Abstract

Headwater Streams and Wetlands, Upper Delaware River Basin, New York
Track: Water Resources
Author(s): Jason Berner, Mary Thiesing, Robert Simpson, Claire Jantz

This project acts as a model for identifying ecologic and hydrologic functions of headwater streams and associated wetlands within the Upper Delaware Basin, NY. Geographic Information Systems technologies were employed to prioritize existing headwater streams and wetland landscapes for protection, restoration, and mitigation purposes. The results of this project may assist future floodplain management of the Upper Delaware Basin and provide effective methods for protecting headwater streams and wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

Final products of this project include: GIS maps with accompanying metadata; wetlands and headwater streams identified and classified according to flood mitigation value and other services; and wetlands and headwater streams prioritized according to downstream flood protection value or restoration potential. The final report describes the study and presents recommendations for prioritizing protection and restoration of areas to maximize downstream services as part of an overall flood protection program.

Jason Berner
US EPA, Wetlands Protection Team
24906 W. Pine Lane
Plainfield , Illinois 60586
United States
Phone: 217-417-6362
E-mail: jberner@illinois.edu

Mary Thiesing
US EPA, Wetlands Protection Team
290 Broadway 24th floor
New York City , New York 10007-1866
United States
Phone: 212-637-3818
E-mail: thiesing.mary@epa.gov

Robert Simpson
US EPA Region 2
290 Broadway 23rd Floor
New York City , New York 10007-1866
United States
Phone: 212-637-3594
E-mail: simpson.robert@epa.gov

Claire Jantz
Shippensburg University
1871 Old Main Dr.
Shippensburg , New York 17257-2299
United States
Phone: 717-477-1399
E-mail: cajant@ship.edu