[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                                                                   Took 59     RNAL PRODUCT MPPDC
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                            DRAGON RUN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT 13ROGRAM


                                         ANNUAL RE2ORT, 1994











                                                Jim Uzel
                               Environmental 2rograms Coordinator
                        Middle 2eninsula 21anning District Commission

























                           Prepared by the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission
                          Pursuant to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
                  Award #NA370ZO360-01, under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended










          overview

               The Dragon Run Management Program is a special area management
          planning and implementation project designed to protect the natural
          resources within the ecosystem of the Dragon Run. The watershed of
          the Dragon Run consists of 153 square miles of area including
          portions of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, and Middlesex
          Counties. The stream is forty miles in length and is characterized
          by extensive non-tidal and tidal cypress swamp. The watershed is
          relatively undeveloped, with the majority of land uses being in
          agricultural or forestry activities.      The unique and extensive
          swamp ecosystem coupled with the low intensity of development
          provide for an opportunity to proactively manage the resource to
          maintain the quality of the Dragon Run region.

               This management program has begun the task of preserving the
          quality of the Dragon Run through activities in the following
          areas:


               1.  Dragon Run Steering Committee
               2.  Public Meetings/Information
               3.  Dragon Run Access
               4.  Land Use Data Analysis/Models
               5.  Water Quality Monitoring
               6.  Handbook of Current Programs

          Each of these activities will be detailed in the remainder of    this
          report.


         .Dragon Run Steering Committee

               The. Dragon Run Steering Committee (DRSC) has a ten-year
          history of interest in protecting the Dragon Run and preserving the
          traditional uses of the waterbody and land. In 1987 the Steering
          Committee adopted the Dragon Run Conservation District, modeled
          after a proposed conservation district in Middlesex County. The
          Conservation District was subsequently adopted by three of the four
          counties. In 1989 the DRSC was awarded a citation by the Virginia
          Citizens Planning Association for its citizen-based planning
          efforts.     The DRSC continues this tradition of being a
          citizen/landowner-based    organization    striving   to    formulate
          effective and practical strategies to manage their Dragon Run
          resource.


               In 1994 the Dragon Run Steering Committee was comprised of the
          following members:

               Essex County

                    Larkin Hundley (deceased)
                    Bryan Taliaferro
                    F. L. Garrett, III
                    Dorothy Miller









               GlOUCeSter County

                    Jimmy Morgan
                    Elizabeth DeHardit
                    Buddy Bland

               King and Queen County

                    Russell Williams
                    Jean Barrow
                    Donnie Sears, Chairman

               Middlesex County

                    George Northam, Jr.,
                    Buddy Moore
                    Jerry Bray

          The DRSC  held ten monthly meetings (two months off) in 1994 and
          addressed a variety of issues.

               The Steering Committee provided input on all aspects of the
          Dragon   Run   Watershed   Management    Program.      Efforts    and
          accomplishments by staff were presented to the Steering Committee
          for advice and direction. The following are the major efforts in
          which the DRSC has been involved:

               Dragon Run Public Access--adopted
               Water Quality Monitoring Program
               Public Forum
               Land Use Data
               Handbook of Current Programs
               By-laws Development

          In addition, the Steering Committee has identified several issues
          of concern within the watershed. These issues may be included in
          the policy recommendations in the management plan under
          development:

               Landfills in Watershed
               Illegal Dumping of Solid Waste
               Commercial Development
               Farm Plans
               Forest Harvest
               Regional Authority
               No Wake Zones/Motor Boating
               .Forest Fire Hazards
               Drinking-Water Issues
               Fishery Management
               Enforcement of Existing Rules
               Hunt Club Involvement



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          Public Meetings/Information

               One of the most important tasks of the*Dragon Run Watershed
          Management Program is to involve the public in the decision making
          process at an early stage of development. The Dragon Run Steering
          Committee is the cornerstone of this approach, with landowners and
          boards of supervisors members. However, it is also important to
          provide information and opportunity for input to the public at
          large. In 1994 the effort of public outreach took the form of one
          public meeting, published and open DRSC meetings, and the water
          quality monitoring program.

               The public meeting on the Dragon Run was held on April 13,
          1994, at the Rappahannock Community College Lecture Auditorium.
          Approximately sixty participants were in attendance for the program
          entitled "Reflections on the Dragon" (see Attachment A).

