2005 Current Issues
August, 2005
Water Resource Division, Fort Collins
The "Assessment of Coastal Water Resources and Watershed Conditions at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve (FL)" (Technical Report NPS/NRWRD/NRTR-2005/340) has been completed and is now up on the WRD web site. This report, fifth in a series of fifty-two reports planned for coastal units of the national park system, summarizes the status of coastal park resources including water quality, habitat condition, invasive species, extractive uses, coastal development, and other issues affecting their condition, identifies knowledge gaps, and makes recommendations concerning further studies that address resource gaps. The report is a cooperative effort of the University of Florida (Department of Environmental Engineering), Timucuan Ecological and Historic Reserve, the Southeast Coast Inventory and Monitoring Network, the South Florida / Caribbean Cooperative Ecosystem Study Unit and the Water Resources Division.
June/July, 2005
DOE Releases Final EIS for Moab Site -
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Remediation of the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings, Grand and San Juan Counties Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was released in late July. After receiving comments on the Draft EIS issued in November 2004 in which no preferred alternative was selected, DOE subsequently (April 2005) announced that they would elect to recommend as their preferred alternative in this Final EIS “offsite disposal using predominately rail transport to the Crescent Junction, Utah, site and active ground water remediation”. With the release of the final EIS this preferred alternative becomes official. NPS has been an active federal stakeholder and participant in formulating the site characterization and ground water cleanup strategy over several years and has worked with DOE and other stakeholders toward the favorable outcome this formal recommendation now reflects. DOE will specify its final decision on which alternatives to implement in a Record of Decision to be issued not less than 30 days after the U.S. EPA publishes a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.
Water Permit Application Near Pipe Spring NM and Zion NP is Denied -
The Utah State Engineer has issued a decision denying a ground water use permit for Instone Founders, LLC. The application, for a proposed well just north of the Arizona state line, was opposed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The decision is of special note because the Utah State Engineer gave consideration to the potential for impacts to resources of concern on the Kaibab Indian Reservation and at Pipe Springs National Monument, both across the state line in Arizona.
USGS-NPS Water Quality Monitoring Partnership Program, -
A panel consisting of USGS scientists and NPS park, regional and Washington office representatives met during July to evaluate and select projects submitted to the USGS-NPS water quality monitoring partnership program. The panel selected 7 projects and 3 technical assistance requests for FY06 funding. The total funding commitment is about $618,000. The parks and regions will be notified of the selected projects through a memo from the Chief, Water Resources Division pending approval by the Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science.
Watershed Condition Assessment (WCA) Program Planning
The Water Resources Division held a WCA Program planning meeting in July to solicit field input on high-priority WCA needs in parks, and to develop recommendations for how the servicewide FY06 project program should be framed to best meet those needs. Twenty-seven NPS natural resource professionals from parks, regional offices, networks, and Natural Resource Program Center offices participated in this meeting. Servicewide project program funding will be $0.9 million in FY06 and about $2.2 million/yr in FY07 and later. Among other meeting outcomes, participants recommended that the program fund a series of ecological resource assessments at a watershed scale, or in a watershed context, in all 270+ "natural resource" parks. A draft WCA Program Implementation Plan will be prepared and distributed for broader NPS review and comment by the fall of 2005.
April, 2005
Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area
Large river flows in association with high flows in tributary streams caused widespread damage to natural and cultural resources, as well as, infrastructure. A team from the NRPC including staff from the Geologic and Water Resources Divisions traveled to the park shortly after the flood to assist park managers in developing an action plan for remediation activities. The team, with assistance from park and region staff recommended a suite of activities to repair erosion and to stabilize banks where threats to resources or infrastructure exist. However, such actions were recommended where circumstances warrant. Wherever possible, the team recommended not interfering with natural fluvial processes thus promoting the beneficial effects of flood disturbance for aquatic and riparian habitat
March, 2005
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
The Department of Justice, on behalf of the NPS, filed a claim for an absolute in-place ground water right for Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado Water Court on December 30, 2004. The claim is filed pursuant to the “Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000” (P.L. 106-530; November 22, 2000). The Act recognized that the Great Sand Dunes, together with the associated sand sheet and the adjacent wetland and upland, contain a variety of rare ecological, geological, paleontological, scenic, historical, and wildlife components that merit protection. Further, the Act directed the Secretary to pursue water rights to protect those resources. The NPS coordinated the preparation of the claim with the State of Colorado, the Conejos Water Conservancy District, the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and The Nature Conservancy. In response to the claim, 13 objections were filed, including five "objections in support" of the NPS effort to appropriate ground water in the San Luis Valley. The NPS will work with the Department of Justice to resolve the objections and/or litigate the claim as necessary. Perfection of the claim in Water Court may take 2-3 years.
Water Resources Division Planning Products
All planning products, such as Water Resources Scoping Reports and Water Resources Management Plans, completed by WRD since the inception of its planning program in 1991 are now available as PDF files.
Missouri National Recreational River
Published in Water Resources Division Technical Series: “Missouri National Recreational River Water Resources Information and Issues Overview Report, Nebraska-South Dakota” by Don Weeks, David Vana-Miller, and Hal Pranger was published through the WRD technical report series this month. The report summaries the legislative background for the Missouri River; provides an overview of the park’s water resources and places those resources in both a pre-dam and post-dam environmental context; discusses the conceptual underpinnings of large river ecology and their application to the Missouri River; identifies and discusses significant water-related issues that the park is facing; and provides a consolidated list of strategies that will better position the park in providing a greater level of water resource protection. The report is available at http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/planning.cfm.
Water Resources Division, Fort Collins, CO
WRD staff has completed its initial review of first 12 network Phase 3 monitoring plans and protocols - Submitted to the recent Inventory & Monitoring monitoring plan review-a-thon held this January in Florida. As an outgrowth of this review and discussions with network staff during the National I & M Meeting held in Austin, Tx. in February, updated water quality guidance has been generated to support networks in their Phase 3 monitoring plan design. All posted water quality vital signs guidance and related information is available on the WRD water web page at /water/VitalSignsGuidance where vital signs guidance documents and other information will be maintained and updated on regular basis.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore RI/FS Study Work Plans - WRD staff and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore resource managers participated in joint conference calls with EPA, and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to discuss the proposed RI/FS Study Work Plans submitted by the Responsible Parties for the Pines Site. Releases from a fly ash landfill have impacted surface and groundwater that has resulted in replacement of the Town of Pines water supply and a threat to nearby park resources. NPS has been successful in convincing the regulatory community that a more complete and comprehensive site investigation than that proposed by the Responsible Parties should be adopted. Investigation approaches proposed by NPS will ensure that initial site characterization is sufficient to determine if park resources have likely been impacted by past releases or will be threatened by any future releases of contaminants from the landfill.
Death Valley National Park WRD Provides 90 Day Detail to Assist Death Valley NP with Pupfish Recovery- At the request of the Park and Pacific West Region, WRD fishery biologist John Wullschleger has been detailed to Death Valley National Park to serve as Project Manager for the Devil’s Hole pupfish management program. This request is in response to the recent decline in pupfish numbers and need to take immediate action. In conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Nevada Division of Wildlife, John will be working on formulating an emergency response plan, identifying monitoring needs and protocols, coordinating the replacement of monitoring equipment, organizing a science panel to review of existing data and research, assisting in the establishment of additional refugia populations, and coordinating overall monitoring and research efforts. The Park is hoping to create a permanent Devil’s Hole oversight position in the near future.