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| LET'S DO WHAT WE CAN TO SAVE CALVERTON GRASSLANDS! (click here for google map) Proposal presented to the Riverhead Town Board Work Session October 4, 2007 |
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Proposal for
OPEN SPACE AT EPCAL 10/1/07 Of the 2,948 acres at EPCAL, it is proposed that 1,820 acres (+/- 62% of total area) be protected: - Protect the 144.8-acre parcel zoned for office (0600-135-1-7.4) located in the northeast quadrant (freshwater wetlands/kettlehole ponds, rare species, steep slopes, woodlands) - Protect the 423 acres parcel in the Pine Barrens Core (Core Pine Barrens - groundwater protection ; deepest aquifer; wetlands; rare species; contiguous forest) - Protect the +/- 800 acres of grasslands bordering the runways (habitat for significant grassland bird species; largest contiguous grassland habitat on Long Island). - Protect freshwater wetlands and kettlehole depressions throughout and buffers around them (wetlands, rare species, slopes, ground and surface water quality). - Protect the groundwater and surface waters generally on site as they contribute to the Peconic River and Peconic Estuary (and, in the northern sections of the property, to the Long Island Sound Estuary). - Remediate/restore open space areas contaminated by former industrial and military operations. - 1,127 acres (38%) available for development (Note: even if 65% clearing limitation under zoning is applied to the 1,127 acres to be developed, 733 acres, or 25% of the site could be devoted to buildings, roads, runways, landscaped areas and outdoor recreational facilities. Natural Resources 1. Topography (based on SCDPW 5' topo maps and FEMA flood map, see attached Flood Maps): It is telling that the EPCAL property was known as the Peconic River Airport when Lockwood, Kessler and Bartlett made the 5' topographic maps for the Suffolk County Department of Public Works in 1974. The central and southern portion of the site appears to be part of the north slope of a larger river valley which drains east and south into the Peconic River (and the series of groundwater ponds on and south of EPCAL). The surface of the site slopes gradually from the northwest to the southeast. Elevations range from a high of 89' a.m.s.l. in the north central portion southwest of where the two runways meet, to a low of 34.5 feet a.m.s.l. in the southeastern portion, +/- 500 feet north of the waters of the Peconic River. This vertical drop of some 55 feet occurs over nearly two horizontal miles of land. There are some areas of steeper slopes on the site, most notably around the ponds in the northeast, but over all, the slope is gradual. A number of surface depressions scattered throughout the site appear to be glacial kettlehole formations, some of which bottom out in standing water, below the top of the water table, and some of which are just low areas on the terrain. The FEMA flood map, an overlay of which is attached, shows that virtually the entire site is free from flood hazard, with the exception of the south central area around McKay Lake, which is within a 100 year flood plain associated with the Peconic River (see attached map). 2. Hydrology and Wetlands (see attached NYSDEC freshwater wetlands maps and Groundwater Contours Maps): Based on the attached Water Table Contour Maps prepared by TNC staff in March and September of 1997, groundwater elevations range from around 30 feet a.m.s.l. in the north eastern corner (dry season) to a high of 44 feet a.m.s.l. (wet season) in the western portion of the site within the Core Pine Barrens Area. The significant reservoir of groundwater (estimated to be some 1650 vertical feet thick beneath the western portion of the property) is flowing (+/- one foot per day) to the east, southeast and northeast, as a result of the even larger volumes of mounded freshwater in the central pine barrens to the west. The TNC maps indicate that the groundwater moving beneath approximately the southern 3/4 of the property is flowing east and south, into the groundwater ponds on site and south of the site (Calverton Ponds) and into the Peconic River. A smaller portion of the groundwater beneath the northern section of the property, appears to be moving east and north to Long Island South. (The Navy project to clean up a jet fuel spill on site indicates that the spilled fuel is moving from the south central portion of the property south and east into the Peconic River). The southeastern portion of the EPCAL site (perhaps 20% of the total land area) has a surface elevation of less than 50' a.m.s.l. and a groundwater table