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) and local tax parcel data and assessment information.
In Westchester County all local communities maintain their own tax maps.
The development of the Croton Plan has enabled the County to obtain
digital tax parcel and assessment data for each property within the Croton
Watershed. This allows for
effective analysis at a level where local communities can begin to understand
the importance of their actions in regards to protecting water quality. Consideration
of land management techniques in relation to water quality includes many
different types of analysis. The
studies currently underway include:
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Assessment
of Community Sustainability (Character)
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Analysis
of Economic and Population Characteristics and Trends
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Impervious
Surface Analysis
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Development
Potential (Build-Out) Analysis
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County
and Local Ordinance Review
II.
WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
Areas
of Study:
Every
action taken on the land (development, preservation, building on steep slopes,
etc.) has a direct impact on water quality.
The Croton Plan is affording Westchester County with an opportunity to
establish water quality baselines and attempt to quantify the water quality
impact of various land management decisions.
Coordination and use of analysis conducted in water management studies
with analysis conducted through land management studies will help to direct
changes in governmental, business and resident behavior towards protecting and
preserving water quality protection within the Croton Watershed. The
studies currently underway include:
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Determination
of water resource condition
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Identification
and assessment of municipal housekeeping practices
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Natural
feature assessment (streams/wetlands)
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Inventory
of water quality problem areas
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Management
recommendations to improve water quality in the watershed
III.
INFORMATION, OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
Areas
of Study:
Building
consensus for common goals and objectives regarding water quality is crucial to
the successful development and implementation of the Croton Plan.
To effectively change individual, business and governmental behavior in
the watershed understanding of problems, tools and techniques to improve
watershed problems is essential. The
following studies will assist with obtaining and disseminating information and
educating watershed stakeholders.
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Identification
of watershed stakeholders
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Defining
an information and education plan
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Creating
effective marketing tools to “sell” watershed protection (Water quality
guide, newsletters, etc.)
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Technical
training regarding incorporation of recommendations of the Croton Plan into
everyday decision making processes in the local communities.
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Watershed Resources and Links:
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WATERSHED
CONTACT:
Tracey Corbitt, Principal Planner
148 Martine Avenue, Room 432
White Plains, NY 10601
tsc1@westchestergov.com
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