Project Information

Title: Reducing Cordova Snowmelt Pollution to Marine Habitat 15120112-C

Project Year and Number: 2015: 15120112-C

Other Fiscal Years and Numbers for this Project: 2014: 14120112-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) will demonstrate that application of Best Management Practices (BMPs) 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 BMP procedures and structures that could help reduce the concentration of contaminants in snow melt run-off, implement BMP structures at up to 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 (241 KB)

Reports:
Final Report: View (6,084 KB)

Publications from this Project: None Available