Issue # 24
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Runoff Rundown |
Welcome to the 24th issue of Runoff Rundown, the Center for Watershed Protection's quarterly electronic newsletter!
We hope that everyone had an enjoyable summer and is looking forward to (or already enjoying) the colors of autumn. The Center had an extremely busy summer and is excited to report on several new projects that we have just started.
We are pleased to announce new staff member Lisa Fraley-McNeal as Research Assistant. Lisa joined us this summer after completing her Masters degree from University of Maryland- Baltimore County in Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Science. Surprisingly, we have no news to report in the engagements/ weddings/ pregnancies/ babies category for the first time in a few years!
Spotlight on Superior Stormwater Programs
Since our last issue, the Center has completed two additional profiles of well-performing NPDES Phase I communities. In this issue, we spotlight two communities: Austin, TX and Baltimore, MD. Austin has been a leader in watershed education programs and water quality monitoring. Austin has developed a number of successful programs that integrate water quality, watersheds, and aquatic resource monitoring with stormwater management. Watershed 263 in Baltimore is an ultra-urban watershed with no surface streams and variable land uses. The Watershed 263 partnership, made of many diverse organizations, seeks to improve stormwater quality along with quality of life in this area of the city. The profile sheets can be found by clicking here for Austin, TX - http://www.cwp.org/RR_Photos/Austin_Profile_Sheet.pdf and here
for Baltimore City, MD - http://www.cwp.org/RR_Photos/Baltimore_City_profile_sheet.pdf
Annual Report |
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Baltimore County Recommended Model Development Principles
As reported in our last issue, the Center recently wrapped up a Builders for the Bay Roundtable in Baltimore County, MD. Baltimore County was the site of one of our largest and more complex roundtables to date, and we are pleased to announce the release of the resulting Baltimore County consensus document. It can be downloaded from our website at http://www.cwp.org/BaltimoreCoBFBDocument.pdf or requested in hard copy by contacting the Center at center@cwp.org.
October Monthly Special
Only a few days remain for the Special Expanded Stormwater Bundle! This package is the most comprehensive stormwater resource bundle the Center has ever offered! Item Price: $75.00. Offer expires October 31st. Read more about what it includes: http://www.cwp.org/pubs_download.htm#monthly.
PROJECT UPDATES:
What We're Wrapping Up:
A group of Center staff are about to head to Ohio for our first midwest Watershed Institute that will run from October 23-26. We look forward to working with one of our most geographically diverse groups of 80 watershed practitioners! In our next issue, we will be covering the highlights of what promises to be an exciting and intensive four days.
As mentioned in the last issue, Center staffer Jennifer Zielinski conducted a two-hour web seminar through U.S. EPA Stormwater Program's webcast series entitled "Developing your IDDE Program" in September. Darrin Peine of the City of Charlotte, NC, and Nikos Singelis, with the U.S. EPA Stormwater Program, were guest speakers. The webcast is now available for the public to download. To access the webcast: http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/
courseinfo.cfm?program_id=0&outreach_id=301&schedule_id=938
| The Center has almost completed another watershed assessment effort in the Goose Creek watershed in partnership with the Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC). The Center and PEC conducted field work in early August in the Tuscarora subwatershed, which encompasses much of the Town of Leesburg, Virginia. Several opportunities for retrofit projects were identified within the Upper and Lower Tuscarora subwatersheds, and final management recommendations and project descriptions will be completed before the end of the year. Special thanks go out to all the volunteers who assisted us from the Town of Leesburg. Generous corporate sponsorship for the effort has been provided by Columbia Gas of Virginia and Columbia Gas Transmission and their associated NiSource Environmental Challenge Fund, Dominion Resources and The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. |  Center summer intern Harry Hibbitts examines stream substrate in Leesburg |
What we're working on:
The Center has been assisting TetraTech with the development of a Post-construction Stormwater Guidance document for EPA. Of particular note, we have developed some handy, on-the-ground tools for stormwater managers to help implement their programs (currently only in draft form). These include a revised stormwater model ordinance; a stormwater manual building tool; checklists for plan review; BMP construction and maintenance; and a performance bond tool. The post-construction guidance is scheduled for completion by Summer 2007.
