On Wednesday November 30th SWRPA, CT DEEP, AKRF, and 18 stakeholder representatives gathered to discuss next steps for implementation of the draft watershed plan. AKRF presented several types of projects that could be implemented to improve water quality and habitat in the watershed. Projects discussed included bioretention cells, retrofits of existing stormwater basins, riparian buffers, and more.
After the presentation, stakeholders offered input on the plan and raised several important questions. Funding was discussed, including regulatory incentives for implementation. Youtube videos, targeted training workshops, and programs for school children were suggested as ways to bring the message of watershed protection to a broader audience. Barriers to implementation were identified, such as limited land use regulation and the difficulty of mobilizing large scale projects.
Common themes that emerged from the meeting were the need for regulatory and financial incentives; funding barriers and the challenges of mobilizing large projects; the importance of innovative outreach and education; and concerns regarding function and aesthetics of structural practices. The following may be useful in continuing this discussion:
Common themes that emerged from the meeting were the need for regulatory and financial incentives; funding barriers and the challenges of mobilizing large projects; the importance of innovative outreach and education; and concerns regarding function and aesthetics of structural practices. The following may be useful in continuing this discussion:
- A recent study by American Rivers and the Center for Neighborhood technology begins to quantify the multiple social and economic values associated with low impact development (LID) techniques
- An informative fact sheet on the economic benefits of LID, from the NC Cooperative Extension
- A 2005 study on the economic value of open space in Minnesota
- A detailed discussion of common barriers to implementing green infrastructure, and hidden opportunities
- Project Headwaters, initiated by a Trout Unlimited chapter in southeastern Pennsylvania-- a good example of community-driven implementation of stormwater management projects
- This EPA fact sheet sheds some light on the issue of mosquitoes and stormwater management basins
- A recent zoning debate in Greenwich offers an example of the challenges faced by local land use managers (with commentary from the Mianus Watershed Council’s own jack Stoeker!)
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