Applying Principles for the Ecological Restoration of Aquatic Resources to Legacy Sediment in Pennsylvania Watersheds
Jeffrey Hartranft
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Harrisburg, PA
Dave Goerman
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Harrisburg, PA
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and our partners have developed the legacy sediment removal and aquatic resource restoration management strategy (BMP). The BMP is an aquatic resource restoration approach specifically for legacy sediment degradation and that applies 17 principles of ecological restoration that were developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency over two decades ago. The goal of the BMP is to restore natural characteristics and processes of aquatic resources impacted by legacy sediment. Reference analogs typically buried by legacy sediment include integrated components of wetlands, streams, and floodplains that have regional and multi-watershed applicability. Specific components of aquatic ecosystem reference analogs for site restoration planning, design and implementation often are buried in-situ by legacy sediment. Removing legacy sediment immediately restores natural valley morphology and hydrology that induces ecologic form and process recovery over time, including bidirectional feedback loops. After more than a decade of project implementations and monitoring results, resiliency of restored aquatic ecosystem forms and processes formerly degraded by legacy sediment is demonstrated to result in multiple benefits. These multiple benefits increase the cost-effectiveness of the legacy sediment removal and aquatic resource restoration management strategy when compared to many other conventional aquatic resource management BMP’s.
About Jeffrey Hartranft
Jeffrey L Hartranft is Chief of the Environmental and Geological Services Section in PA DEP’s Bureau of Waterways Engineering and Wetlands, Division of Wetlands, Encroachments, and Training. His educational background is in biology and botany. He began his career working for federal and state water related regulatory programs. He has been a Co-Chair of PA DEP’s Legacy Sediment Workgroup since 2008.
About Dave Goerman
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