1. Economic Study for Watts Branch Stream Restoration N. E
Economic Study for Watts Branch Stream Restoration N.E. District of Columbia Mark A. Secrist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive Annapolis, Maryland
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2. Project Background 2001 USFWS Coastal Program and
DC Department of Health entered into agreement to implement stream and riparian habitat restoration project
First Tasks
Watershed assessment of Watts Branch, Hickey Run, and Oxon Run
Selected Watts Branch as first restoration project
Implementation started December and completed in May 2012

3. Project Description Located in NE Washington D.C.
1.8 miles of stream and riparian restoration
3.3 square mile drainage area
Poor in-stream habitat
1,500 tons of bank and bed erosion annually
Located on DC parkland

4. Project Partners D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service)
D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE)
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
National Park Service
Environmental Protection Agency
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Washington Water and Sewer Authority (WASA)

5. Project Design A natural channel design methodology
Watershed based assessment and design
A natural channel design methodology
Improve bedform diversity thru in-stream structures
Floodplain connection and creation
Reduce lateral erosion with bioengineering
Increase riparian buffer width with native grasses, trees, and shrubs
Invasive species removal
Floodplain creation on right bank
Instream structures in photos
– they increase riffle and pool habitat
- decrease stress on banks and reduce erosive forces
Since photo, native plants have been planted on floodplain and adjacent slope

6. Project Photos

7. Project Benefits
Improved bed form diversity from 90% riffle run to 60% riffle and 40% pool
Significant reduction of bed and bank erosion
Increased floodplain storage
Reestablished riparian corridor
Improved water quality – sediment reduction, DO, temperature reductions
Improved habitat for American eel, alewife, and American shad

8. Economic Study
Watts Branch Stream Restoration is one project in set of cases in Economic Impacts of the Department of the Interior’s Programs and Activities Report.
Restoring a Stream, Restoring a Community-Urban watershed restoration fosters community improvement by Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Elizabeth Myrick USGS Fort Collins Science Center

9. Economic Study Background & Methods
Three measures of economic impacts (2011 dollars):
Employment - Includes full time, part time, and temporary jobs
Labor income - Employee wages and salaries, payroll benefits and income of sole proprietors
Value added – Contribution that the expenditures make to Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Geographic Limits
“Local” Area included in study
Reasonable Commuting Distance – 60 miles
Counties that were less than 60 miles from project site

10. Economic Study Results
Construction took approximately 18 months to complete
Due to urban nature of project, much of the money was spent in the “local economy”
Direct Impacts
Created 26 jobs
$1.5 million in local labor income (salary, wages, and benefits)
$1.5 million in local value added (contributions of expenditures to GDP)
Indirect Impacts
Supported an additional 19 jobs
$1.1 million in labor income
$1.9 million value added
Total Impacts
Restoration supported 45 jobs
$2.6 million in local labor income
$3.4 million in value added

11. Additional Benefits DC Parks and People – Green Corps Training
A total of 173 people in 12 cohorts have now completed the full adult job training and readiness program, and thousands of youth have now connected with the youth component of the Corps
They are working in urban forestry, landscaping, park revitalization, urban agriculture, green infrastructure, and a wide range of other trades.
Photo Credit – DC Parks and People

12. Additional Benefits Sanitary sewer upgrades Increased aesthetic values
Improved recreational areas
Improved water quality
The Economic Value of the Riparian Buffers in the Delaware River Basin - August 2018
Estimated value $10,000 per acre
Watts Branch Project Created approximately 12 acres

13. Thanks! Conclusions Economics of restoration projects maybe complex
Economic value of project can be much more than the actual construction costs
Benefits are long term
Thanks!

14. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Chesapeake Bay Field Office
177 Admiral Cochrane Drive
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Mark A. Secrist