elevation of +/- 40 feet a.m.s.l. indicating a depth to groundwater in some parts of this area of less than 10 feet. (see also soils below). Based on the NYSDEC freshwater wetlands maps and the other maps in this report, there appear to be +/- 10 separate wetland ponds scattered about the site. These wetlands appear to be the exposed top of the groundwater table, and so would rise and fall with the water table depending upon precipitation. A significant system of freshwater ponds within preserved lands exist to the south of the site. (Calverton Ponds). These ponds are hydrologically related to the aquifer and groundwater beneath the EPCAL site. The largest area of standing water on site, called out as McKay Lake (+/- 8 acres in area) is not mapped on the NYSDEC freshwater wetlands map and may be a recharge basin for the on-site sewage treatment plant (?). Most of the Natural Heritage occurrences on the site are found within the wetland ponds on site (see also Flora and Fauna below). No tidal wetlands are located on the Property. 3. Soils: According to the USDA soils survey (see attached soils map) the EPCAL site is in a transition zone between the Havens (Ha) and Riverhead (Rd) prime agricultural soils to the east and north, and Carver Plymouth(Cp) and Plymouth (Pl) soils, typical of the pine barrens and deep groundwater recharge areas, to the west and south. The soils map also shows that the entire areas beneath and around the runways, taxiways and commercial buildings which were part of the old facility, were disturbed, graded and perhaps amended when the construction occurred. These areas are shown on the attached soils map as CuB, or, cut and filled land. It seems likely that, when the Peconic River Airport was built, the builders found a large site, out of Town, which was not well suited for agricultural use. They chose the edge of the pine barrens. 4. Infrastructure: Although not part of this overview of natural resources and land use controls, in considering the future use of EPCAL it is critical to be aware of the infrastructure in place there, including: 1) a +/- 7,000 and +/- 10,000 foot runway with taxiways. The longer runway is in use, the shorter runway is closed; 2) a sewage treatment plant; 3) public water supply; 4) utilities (electric, phone, cable); 5) a former railroad spur connecting the LIRR; 6) Fuel storage facilities; 7) Commercial buildings and a road system. The 1047 acre Calverton National Cemetery is immediately across Middle County Road from EPCAL to the northwest. Groundwater Protection and Wastewater: EPCAL is entirely within a Deep Groundwater Recharge Area (Hydrogeologic Zone III), as established by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS). Deep Groundwater Recharge areas are lands within the County which "contribute recharge water to a deep groundwater flow system, thus replenishing the quantity and affecting the quality of the long-term water supply." Due to its sensitivity and importance to the County's water supply, SCDHS carefully controls the storage and discharge of any hazardous materials, and the quantity and quality of wastewater, including sewage, which is discharged into Deep Groundwater Recharge areas. At EPCAL, SCDHS required the Town and private developers to record covenants insuring that all wastewater at EPCAL will be treated in a sewage treatment plant before it can be discharged into the ground on site. The existing plant has a capacity of 168,000 gallons per day, or 56,000 gallons for each of three potential 8 hour shifts in each day. At present it is operating for eight hours per day, at 1/3 capacity and treats 56,000 gallons per day. The treated waste is discharged into McKay Lake along the southern boundary of the site, within the Peconic River and Peconic Estuary watershed. The treatment plant is proposed to eventually be upgraded to a capacity of 250,000 gallons per day, as the need and tax base increases. The Town has secured a $2.5 million funding commitment from NY State (EPF) but must raise the other $2.5 million of estimated project costs from a special district tax on the Calverton Sewer District. At present there is insufficient demand and tax base within the sewer district to support such an upgrade. It is also proposed that the upgraded treatment plant would discharge at a new location, north and east of McKay Lake outside of the Peconic River and Peconic Estuary watershed. Using the SCDHS formula which relates the square footage of general industrial buildings with the amount of wastewater they are expected to generate (.04 gallons per day per s.f.), one can anticipate that the existing plant, operating