Water and Soil - Project Planning and Management for Ecological Restoration - page 105

shoreline protection. Oyster beds require stable substrate to attach. Concrete balls were inocu-
lated with spat (young oysters) and grown off-site in favorable conditions prior to being placed
in the bay. After two years, growth is continuing on the balls and this technique is considered
successful. The filtering action by oysters will contribute to cleaning and polishing the water
and will provide improved habitat so that the eelgrass ( Zostera marina ) beds can become es-
tablished. Eelgrass was planted in a few locations to determine whether it would thrive. The
results were not conclusive; most plants were alive but not thriving. The conclusion is that the
water is not clear enough yet for the eelgrass to establish strong beds at this time. The idea is
that if a colony can get started, it would then improve the habitat so it could be self-sustaining.
The natural islands occurring in the bay have been eroding at high rates since the dredging
activity and sea level rise. The steep slope and depths of the bay bottom are such that using
traditional methods of rock protection were not considered viable. To protect the shoreline, a
floating device was needed, because the slope of the bottom is too steep. The solution was a
wave attenuator system; these items are floating platforms anchored by chain to the bay bottom
and located offshore of the islands. This positioning serves to break up the energy of the waves
and currents. This interruption of the waves also causes the sediment to drop out and eventu-
ally raise the elevation of the bottom and promote a change in topography around the islands.
Stormwater management is a major focus for watershed actions. Several actions have
been identified that could be used in the watershed with varying degrees of effectiveness and
practicality. Because no one system will function the same in all areas and the circumstanc-
es may change from street to street, a method was needed to aid the planners, designers, and
decision makers in the best management practices. That method or tool was the Ecological
Atlas (EcoAtlas) developed by their consultant. It is a compilation of data throughout the
watershed with associated photographs using a GIS-type format so that the information can
be used to maximum extent.
The stormwater management features will include enhanced tree pits, street-side infil-
tration swales, bioretention areas, wet meadow, porous asphalt, and FilterPave in addition
to blue and green roof features. Pilot studies for several of these features are under way, with
data being collected for comparative purposes and evaluation.
In addition to these various activities and pilot programs, the city has been supporting
through direct and matching funds the active restoration of degraded marshes around the
bay. Several projects have been initiated in the past and are included in various manage-
ment plan programs for the future. The work is done by a wide range of organizations and
volunteers as well as involving the communities and related agencies.
This broad program of projects and actions is designed to clean and redirect the water, and
delay its path to the bay to prevent overwhelming the sewage and stormwater system. Some of
the activity is designed to help start reestablishing specific benthic organisms that filter the water
to create suitable areas for benthic populations to become established. While it is not feasible
to return the bay bottom to its original elevation, maintaining and enhancing the remaining
islands will afford significant habitats for future colonization and visitation by mobile species.