Nonpoint Pollution | Success Stories | Urban | 2004

Urban Success Stories: Archives (2004)

Note: Highlighted projects are not necessarily funded by the Coastal Nonpoint Program nor do they necessarily represent projects that have been approved by NOAA and EPA to remove remaining conditions on state programs.

PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

Oregon Promotes Low Impact Development through it's Show off Your Runoff Program: To facilitate and promote incorporation of low-impact development (LID) practices into new development and help address the urban management measures for new and site development, Oregon's Coastal Nonpoint Program, in partnership with Oregon SeaGrant, developed a new Program entitled "Show off your Runoff." Show off Your Runoff is a component of a larger program, "Rainstorming," a technical assistance program that supports local governments in their efforts to adopt storm water management standards. "Show off Your Runoff" The Program, targeted to the Rogue River Valley, and Oregon's south and north coasts, promotes LID demonstration projects in areas where little is known about low impact storm water designs. Local governments, property owners or developers can apply to the Show off Your Runoff Program for assistance with a planned development. The Show off Your Runoff Program then provides design and engineering assistance to develop alternative storm water management options for the proposed development. In the Program's first year, they assisted two developments. Both projects were very receptive to the recommendations and design suggestions they received. One project is underdevelopment now and is incorporating the LID design elements into the development. The other project is scheduled for development in late winter/spring and also plans to implement the recommendations they received from the Program. Recommendations included incorporating water quality treatment swales and rain gardens, using native vegetation, reducing impervious surfaces, using previous paving, and ensuring that detention and infiltration structures are designed to adequately infiltrate and treat runoff. In addition, to providing direct assistance for individual projects, the Storm Water Quick Response Program also plans to use the projects they fund to educate the local development community and public about practical, attractive approaches to storm water management. This year, the state plans to fund 3-4 additional projects. For additional information, contact Amanda Punton.

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Connecicut Announces New Stormwater Quality Manual: The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection is thrilled to announce their new 2004 Stormwater Quality Manual. The Stormwater Quality Manual, provides guidance on the measures necessary to protect the waters of the State of Connecticut from the adverse impacts of post-construction stormwater runoff. This is the first statewide manual to focus on site planning, source control and pollution prevention, in addition to standard stormwater treatment and erosion and sediment control practices. The manual is intended for use as a planning tool and design guidance document by the regulated and regulatory communities involved in stormwater quality management.

Hard copies of the manual are currently being printed and should be available by November. The DEP will distribute copies of the manual to each municipality once they are available. Training sessions on how to use the manual will be scheduled and announced within the next few months as well.

The manual and subsequent outreach will address several Section 6217 urban management measures including New Development, Watershed Protection, Site Development, Construction Site Erosion and Chemical Control to name a few. For additional information, contact Mary-beth Hart.

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Capacity Building For Local Governments in South Carolina: The South Carolina Coastal Nonpoint Program initiated a Capacity Building Grant for Local Governments in order to provide municipalities with the incentive and financial assistance to proactively address nonpoint source pollution issues and educate the public on needed policy changes. In the pilot year of this grant, the SC CNP funded projects that focused on the development of on-site disposal system model ordinances, maintenance and inspection programs, and public education initiatives. One of these projects, directed by the Sewee to Santee Community Development Corporation, is concentrating on OSDS-related issues in the rural northeastern portion of Charleston County. Many of the residents in this area are without potable water and functioning septic systems, making the protection of water quality a priority not only to improve the quality of life for the residents but also to protect the abundant environmental resources in this region. The Development Corporation has enlisted the help of local students, training them to interview property owners and evaluate septic tank site conditions on approximately 100 residences in the Sewee to Santee region. The South Carolina Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management has assisted with training the students and formatting the questionnaire for the interviews. In addition, well water samples have been collected at these residences and are being analyzed for fecal contamination by the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. While the project is still on-going, the efforts of the Community Development Corporation have already resulted in significant public participation on the part of residents and students in the region. Community meetings scheduled for later this summer will be facilitated by The Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. and will involve both local community leaders and citizens. During this Community Visioning meeting, topics such as a Wastewater Utility will be presented to the public as a possible option to alleviate the current problems of failing septic systems and resulting contaminated water supplies. The final report will be available in digital format on the SCDHEC/Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management website later this fall. For additional information, contact Marion Page.

