Jordan Cove

About the Project

This project was completed by John Clausen of the University of Connecticut with CT NEMO assisting as Outreach Educators. For more information on involvement in the project, visit the Contacts and Partners page. 

The Jordan Cove Urban Watershed Section 319 National Monitoring Program Project is located in Waterford, Connecticut along the coast of Long Island Sound. The study began in 1995, and was designed to determine water quantity and quality benefits of using pollution prevention Best Management Practices (BMPs) in a residential subdivision. Monitoring took place for 10 years.

The Problem

The project is located in the watershed of Jordan Cove, which is a small estuary in Long Island Sound fed by Jordan Brook. The Cove has impaired water quality based on excess bacteria. Long Island Sound suffers from hypoxia related to excess nitrogen.

The Goal

The key project goal was to measure the effectiveness of urban stormwater BMPs in reducing runoff and protecting water quality.

Specific Objectives

  1. Reduce sediment, bacteria, nitrogen, phosphorus and stormwater runoff quantity during and after construction.
  2. Demonstrate residential BMPs.
  3. Evaluate selected BMPs (e.g. driveways, lawn management).
Jordan Cove
Jordan Cove
Jordan Cove
Jordan Cove
Jordan Cove