Some very interesting information has surfaced about street sweeping and storm drain cleanouts. As part of our ongoing research project to determine the ability of these two common municipal practices to improve water quality, a literature review and survey have been completed. What has come to light is that while 85% of Phase I and II communities surveyed conduct public street sweeping more than once a year, limited data are being generated to indicate the effectiveness of this practice. Likewise, an extensive literature review indicates that an even higher-than-annual sweeping frequency is needed to achieve water quality benefits. When this project is completed next year, guidance for more effective sweeping and storm drain cleanouts will be available. The second part of this project, the paired catchment field study in Baltimore City, will continue through early Spring 2007 and will determine the impact that street sweeping can potentially have on stormwater quality. Sampling in this study will involve street dirt samples and storm drain inlet sediment samples, in addition to on-going water quality monitoring in both catchments.
Since we last reported in April, the Center has made progress on our Stormwater BMP Pilot Study, having completed a baseline report for the City of Fairfax to establish present conditions in the streams and upland areas. Additionally, we have compiled an exhaustive list of recommendations that include implementation of 10 priority stormwater retrofits, development of several education and stewardship programs, and a revision of the city's stormwater codes and ordinances. The next step is to complete the final report (intended as a supplement to an existing watershed management plan) and provide the city with these recommendations. The ultimate goal is that priority recommendations are implemented over the next few months, while EPA continues monitoring over the next year.
The Center is working with the Chesapeake Bay Trust to provide technical assistance to communities around Maryland that received its inaugural Community Greening Initiative grants. Of the 11 applications received, six communities have received a grant and/or assistance from the Center with "greening" plans that increase forest canopy, reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality, and enhance the quality of life. The Center staff look forward to working with Cumberland, Rockville, Hyattsville, Annapolis, Baltimore City, and the Herring Run Watershed Association on their forest canopy initiatives. Additionally, three half-day workshops on various community greening topics will be held across the state to provide information and training to all communities in Maryland. The first of these workshops is being held in Laurel, MD on November 8, 2006. See our website calendar for more information: http://www.cwp.org/calendar.htm.
What we're starting:
In association with Horsley Witten Group, Inc., we have started work to research and develop an Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater Ordinance and a Best Management Practices Manual for the historic coastal Town of Bluffton, South Carolina. This project will allow us to cull recent research on bacteria and nitrogen removal, adapt stormwater practice designs for coastal settings, and apply innovative ordinance elements and checklists developed as part of our recent Post-Construction Stormwater project we mentioned above.
The Center is looking forward to working again in James City County, Virginia, conducting the Gordon Creek Watershed Study. Phase I of this study includes completing a conservation area and stream assessment study for this relatively undeveloped watershed located near Williamsburg, VA. Our partner in this project is the James River Association, who will perform the stormwater retrofit assessment and stakeholder engagement components of the project. The Center has been involved in past watershed planning efforts with the forward-thinking James City County. We have seen significant changes in the County’s stormwater criteria, increases in its watershed protection and restoration efforts, and implementation of a number of stream restoration and stormwater retrofit projects.
The Center is working with the Renaissance Planning Group on the Augusta County Comprehensive Plan, a major agricultural area in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley that is experiencing growth pressures. The Center will be developing the natural resources section, with particular emphasis on a watershed approach and integrating natural resources protection with the county's land use priorities. The project is slated for completion by the end of the year.
PROJECTS IN ACTION:
Periodically, Runoff Rundown will have this special section to share news from groups about how our work may have been implemented or how they have helped leverage new funding or projects. Please be sure to share with us how the Center’s partnership or resources have made a difference in your community!
In last summer’s edition, we reported completion of a codes and ordinance review for two towns in Dutchess County, NY. Since then, these towns have recently completed their very own roundtable process and came to consensus on recommended model development principles that are specific to the suburban nature of the Town of Wappinger and the more rural Town of Clinton. The individual consensus documents for the model development principles for each town can be found at the following websites: http://www.townofclinton.com/pdf/Wappinger%20BSDrev%208.pdf
http://www.townofclinton.com/pdf/ClintonBSDrev8.pdf. We are always excited to hear about communities that are making progress towards more environmentally-sensitive development. If you know of a community that has conducted a roundtable and produced a similar consensus agreement, please let us know by sending us an email at center@cwp.org.