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South Carolina Hosts Alternative Design Workshop: On June 10-11, the South Carolina Coastal Nonpoint Program sponsored a workshop on Alternative Development Options in Downtown Charleston. The Workshop targeted local developers, engineers, architects, landscape architects and local municipal officials and featured Randall Arendt, a nationally recognized speaker on the subject of conservation subdivision design. Arendt is the author of several books including Conservation Design for Subdivisions: A Practical Guide to Creating Open Space Networks and Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Plans and Ordinances. In addition to Mr. Arendt, several local developers also spoke on conservation subdivision design, highlighting several of their New Urbanist developments in Charleston and Beaufort counties. Each development is designed to minimize and control urban runoff and thus supports the 6217 management measures for new development, watershed protection and site development. The alternative development practices provide sustainable methods for preserving the natural habitats and hydrology of areas designated for development or re-development. By promoting the use of vegetated buffers, conservation areas, and limiting impervious surfaces, these practices represent low-impact site development that directly supports watershed protection. In addition, these alternative practices help support the management measure for protection of wetlands and riparian areas by promoting vegetated treatment systems and the natural function of wetlands and riparian areas as NPS pollution control mechanisms. Feedback from the attendees indicates that the information presented, in particular the conservation subdivision design concept described by Randall Arendt, was both informative and applicable for future development projects. For additional information on the workshop, speakers or presentations, please contact Ward Reynolds.

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New Hampshire Builds Local Capacity to Reduce NPS: Regulatory Review, Land Use Planning, and Education: Many New Hampshire planning initiatives and regulatory measures are developed and implemented at the local level. Although municipal officials are often aware of nonpoint source pollution (NPS) issues in their communities, few have the capacity to implement measures to reduce NPS at the planning and regulatory stages without direct technical assistance and educational support. To address this issue, New Hampshire's Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program (CNPCP) is working with two regional planning commissions (covering 45 municipalities) to develop and support a technical assistance program to address NPS at the local level through municipal land use planning, regulatory review and development, and education. The programs are specifically tailored to address NPS issues unique to each region. Regional planning staff work one-on-one with town Conservation Commission and Planning Boards to review existing land use regulations relative to NPS, discuss sources of NPS at the local level, and provide recommended changes to local land use regulations. Regulations discussed and proposed include stormwater management, shoreland protection, wetland setbacks, conservation subdivisions, and site plan design. To date, eight recommended regulations covering erosion and sediment control, road design standards, wetland and shoreland buffers, aquifer protection, impervious surfaces, and stormwater management were accepted and approved by voters at Town Meetings this past spring.

In addition to the planning and regulatory efforts initiated through the CNPCP project, the regional planning commissions provide NPS education and outreach to help towns address specific NPS issues. Education projects include partnering with municipal employees and contractors to review landscaping and mowing practices along watercourses, working with teachers and students to stencil storm drains, submitting information on NPS to town newsletters, and working with land protection organizations to promote conservation easements in the watershed. For more information about this project, please contact Sally Soule, NH CNPCP Coordinator.

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New Jersey Passes New Storm Water Regulations: On January 5, 2004 New Jersey adopted new storm water rules. The rules are one of the most comprehensive set of storm water regulations in the country because they prohibit most new construction within 300 feet of high quality rivers, streams and reservoirs and their immediate tributaries. Over 6,000 miles of waterways will be subject to the new buffer requirements. The new buffer requirements are an important tool for protecting critical drinking water supplies and sensitive ecological areas. There is some flexibility in the buffer width for new developments that have approved storm water management plans or for minor disturbances occurring in existing developed areas. The new storm water rules also require BMPs that will reduce runoff of total suspended solids by 80%, and promote smart growth principles consistent with the 6217 (g) guidance such as maintaining natural vegetation and drainage patterns, and minimizing the loss of trees. Many of the rules are waived or streamlined in urban areas to promote redevelopment. For additional information, contact Liz Semple.

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