Wallkill River Watershed Management Plan
The Wallkill River is and important resource in both Orange and Ulster Counties. A north flowing river, the Wallkill begins from its source, Lake Mohawk in New Jersey, then enters Orange County where it flows for approximately 40 miles, draining 386 square miles or nearly half the County, before entering Ulster County. Once there, it continues for another 34 miles, draining approximately 190 square miles, then emptying into the Rondout Creek, which empties into the Hudson River, making the Wallkill a part of the Hudson River Estuary. The Wallkill River watershed, with a watershed being all the land that flows across or under on its way to a river, stream, or lake, is 806 square miles in size.
Growth in the watershed has resulted in concerns about water quality and quantity, pollution and loss of habitat. Given the size of the watershed, the diversity of land uses, the number of political subdivisions and the constantly changing social and economic patterns of this landscape, this Plan will help to identify critical issues impacting the future of the watershed.
This is a cooperative project between Orange and Ulster Counties, with a goal to provide assistance to communities in the watershed with planning for the future of their watershed resources. Approximately 40 individuals representing various organizations, municipalities and agencies in Orange and Ulster Counties and New Jersey initially met in September 2004 to provide input about the important issues facing the watershed. Meetings continue as more information is obtained to include in the Management Plan. At one of the meetings, it was suggested that a survey be sent out to watershed residents to see what interests and concerns they have for today and the future of the Wallkill River Watershed. The information gathered will be part of the Watershed Management Plan so we would request that you take a few minutes to complete the survey. The more information gathered the more comprehensive the Plan.
We appreciate your interest in this project and want to thank you for taking time to fill out the survey. Please feel free to contact the Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District if you would like more information or have questions.
Wallkill River Watershed Management Plan
Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, Appendix D, Appendix E, Appendix F, Appendix G Orange, Appendix G Ulster, Appendix H, Appendix I, Executive Summary, Recommendations Table