We’ve just heard from our contacts Scott Thomas and Mike Woolson at James City County, Virginia, regarding the latest steps toward implementing the Powatan and Yarmouth Creek Watershed Plans. Scott writes, "the Board of Supervisors adopted our recommended resolutions to implement riparian buffers along the mainstems and intermittent stream and pocket wetland buffers watershed-wide. The resolution will currently be applied to legislative cases and to by-right applications later once the ordinances are developed. The new ordinances that will be crafted will set the following buffer criteria: a 50-foot intermittent stream buffer, a 50-foot non-RPA wetland, and an expanded riparian buffer beyond 100 feet along the tidal and non-tidal mainstem of Powhatan Creek. It’s been a long process, but a big day for watershed management in Powhatan/Yarmouth and for our implementation efforts." These recommendations were made in the watershed plans to protect water quality and to protect a large wildlife corridor that serves as a harbor for wetland marsh birds and to protect breeding and fishing sites for birds of prey including eagles and ospreys in this watershed near the historic City of Jamestown.
Center Releases its National Research Agenda
For the past seven years, the Center has produced a priority list of urban watershed research projects, which is developed as part of an ongoing dialogue with both researchers and end-users across the country. Each low-cost research project meets a critical local watershed management need, and is distributed as a service to both the national research and watershed management community. The goal of the research agenda is to interest others in doing important work, educate funders about good research investments, and generally influence the direction of urban watershed research nationally. To download this report: http://www.cwp.org/RR_Photos/Fall2006NatlResearchAgenda.pdf (PDF – 73K).
FEATURE ARTICLE CLASSIC:
Every few years, we like to revisit Tom Schueler’s autumn-inspired article in a series he authored in 1999.
Fall Foliage and the Watershed
The leaves are turning, and will soon drop to the ground. As we begin our annual ritual of leaf raking, it's a good time to think about how important forests are to the health of the Chesapeake Bay and within our neighborhoods. Prior to European settlement, almost all of the 64,000 square mile Bay watershed was forested, mostly with oaks and hickory trees, but also pine trees in areas with poor sandy soils. Forests then were nearly 40% taller than they are today with the average hardwood tree exceeding 100 feet in height. Lumber was one of the first exports from the colonies, and the watershed experienced massive clearing over the next three centuries for agriculture, fence posts, charcoal and even railroad ties. Click here for article: http://www.cwp.org/RR_photos/fall_foliage_article.pdf
ARTICLE: The latest issue of Stormwater Magazine feature "Watershed 263: A resource uncovered." The article discusses many of the stormwater projects that have been going on in this highly-urban area in Baltimore City, and interviews a Center staff member, Parks and People Foundation, the City of Baltimore and others involved in these activities. http://www.stormh2o.com/sw_0609_watershed.html
ARTICLE: Look for the upcoming article written by the Center, "Direct and Indirect Impacts of Urbanization on Wetland Quality", in an upcoming issue of the National Wetlands Newsletter (NWN), the Environmental Law Institute’s premier journal on wetlands, floodplains, and coastal water resources. The 24-page bi-monthly periodical, now in its 28 th year of publication, analyzes the latest topics in wetland regulation, policy, science, and management through feature articles written by local, national, and international experts from a variety of perspectives. The article reviews more than 100 studies that focus on the indirect impacts that result from land development in urban areas. Some of these impacts that are not federally regulated include construction of bridges and other stream crossings, excessive runoff of polluted stormwater into wetlands, and effects of urban stream channel enlargement on riparian wetlands.
