Gut headcut stabilization completed in the Southgate Watershed in 2017. Summary report and design plans available for download

The Final Hope and Carton Hill Road management Plan has been completed and is available for download under “Reports”


Volunteers construct a rain garden in Hope and Carton Hills as part of an effort to reduce runoff from driveways and protect neighborhood roads from erosion.

Project Background

The watersheds draining to the St. Croix East End Marine Park (STXEEMP) and Buck Island on St. Croix are considered by territorial and federal coastal managers as priorities for restoration and protection. A year-long project has been initiated by the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources to conduct a thorough assessment and develop a management plan for the six east end watersheds, including: Great Pond Bay, Southgate, Solitude, Madam Carty, Teague Bay, and Turner Hole.

Collectively, these six watersheds of the East End encompass approximately 12 square miles of primarily residential and rural/agricultural land use, and some include impaired waters as identified in the 2008 Integrated Waters Report. It is generally believed that that eroding sediment and excess nutrients are the primary sources of water quality impairment for the EEMP and associated reef systems.

Approach

With the help of USDA RC&D, The Nature Conservancy, and other local partners, the Horsley Witten Group identified sources of impairments and developed restoration designs for priority, cost-effective projects.  The main components of this project included;

  1. Compilation of existing data, management plans, and monitoring studies to guide the planning process;

  2. Conducting a number of public meetings to solicit input from local stakeholders on problem areas, management goals, and implementation priorities;

  3. Modeling sediment loads to identify priority restoration areas and help rank implementation options;

  4. Conducting on-the-ground assessments to determine the potential for restoration feasibility;

  5. Crafting watershed management plans to document restoration priorities and implementation strategies; and

  6. Develop engineering designs for priority projects.

Timeline

The final watershed plan was posted in November 2011.

Getting Involved

If you are interested in helping to implement recommendations of the watershed plan, please contact Paige Rothenberger with the STXEEMP.