Update on DCR Land Acquisition p q MW RA Board of Directors - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Update on DCR Land Acquisition p q

MW RA Board of Directors Meeting March 1 3 , 2 0 1 3 March 1 3 , 2 0 1 3

Jonathan Yeo Director, Division of Water Supply Protection

DCR/ MWRA Water Supply System / pp y y

Quabbin/ Ware/ Wachusett Source Supply Watersheds Source Supply Watersheds

Why Land Acquisition? y q

• The management and maintenance of

watershed lands in a natural condition is paramount to the continuous supply of pure water. water.

• The finest drinking waters in the world are a

product of the natural filtering processes of a f d l d forested landscape.

• The replication of these natural processes using

infrastructure-based treatment and filtration is infrastructure based treatment and filtration is inferior to, and more expensive than, the incomparable benefits derived from watershed land p otection land protection.

Watershed Protection Planning

4 overarching concepts guiding DWSP watershed management: 1 . Protect the m ost sensitive areas of the w atershed through ow nership or agreem ents w ith land ow ners. d l d 2. Manage DWSP-owned properties to protect water quality and provide stewardship of natural resources. 3. Work with watershed communities to protect water resources while accommodating community needs. 4 Monitor to identify potential or existing water quality 4. Monitor to identify potential or existing water quality problems.

Control Program or Measure t t ment ty tion Act nce & ach ces nitoring uality nse

Land Procurement and Land Preservation Programs are major

Land Procurement Land Preservation Land Management Wildlife Managem Public Access Management Watershed Securit Infrastructure Watershed Protect Technical Assistan Community Outre Interpretive Servic Water Quality Mon Environmental Qu Assessment Emergency Respon Source Wildlife      Public Access/        

g j control program for 8 out of the 12 identified sources of pollutants to the watershed system.

Public Access/ Recreation         Timber Harvesting      Wastewater       Roadways/ Railways/ ROWs    Agriculture       Construction        Commercial, Industrial, and Governmental Sites         Residential Sites        Solid Waste Facilities       Future Growth           Climate Change     

Annual Work Plans

Tasks related to the Land Procurement and Land Preservation (Watershed Preservation Restrictions) Preservation (Watershed Preservation Restrictions) are identified in the Annual Work Plans.

DWSP Owned Land - 1985

1985 Fee

• 7.9% owned

7.9% owned

• 5,600 acres almost all

around Reservoir + 2 main tribs

• Little buffer

Wachusett Watershed

DWSP Protected Land - 1995

1985 Fee 1985-1995 Fee, WPR

Wachusett Watershed

DWSP Protected Land - 2005

1985 Fee 1985-2005 Fee, WPR

Wachusett Watershed

DWSP Protected Land - 2013

1985 Fee 1985-2013 Fee, WPR

Wachusett Watershed

DWSP Protected Land - 2013

DWSP Fee and WPR Other Protected Land Other Protected Land

Quabbin and Ware Watersheds

DWSP Watershed Acquisitions 1985 2013 1985 - 2013

Watershed Acres Fee Acres WPR Total Acres Awards % of Total Awards Average Cost/Acre Wachusett 11,428 2,507 13,935 $111,062,135 84% $7,970 Ware 3,396 981 4,377 $12,950,150 10% $2,959 Quabbin 2,060 2,133 4,193 $7,430,200 6% $1,772 , , , , , , Total 16,884 5,621 22,505 $131,442,485 100% $5,841 % of acreage 75% 25%

DWSP Land Ownership Over Time 1985 2013 1985 - 2013

1985 1998 2007 2013 Watershed Acres % of Water- shed Acres % of Water- shed Acres % of Water- shed Acres % of Water- shed Wachusett Reservoir 5,608 7.9% 15,861 22.4% 18,990 26.8% 19,543 27.7% Ware River 19,300 31.3% 22,838 37.0% 23,568 38.2% 23,678 38.4% Quabbin Reservoir 51,792 54.3% 54,203 56.9% 54,517 57.1% 55,985 58.6%

