Excavation is underway on a first-of-its-kind North Fork wetland restoration project just south of Main Road in Aquebogue — a two-step ecological experiment that could serve as a prototype for other distressed waterways, including Meetinghouse Creek.
A unique natural stormwater catchment system is being installed to capture road silt, farm runoff, lawn chemicals and nitrogen before they reach Peconic Bay. The goal is improved water quality in Meetinghouse Creek, a rejuvenated marshland, the removal of invasive phragmites and relief from flooding that has long plagued Church Lane.
It has taken decades for this watershed to become choked with invasive plants and buried beneath significant road sediment. For the past decade, Meetinghouse Creek — which is on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s list of impaired water bodies because of elevated nitrogen levels and pathogens — has been the focus of numerous meetings, engineering designs, cost estimates, surveys and a 253-page report from the Peconic Estuary Partnership that spanned several administrations at Riverhead Town Hall.
“Right now, there’s 18 inches of silt in a 40-inch drainage pipe,” said Joyce Novak, executive director of the Peconic Estuary Partnership. “And just like a pipe in your house, it has to be maintained. We should have started this 20 years ago.”
The project area is west of the Aquebogue Cemetery and upstream from Crescent Duck Farm. The first engineering study was conducted in 2019, but the COVID-19 pandemic the following year delayed the project. Finalizing permits and signing contracts added four more years of delay.
“It took different layers of government to get to this point,” said Riverhead Deputy Supervisor Devon Higgins.
Green infrastructure
With the noisy backdrop of two pieces of heavy machinery working in tandem to clear the 1.5-acre site by scooping and piling phragmite-filled soil, town consultant Will Bowman, principal of Land Use Ecological Services in Medford, explained the twofold process.
“First is to control stormwater and minimize the impact downstream. Second is to get rid of invasives and have this system trap sediments before they flow into the bay.”
The phragmites have “overrun” the area, according to Joe Rutt Jr., a civil engineer for the Town of Riverhead.
“We’re restoring the wetlands here,” he said. “This is green infrastructure, using nature to mitigate stormwater.”
Bowman described the marsh as being “wrecked with invasives,” noting that it is not realistic to expect every piece of the plant’s root system to be removed during the clearing process. The Town of Riverhead will monitor and maintain the area, remove any remaining phragmites, collect trapped pollutants and dispose of them at a DEC-approved site in Speonk.
Drainage ‘not working’
Once the land is cleared, upgrading the drainage system from Route 25 to capture rainwater and runoff will be the next phase of construction. By fall, stormwater will flow into a 1,400-square-foot sediment forebay that is 3 feet deep and a larger micro-pool measuring 5,250 square feet and 4 feet deep. The accumulated silt will be removed every six months by the town.
A mineral-rich sandy substrate will fill the area, creating a more nutrient-dense wetland, according to Bowman. The hope is that less contaminated sediment will reach the headwaters of Meetinghouse Creek Park, the waterfront near On the Docks restaurant and the Great Peconic Bay marina.
The environmentally friendly filtration system also includes a series of bioswales — trenches lined with rocks, wood chips and native plants that act as natural filters, collecting road chemicals, fertilizers and nitrogen before they can damage the watershed.
That phase of the project remains in the planning stages. The bioswales will be installed farther north along the creek’s tributary near Church Lane.
“This part still has to be funded; it’s a long-term project,” said Drew Dillingham, superintendent of sanitation for the Town of Riverhead.
“Everyone who drives on Church Lane after heavy rain knows the drainage is not working,” said Mark Haubner, co-chair of the town’s Environmental Advisory Committee. Haubner said that “if this works, it could possibly be a model for other wetlands.”
‘Thrilled’
The area will then be replanted with native vegetation, creating a functioning wetland habitat for wildlife. According to Bowman, 160 native trees and shrubs — including red maple, tupelo, pin oak, sweet pepperbush and silky dogwood — will be planted, along with 17,560 native marsh plants and wildflower plugs, including broad-leaved cattail, woolgrass, native sedges and rushes, switchgrass, swamp milkweed and ironweed. The expectation is that once the phragmites are removed, native vegetation will flourish.
The project carries an estimated price tag of $1.235 million. Several government agencies are sharing the cost. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allocated $600,000. The office of state Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio contributed $50,000. Suffolk County provided a $235,000 Water Quality Estuary Program grant, and the New York State Environmental Facilities Corp. contributed $350,000.
“This waterway has been impaired. The more we can do for these water bodies to be healthy again, we’ll have cleaner water going into the creek,” Giglio said. “This project is definitely a model, and it has been a priority for a while.”
“These types of projects take a long time, but the Riverhead Town Board is so on board with this,” Novak said. “It’s coming to fruition, and it will make a big difference. This is a great opportunity to create a functioning wetland and healthy salt marsh and avoid direct discharge into the bay.”
Higgins said there has been little opposition from the community.
“Our friends and partners in this project are thrilled that it’s finally happening,” she said.
~ Inspired choice of background music, and an exciting development for our native habitat & watershed. thanks. ~