               Meeting notices are sent to all local and regional newspapers
          in advance of each DRSC meeting.       The newspapers publish the
          notices as space permits. The papers include the Tidewater Review,
          Southside Sentinel, Gazette-Journal, Rappahannock Times, Daily
          Press, and Richmond Times-Dispatch. DRSC meetings usually attract
          one to five interested citizens (in addition to DRSC members) who
          are welcome to participate in the agenda discussion.

               The water quality monitoring program start-up was advertised
          widely and requested interested citizens to become involved (more
          on this program below).

               An additional public information activity will be the
          published availability of this annual report.


          Dragon Run Access


               Access to the Dragon Run Stream and lands have long been a
          topic of discussion and controversy among landowners and
          recreationists.    The draft of the Dragon Run Access Plan was
          completed in 1993; however, the text went through several revisions
          prior to adoption of the plan by the Middle Peninsula Planning
          District Commission in July, 1994.

               The Access Plan emphasizes management of access activiti 'es by
          landowners and localities.      Recognizing the wild and natural
          environment of the Dragon Run, limited and accountable access is
          recommended.

               The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission staff has
          also consulted with the Friends of the Dragon Run in their effort
          to purchase property at the New Dragon Bridge for conservation and
          access purposes.    This ef fort is still in progress as of this
          writing.

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             Land Use Data Analysis/Models

                    The technical aspects of developing a watershed management
             program include an analysis of the existing conditions and
             projections of future conditions.                       The 1994 year saw the
             acquisition of land use/land cover data from Landsat and SPOT
             remote sensing satellites and additional hardware to store and
             manipulate the images. The Virginia Department of Environmental
             Quality's ECOMAPS program and the Department of Planning and
             Budget I s Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) of f ice- were
             instrumental in acquiring Landsat and SPOT images for use by the
             Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission. In addition, the
             Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program
             provided Landsat imagery and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model
             documentation.

                    The following images were acquired during 1994:

                    1988 Landsat 30 m multispectral land use/cover classified NOAA
                    1991 Landsat 28.5 m multispectral land use/cover classified
                        EPA
                    1994 SPOT 10 m panchromatic

                    The following land use/land cover analysis of the Dragon Run
             Watershed was completed using the 1988 Landsat image:






                            Dragon Run Land Use Classification--1988 LANDSAT


                                                # Cells       Acres            Sq. miles        %

              I    Developed--High Intensity                                  .1500
                                                       443         98.5
                   Developed--Low Intensity         2,248         500.0        .7800       0.5
              3    Cropland                       50,617     11,257.0       17.6000       12.0
              4    Grassland                      59,448     13,235.0       20.7000       14.0
              5    Deciduous  Forest              119,545    26,615.0       41.6000       27.0
              6    Coniferous Forest              81,5166    18,160.0       28.4000       19.0
              7    Mixed Forest                   74,392     16,554.0       25.9000       17.0
              8    Scrub/Shrub                    3.2,682      2,323.0       4.4000       3.0
              9    Palustrine Forest              33,247       7,402.a      11.5000        8.0
             10    Estuarine Emergent               3,450         768.0       1.2000       0.8
             11    Palustrine Emergent                  2         0.4       0.0007
             12    Tidal Flats
             13    Exposed Land
             14    Water                             2,542        5066.0       0.9000       0.6
                   Total                          440,142    97,992.0       153.0000      1066.0


             Combined Classifications

             Developed              0.5%
             Farmland              26.0%
             Upland Forest         63.0%
             Wetlands/Water        12.0%                 4









          Water Ouality Monitoring

               In early 1994, local newspapers published a call for volunteer
          water quality monitors at the request of the Dragon Run Watershed
          Management Program.    Initial response was good, and ultimately
          eleven citizen monitors and backup monitors were trained under the
          protocol of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Citizen Monitoring
          Program. With the assistance of staff from the Alliance for the
          Chesapeake Bay, six water quality monitoring sites were
          established. Weekly monitoring began at most sites in April, 1994.
          All but two of the sites have had continuity in the weekly sampling
          protocol.    Attachment B shows a map of the sites dispersed
          geographically throughout the watershed.

               The water quality parameters measured At all sites include air
          and water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, secchi depth, and
          observations.    In addition, at three sites, ammonia nitrate is
          measured on a monthly basis.


          Handbook of Current Programs

               One effort suggested by the DRSC was the formulation of a
          watershed handbook for use by the Steering Committee, local
          governments, and citizens which would outline the existing
          regulations and programs in effect at the local, state, and federal
          levels.    The goal of this effort is to identify means of
          enforcement of existing requirements and avoid duplicity in future
          efforts.