DWSP and Other Protected Land 2013 2013

1985 Fee 1985-2013 Fee, WPR Other Protected Lands

Wachusett Watershed

Protected Lands i DCR/ MWRA W t h d S t in DCR/ MWRA Watershed System 2013

Wachusett Ware Quabbin Total Acres % of Watershed Acres % of Watershed Acres % of Watershed Acres % of Water shed Other Protected Open Space 12,502 17.7% 6,533 10.6% 13,589 14.2% 32,624 14.3% DCR Watershed 19,543 27.7% 23,678 38.4% 55,985 58.6% 99,206 43.5% Total 32,045 45.3% 30,211 48.9% 69,574 72.9% 131,830 57.9%

Land Acres Acquired Annually by Watershed 1985 - 2013 1985 - 2013

Land Acres Acquired Annually by Fee and WPR (1985-2013) WPR (1985 2013)

Scientific Method for Targeting Acquisitions in Wachusett Watershed Acquisitions in Wachusett Watershed

• Land Acquisition Panel formed in 1993

Land Acquisition Panel formed in 1993

• DCR and MWRA scientists, planners, engineers,

and foresters utilized “Expert Choice” analysis of land use factors in Wachusett watershed to determine water quality protection priorities

• GIS used to rate every parcel of land
• GIS used to rate every parcel of land
• Method heralded across water supply and land

planning world

GIS Used to Screen Parcels

• Green is DCR

Protected

Protected

• Yellow is Other

Protected

• Grey is

developed

GIS Used to Screen Parcels

Yellow is Potential Developable Land

Developable Land

Wachusett Land Acquisition Panel Model 2013

Remaining High Priority Lands g g y

Breakdown of Watershed Protection Lands by Rating Group 50 000 60,000 Breakdown of Watershed Protection Lands by Rating Group Wachusett Watershed - 2013 20 000 30,000 40,000 50,000

Acres

Remaining Protected Developed/Un - available

• 10,000

20,000

High Low-Med

Rating Category

DWSP’s Watershed Preservation Restriction Program Restriction Program

• Landowner gives up certain rights to his or her

l d land.

• Rights are permanently removed from the

property, even when it is subsequently sold. property, even when it is subsequently sold.

• Template prohibits activities that can harm

water quality (e.g construction, roads, l k d h l ) ll livestock, motorized vehicles). Allows passive use.

• DCR Monitoring Landowner relations
• DCR Monitoring, Landowner relations,

enforcement (dedicated staff position)

WPR Program g

100

Total Num ber of W PRs

70 80 90 50 60 70 20 30 40 10 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009

Use of Non-MWRA Funds

• Gifts and Bargain Sales
• Gifts and Bargain Sales

(Federal Deductions and State Tax Credits)

• Collaboration with Non-Profits, Municipalities
• USDA’s Forest Legacy Program

M i i l A i i i

• Municipal Acquisitions

“Q2W” Forest Legacy Application Q g y pp

Involvement Involvement

• 23 Landowners
• 7 Towns

4 L d T t

• 4 Land Trusts
• 1 Watershed Group
• 1 State Agency (DCR)

Primarily CRs/WPRs Exemplary benefits: economic, biodiversity, water supply protection, recreation

“Q2W” Forest Legacy Application

Milestones Reached

• Over 500 parcels acquired
• Over 500 parcels acquired
• Over 22,000 acres protected
• Over 5 500 acres in WPRs acquired

Over 5,500 acres in WPRs acquired

• Over $130 million spent
• Wachusett watershed acquisitions played large role in

q p y g successful filtration avoidance decision by federal courts

• Program is a national model in science-based acquisition

targeting and use of GIS targeting and use of GIS

Land Acquisition Strategy FY14-18 q gy

• Allocate $1 million annually for the period of FY14-18.
• Bring additional opportunities of critical nature to the

MWRA Board’s attention MWRA Board s attention.

• Continue focus on acquisition by WPR.

Continue focus on acquisition by WPR.

• Utilize the LAP Wachusett Model to identify high rated

parcels for acquisition.

Land Acquisition Strategy FY14-18 q gy

• Acquire critical lands within the Quabbin Reservoir

cqu e c ca a ds e Quabb ese

• watershed and limited strategic property in the Ware

River watershed.

• Maintain LAP’s regular and detailed review of possible

projects to focus limited financial resources on the projects to focus limited financial resources on the best acquisition opportunities to protect water quality.

AWWA National Award