Thames River Basin Partnership Floating Workshop #21

Each year, the Thames River Basin Partnership has hosted its flagship event - the annual Floating Workshop. As the name of the event implies, there typically is an on-water component to this workshop.

In 2021, we opted for an all outdoor Covid-19 compatible paddle on the Poquonnuck River in Groton, Connecticut. We launched from the Bluff Point State Park boat launch and paddled to Bushy Point Beach, a barrier beach at the mouth of the Poquonnuck River where it joins with Fisher Island Sound.

According to criteria developed by Save the Sound, the water in the eastern end of Long Island Sound has very good water quality ratings. Note that the coastal embayments are not graded as part of this effort.

The intent of this workshop was to call attention to the coastal embayments that often have water quality concerns.

We began the workshop with an explanation of water quality indicators. Under the guidance of Project Oceanology (Project O) educators Deb Sayer and Marissa Gustafson, our workshop participants collected water samples from both sides of the barrier beach and assessed them. Why the different parameters were measured and what is a normal or abnormal reading was explained to the workshop participants who were deputized as "Citizen Scientists".

Sometimes certain organisms act as bio-indicators of water quality. DeAva Lambert of CT DEEP explained the significance and value of Eel Grass, Zostera marina, a flowering underwater plant that was once more commonly found in our coastal embayments. According to the CT DEEP website, eel grass beds are "among the most productive marine habitats, providing shelter and feeding opportunities for a wide variety of fish and invertebrates including winter flounder, bluefish, striped bass and blue crabs. Eelgrass abundance has declined dramatically in the past 20-30 years, most likely from a combination of natural and human factors."

DEEP scientist will be surveying Connecticut coastal areas for eel grass populations using drones in 2021.

DeAva shared the success story of an eel grass bed recovery in Mumford Cove, a tidal cove located on the opposite side of Bluff Point State Park. The Mumford Cove eel grass population was nearly wiped out when the cove became over enriched with nutrients contained in the outflow of a sewage treatment plant. In place of eel grass, a green seaweed, Ulva lactuca, commonly known as sea lettuce, became predominant in the cove. After the outfall from the sewage treatment plant was relocated to the Thames River, the Mumford Cove water quality greatly improved and the eel grass can be found there once again.

Jean Pillo, Watershed Conservation Project Manager at Eastern Connecticut Conservation District, Thames River Basin Partnership Coordinator and want-to-be Jacques Cousteau, shared her knowledge of Long Island Sound molluscs and the reason why many coastal areas are closed for shellfish harvesting for the purpose of direct consumption. It is because many coastal shell-fishing areas have high pathogen levels in the water. The bivalve shellfish we eat are filter feeding organisms. Their main food source is plankton. Their feeding method involves indiscriminately sucking in water and everything in it into their stomach. If there are disease-causing organisms in that water from land runoff or illicit discharges from boats or shoreline sources, those pathogens can accumulate in the stomach of the shellfish. Many types of shellfish are traditionally eaten raw.

Some shellfish, like oysters, can be dredged up and temporarily relayed to areas with cleaner water and left in place until any residual pathogens in the stomach are broken down. Hard shell and soft shell (steamer) clams are not easy to temporarily relocate, and therefore it would be unsafe to eat them if harvested from pathogen contaminated areas.

Maura Robie, Natural Resource Specialist at Eastern Connecticut Conservation District, gave an example of how water quality issues and data can be converted into actions. As the coordinator for the Baker Cove Watershed Committee, locally known as BaCWaC, she explained how  Baker Cove Track Down Survey and Abbreviated Watershed-Based Plan  prepared by ECCD in 2011 has evolved into an inter-municipal and inter-agency effort to reduce non-point pollution sources in the Birch Plain Creek/Baker Cove watershed. Baker Cove is not meeting water quality standards for shellfish harvesting for direct consumption. The goal of this effort is to restore the water quality in Baker Cove.

Baker Cove is located on the opposite side of the Groton/New London Airport, which forms the western bank of the lower Poquonnuck River. For a more detailed information about the BaCWaC, its work plan and accomplishments, visit  https://conservect.org/eastern/watershed-committees/ .

Eric Thomas, a Watershed Manager at CT DEEP (and longest serving TRBP Partner), gave a shoreline presentation on current interagency and partner efforts focused on coastal embayments.

IWRM is a newer, enhanced process for surface waters in Connecticut, covering the period 2016-2022. DEEP’s Water Quality Unit managing the IWRM process relies heavily on both internal and external partnerships. The process focuses on existing programs to meet water quality goals with existing regulatory approaches. The outcome of this focus is developing plans to address water quality concerns.

IWRM priorities through Year 2022 are based on use of a USEPA screening tool with customized data, and with feedback and documented partnerships and evaluation of existing resources.

For coastal embayments, DEEP has been accepting data from the  Save the Sound Unified Water Study  (UWS). Data collected through this UWS by trained volunteers following an approved Quality Assurance Project Plan are useful to characterize water quality and provide data for modeling coastal embayments identified through IRWM process for prioritization.

An IWRM “3.0” can be expected with public outreach in late 2022-2023 that includes a review, adjustment, and development of a list going forward for the next ten years.

The CT IWRM current priorities for four coastal embayments for action plan development in southeastern CT region are:

• Pawcatuck River Embayment (Nutrients): Protection and Restoration
• Stony Brook Frontal (Nutrients, Aquatic Life): Restoration
• Mystic River Embayment (Nutrients): Restoration
• Niantic River Estuary (Bacteria, Nutrients): Restoration

For more information, visit the  CT IWRM website .

The Pawcatuck River watershed includes land in both Connecticut and Rhode Island. The lower reach of the river is part of the state boundary. The river has multiple water quality issues. One of the most significant is nutrient pollution impacting the estuary. A study of these watershed issues is being supported by the Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Watershed Grants. SNEP grants are funded by the U.S. EPA through a collaboration with Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE). To learn more about this interstate effort to focus on the Pawcatuck River, you can view its  storymap .

Before returning to our starting point, workshop participants were able to participate in collecting fish to stock the educational tanks at Project O before the start of their summer camp program.

The Thames River Basin Partnership would like to thank our workshop sponsors and supporters.

•  The Last Green Valley, Inc. 
•  Project Oceanology 
•  CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 
•  Eastern Connecticut Conservation District 
•  The American Canoe Association 

The Thames River Basin Partnership Coordinator is funded by The Last Green Valley, Inc. through a cooperative agreement with The Last Green Valley, Inc, and the Eastern Connecticut Conservation District.