Comprehensive Restoration Plan
for the Hudson-Raritan Estuary

The US Army Corps of Engineers and The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey are pleased to announce the release of the Draft Hudson-Raritan Estuary (HRE) Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP).  The CRP was developed in collaboration with Federal, State, municipal, non-governmental organizations and other regional stakeholders and sets forth a consensus vision, master plan and strategy for ecosystem future restoration in the NY/NJ Harbor.  The NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) plans to adopt the CRP as their future restoration plan for the region.  The CRP was prepared as part of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study. There will be many public outreach meetings throughout the year to obtain input and advance consensus. The website will be updated frequently to keep you posted.

  The Draft CRP is composed of two volumes. Volume I provides an overview and framework for restoration of the Estuary, defines program goals and objectives, identifies opportunities to meet restoration objectives and describes potential strategies for successful implementation.  Volume I describes the restoration goals and targets (Target Ecosystem Characteristics [TECs]) that address severe habitat degradation, poor water quality, pervasive sediment contamination and lack of public access to the estuary's resources. The CRP sets short-term (2015) and long-term (2050) targets for restoration, identifies potential restoration opportunities (to date, a total of 296 for habitat restoration and 436 for public access opportunities) and outlines possible mechanisms for implementation and management.

Click here to download the Executive Summary.

Volume II provides technical guidance to interested stakeholders for planning, evaluating and conducting individual restoration projects for the specific TECs and identifying issues within the Estuary.

The CRP also includes the following Appendices:

• Appendix A: Target Ecosystem Characteristics Development:  This Appendix includes the transcripts and presentations from eleven workshops that were held to help refine the TECs.
• Appendix B: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Evaluation Methodology:  Appendix B includes the types of information and GIS data layers utilized in preparing the TEC maps contained in CRP Volume I
• Appendix C: Sediment Contamination Target Ecosystem Characteristic: This includes a discussion and GIS maps for additional contaminants of concern that were not included in the Sediment Contamination TEC discussion in CRP Volume I
• Appendix D: Atlas of Restoration Opportunities:  The “Atlas” catalogs the 296 habitat acquisition and/or restoration sites that were identified through the Harbor Estuary Program and the HRE Ecosystem Restoration Study.  Potential restoration activities, including the TECs that may be applicable are briefly described for each site (presented in Volume I: Maps 4-1 through 4-8). 

The entire region will work towards common restoration goals that will create habitat (coastal wetlands, oyster reefs, etc.), improve water and sediment quality, and provide access and recreational benefits to the region.

If you have questions or comments about the CRP or the HRE Restoration Study, please contact Lisa Baron, Project Manager (lisa.a.baron@usace.army.mil, 917-790-8306) or Peter Weppler, Chief – Coastal Ecosystem Section (peter.m.weppler@usace.army.mil, 917-790-8634).

For detailed information on the benefits of restoration, click here for a PDF version of a poster on The Harbor Estuary Restoration Plan, which features the 11 Target Ecosystem Characteristics that guide the Comprehensive Restoration Plan. These targets represent what is desirable and achievable and focus on the specific habitat types, support structures, and public health and social values that are key to a healthy estuary. The poster includes a detailed look at these 11 targets, the plan for carrying them out, and the positive impact they will have for future generations.

For more information on restoration within the Harbor, go to http://www.watersweshare.org.