Project Information

Title: NOAA Harbor Protection Program – Snow Management Analysis 14120112-C

Project Year and Number: 2014: 14120112-C

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2015: 15120112-C, 2013: 13120112-C

Principal Investigator (PI): Kristin Carpenter

Managing Agency: NOAA

Assisting Personnel: None

Research Location: Cordova

Restoration Category: General Restoration

Injured Resources Addressed: Not Specified

Abstract:

The Copper River Watershed Project (CRWP) proposes to demonstrate that application of best management practices to managing snow in a developed community will improve the water quality of snowmelt discharges that flow directly into the Cordova harbor and Orca Inlet, the habitat range of the majority of PWS juvenile herring. Synthesized research on the long-­term effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill found that chronic persistence of oil has sub-lethal impacts on marine populations. Over the course of a winter, contaminants that commonly accumulate in snow include oil, grease, sediment, nitrogen, phosphorous, and metals. The CRWP will work with the City of Cordova and the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities to examine current snow handling practices in Cordova, identify Best Management Practice procedures and structures that could help reduce the concentration of contaminants in snow melt run-off, implement BMP structures at three snow storage sites, conduct water quality testing to assess the effectiveness of the BMP structures, and produce a guidance report for distribution to other municipalities.


Proposal: View (245 KB)

Reports:
Annual Report FY14: View (237 KB)
Final Report: See Project 15120112-C

Publications from this Project: None Available