at 1/3 capacity, can treat 56,000 gallons a day and support 1,400,000 square feet of general industrial floor area. (The sewage flow for office space is higher and the plant can support less office space). If the EPCAL sewage treatment plant is upgraded in the future, as proposed, to be able to treat 250,000 gallons per day and is operated at full capacity, it could support 6,250,000 sq. feet of general industrial floor area. If one converts this 6,250,000 s.f. of general industrial floor area into acres, the upgraded plant could support 143 acres of general industrial office space if all the buildings were one story. Assuming that another 143 acres was used for parking in these buildings, and another 143 acres was used for landscaped areas for these buildings, (all of these estimates are conservative) the Town would consume 429 acres of land at EPCAL, or 15% of the site, if it were built to capacity with industrial buildings. We go through this analysis to demonstrate that our proposal, which in its most ambitious form leaves 733 acres for development, would allow the Town to build out EPCAL to industrial capacity with parking, and landscaping (429 acres) and still have 304 acres left for outdoor recreational uses. This is why we believe, that with a property the size of EPCAL, responsible economic development and significant open space can not only co-exist, but complement and enhance one another 5. Flora and Fauna The EPCAL site contains the largest and most contiguous grassland community remaining on Long Island. These grasslands are of the highest quality, as measured by the variety and abundance of grassland-dependent species supported by this ecosystem. The New York Natural Heritage Program found eight occurrences of notable species on site in the late 1990's: Eastern Tiger Salamander (5 occurrences), Coastal Barrens Buckmoth, Slender Pinweed, and Rose Coreopsis. The conservation status of these species, many of which include various legal protections applicable to both the species and their habitats, are as follows: Eastern Tiger Salamander (New York State Endangered Species), Coastal Barrens Buckmoth (NYS Species of Special Concern), Slender Pinweed (NYS Threatened Species) and Rose Coreopsis (NYS rare native plant that have from 20 to 35 extant sites or 3,000 to 5,000 individuals statewide) Three herpetological surveys completed in the past ten years identified 24 species of reptiles and amphibians at or near this site, including one Endangered Species (Eastern Tiger Salamander) and five Species of Special Concern (Marbled Salamander, Eastern Spadefoot, Spotted Turtle, Eastern Box Turtle, and Eastern Hognose Snake). Several active Eastern Tiger Salamander ponds have been found on the EPCAL site. Legal protections afforded to these breeding sites by New York State include preservation of the breeding sites and of substantial adjacent buffer zones, thereby potentially impacting the development potential of a significant portion of the EPCAL site. Avifaunal surveys of the EPCAL site have been conducted by the New York State DEC and by the National Audubon Society and supplemented by records of local bird experts. Since 1980, 119 bird species have been recorded on or near EPCAL, with 95 species reported as possible, probable, or confirmed breeders in the most recent survey (NYS-DEC 2000-2005 Breeding Bird Atlas). Twenty-six grassland-dependent species are found at this site, including one Threatened Species (Northern Harrier) and five Species of Special Concern (Common Nighthawk, Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, Vesper Sparrow, and Whip-poor-will). Two additional grassland-dependent species found at EPCAL (Eastern Meadowlark and Northern Bobwhite) have recently been designated Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the NYS-DEC. The National Audubon Society's Avian Inventory and Monitoring Surveys identified the EPCAL grasslands as the most successful breeding grounds for Grasshopper Sparrow in all of New York State, as measured by the number of breeding pairs present. Other National Audubon Society surveys have identified this site as important wintering habitat for numerous grassland-dependent species, including Eastern Meadowlark, Northern Harrier, and Rough-legged Hawk. The EPCAL grasslands are within the Long Island Pine Barrens Important Bird Area. This designation was made, in part, to highlight the importance of these grasslands to the continued survival of grassland-dependent species. Grassland-dependent bird species are the most rapidly declining of all North American bird populations, due primarily to habitat loss. |