REPORT: The State of Chesapeake Forests released by the Conservation Fund, USDA Forest Service and Chesapeake Executive Council outlines a first-of-its-kind report on the health of forests within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It synthesizes more than a decade’s worth of data, highlights current forest conditions, forecasts future trends and outlines key goals and strategies necessary to conserve and restore the forests surrounding the Bay. To download the report: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/stateoftheforests.htm
REPORT: Riparian Setbacks: Technical Information for Decision Makers was originally prepared for the Chagrin River Watershed partners in Ohio. It is a synthesis of recent research findings organized to provide the scientific basis upon which a town or municipality could begin the task of defending a riparian setback ordinance from legal and other challenges. http://www.crwp.org/pdf_files/riparian_setback_paper_jan_2006.pdf
REPORT: EPA’s recently released "Riparian Buffer Width, Vegetative Cover, and Nitrogen Removal Effectiveness: A Review of Current Science and Regulations", provides a synthesis of existing scientific literature on the effectiveness of riparian buffers to improve water quality through their inherent ability to process and remove excess anthropogenic nitrogen from surface and ground waters. http://www.epa.gov/ada/download/reports/600R05118/600R05118.pdf
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Environmental Law Institute (ELI) will be hosting the 2007 National Wetlands Awards in May. ELI has been presenting the awards since 1989. The program recognizes individuals from across the country who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and excellence at the regional, state, or local level. For more information or to download a nomination form, visit http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org.
WEBSITE: The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF), in partnership with the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education & Training (COMET(r)), has released the first in a series of free online courses relating weather to the environment. Watersheds: Connecting Weather to the Environment is part of a program to provide environmental education and resources to broadcast meteorologists, enabling them to become "station scientists" who can integrate environmental science information into weather forecasts. The course is a primer on how weather events relate to the health of a watershed, and how the public can take simple actions to protect watershed health. The online course, while intended for meteorologists, is highly useful for land use managers, teachers, community leaders, and others interested in learning more about watersheds. http://www.meted.ucar.edu/broadcastmet/watershed/
CONFERENCE: 2006 American Water Resources Association Conference, November 6-9, 2006. Sheraton Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. Organized by the American Water Resources Association. http://www.awra.org/meetings/Baltimore2006/
SYMPOSIUM: 26th International Symposium of the North American Lake Management Society "NALMS 2006: Making Connections -- People, Lakes, Watersheds" November 8-10, 2006. Crowne Plaza & Historic Union Station Conference Center, Indianapolis, IN. Hosted by the Indiana Lakes Management Society. http://www.nalms.org/symposia/indianapolis/home.htm
CONFERENCE: Brownfields 2006: A Revolution in Redevelopment & Revitalization. Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston, MA. Co-sponsored by U.S. EPA and the International City/County Management Association. http://www.brownfields2006.org
CONFERENCE: 12th Annual Conference: "Taking the Pulse of Maryland's Waters: Back to Basics" November 16, 2006, Maritime Institute, North Linthicum, MD. Organized by the Maryland Water Monitoring Council. http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/MWMC/
CONFERENCE: Innovations in Reducing Nonpoint Source Pollution, November 28-30, 2006. Radisson Hotel City Centre, Indianapolis, IN. Organized by the Rivers Institute at Hanover College in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and USCID. http://www.riversinstitute.org.
CONFERENCE: 3rd National Conference and Expo on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration - "Forging the National Imperative for Restoration," December 9-13, 2006. Hilton Riverside Hotel, New Orleans, LA. Organized by Restore America's Estuaries. http://www.estuaries.org/?id=4
CONFERENCE: 2nd National Low Impact Development Conference, Mar 12-14, 2007. Wilmington Hilton Riverside, Wilmington, NC. Organized by North Carolina State University Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. http://www.soil.ncsu.edu/swetc/lid/home.htm
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Abstract deadline 12/1/2006. 18th Annual Nonpoint Source Pollution Conference - "Seeking New Solutions to Old Problems: The Nonpoint Source Program at 20 Years," May 21-23, 2007. Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel and Spa, Newport, RI. Co-hosted by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. www.neiwpcc.org/npsconference
CONFERENCE: Wetlands 2007: Watershed Strategies to Protect and Restore Wetland's Ecological and Social Services, August 27-29, 2007. Colonial Williamsburg Lodge and Conference Center, Williamsburg, Virginia. Organized by Association of State Wetland Managers. http://aswm.org/calendar/index.htm#symp
Runoff Rundown Team: Lauren Lasher, editor, Jennifer Zielinski, Tiffany Wright. Contributions from Center staff.
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