               A draft of the handbook is expected in early 1995.


          Continuing Efforts

               The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission will
          continue the Dragon Run Watershed Management Program development
          throughout the coming year. The above efforts will be continued,
          and activity in watershed modelling and policy development will
          intensify.












                                            5














                                                         ATTACHMENT A






                                                  Reflections on the Dracon





















                                        A Program on the Past, Pmsent, and Future of the Dragon Run








                                                        Wednesday, April 13,199,1
                                            Lecture @@all, Rappahannock Community College. Glenns
                                                                Public !nvited









                                                   V    middle peninsula
                                                 planning district commission





                                                                  6






                                                                                                                                                         In 1993, the Steering Committee completed work on the Dragon Run Access
                                                                     PROGRAM                                                                             Plan which stresses the need for managed access and provides mechanisms
                                                                                                                                                         for achieving that goal.

                                     7:00 Welcome--Donnie Sears, Chairman, DRSC                                                                          The DRSC Is comprised of three members from each of the four counties
                                      7:05 Slide Show--Courtesy of Jimmy Morgan *                                                                     .  bordering the Dragon. Of the three In each county's contingent, two are
                                     7:20 Personal Reflections--Louise Eubank Gray                                                                       landowners adjoining the Dragon and one Is a board of supervisors member.
                                  7:40 The DRSC-Watershed Management--Jim Uzel                                                                           Technical advisors assist the group on Issues of mutual Interest.
                                                    8:00 Comments and Questions                                                                          The DRSC considers policy development for Implementation by the Planning
                                                                                                                                                         District Commission or local governments. The present watershed manage-
                                                                                                                                                         ment plan Is an effort in which local governments and the public will be
                                                                                                                                                         Involved.

                                                                The Dragon Run                                                                                                  Watershed Management Planning

                         The Dragon Run Is a forty-mile stream characterized by extensive non-tidal
                         and tidal cypress swamp traversing the Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King                                                      A plan for the Dragon Run will provide for management of coastal develop-
                         and Queen, and Middlesex. Wetlands comprise 10% of the 150 square miles                                                         ment so as to protect, restore, and Improve water quality, natural resources,
                         within the watershed. The cypress stand here Is the largest In the species'                                                     and existing uses of the waters. In addition, protection of the extensive
                         northernmost range. This and other ecological features have earned the                                                          welland I eatures and management to avoid Improper development In hazard-
                         Dragon the title of Virginia's most pristine tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.                                                   prone areas will minimize loss of life and property. Management of coastal
                         While the watershed- Is largely undeveloped, recent development proposals                                                       development will be accomplished through a coordinated effort of public
                         may site now commercial and residential projects within the area.                                                               participation and education, local government policy formation, and regional
                                                                                                                                                         and state liaison activities.

                                                                                                                                                         This program will provide for protection of the natural resources within the
                                                                                                                                                         watershed, Including wetlands, floodplalns, estuaries, and wildlife and their
                                                                                                                                                         habitat. This will be accomplished by conducting an extensive land use
                                            The Dragon Run Steering Committee                                                                            Inventory and non-point pollution modeling study.

                                                                                                                                                         Program Implementation will be achieved through local land use plans and
                         The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC) has a long                                                            ordinances and will provide a model for statewide utilization.
                         history In coordinating local efforts to proactIvely manage the Dragon Run.
                         The MPPDC Board formed the Dragon Run Steering Committee (DRSC) In                                                              For more Information, call Jim Uzel, Environmental Programs Coordinator at
                         1984. A public education campaign led to the adoption of the Dragon Run                                                         758-2311.
                         Conservation District In 1988. The Conservation District provides wetlands
                                                                                                                                                         * Music Selections from the A Petteway album, The Waters and The Wild. Used with
                         protection and buffering up to 150 feet and was Implemented three years                                                         permission and available from Maggie's Music (410) 268-33N.
                         prior to the State mandated Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act.                                                                    This program funded In part, by the Department of Environmental Quality* Coastal Resources Management Program
                                                                                                                                                         through Grant # NM70ZD380-01 of [he National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Office of Ocean and Coastal
                                                                                                                                                         Resource management, under the CioWal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended.

















                                    ATTACHMENT B






























































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                                                                                1








             Dragon Run Watershed








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