The editor and staff of News-Notes offer
condolences to those affected bV the traaic
events of September 11, 2001,
January 2002
#67
Nonpoint Source
News-Notes
The Condition of the Water-Related Environment
The Control of Nonpoint Sources of Water Pollution
The Ecological Management & Restoration of Watersheds
EPA Works to Safeguard the Environment From Terrorism
As the events of September 11 continue to reverberate in all our lives, EPA is quickly moving to
prevent terrorist acts involving water and other environmental resources. The next issue of
News-Notes will carry a complete story on EPA's anti-terrorism program.
Commentary
Protecting Our Water Resources Through Better Development Practices
bV Chuck Suftin, Director, EPA Assessment and Watershed Protection Division
America's landscapes are rapidly being transformed by the process of urbanization. A growing U.S.
population and its changing distribution have increased the need for housing and infrastructure such
as roads and sewage treatment plants. Farmland, forests, and wetlands in these developing areas are
being converted to residential and commercial developments. In our inner cities, brownfields and
other areas lay vacant, while farmland and open space is consumed in metropolitan edge areas. These
factors, added together, contribute to a decrease in regional water quality.
These changing land uses impact our water resources. The lack of adequate planning, coordination,
and management have resulted in the degradation of our waterbodies and the destruction of wildlife
habitat. Valuable open space needed to filter and infiltrate runoff and recharge aquifers is being paved
or turned into impervious surfaces. This added impervious surface increases runoff that may
increase erosion and flooding. More intense land use also typically generates significant pollutant
Inside this Issue
Commentary
Protecting Our Water Resources Through Better Development Practices . . 1
SPECIAL FOCUS: Land Use and Water Resources
Coffee Creek — A Place You Never Have to Leave 2
Protecting Open Space and a Wav of Life 4
Chesapeake Bav Foundation Builds Environment-Conscious Home . . . . S
Assessing the Benefits of Effective Planning: Metro Sauare vs. Suburbia. . . 7
Resources Available from Scenic America 8
Low-Impact Development: A New Movement in Storm Water Management. . 8
Lending a Hand Long-Distance 10
Notes on the National Scene
Polls Reveal Continuing Misperceptions 11
Success with Section 319 National Monitoring Program 11
Section 319 National Monitoring Program Yields Results 13
News front States, Tribes, and Localities
AMD&ART Helps Revitalize Streams and Communities 14
Saving Water for the Future 16
Ohio EPA's Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program Creates a
New Source of Funds for Steam Restoration 17
Storm Water Management in the District of Columbia 17
Restoring New Mexico's Ponderosa Pine Forests: Restoring Clean Water. . 18
Notes on Watershed Management
Infreauent Inspections Mav Lead to Greater Stream Pollution 20
Storm Water Retrofitting of Reservoirs Protects New York's Drinking Water . 21
Farmscapes Offer Biological Pest Control 23
2001 CF Industries National Watershed Award Winners Announced ... 24
Notes on Education
Hard Work and a Bit of Fame Help Clean Up Hawaii's Waters 24
Montgomerv County's Green Man Promotes Earth-Friendlv Landscaping . . 26
EnviroScape® Reaches 3S,000 at Bov Scout Jamboree 27
More Water Education Resources Available 27
National Geographic Goes On-line to Teach About Rivers 28
Reviews and Announcements
Better Models for Development in Virginia 28
National Academv of Science's TMDL Report 28
Southern Sprawl Documentarv 28
A Watershed Decade 28
EPA Watershed Training Opportunities Booklet 29
National Management Measures to Protect and Restore Wetlands and Riparian
Areas for the Abatement of Nonpoint Source Pollution (draft) 29
Websites Worth a Bookmark
www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/sprawl 29
www.brook.edu/es/urban/publications/fulton.pdf 29
www.epa.gov/owow/nps/partnership.html 29
www.eelink.net 29
www.waterwiser.org 29
www.nai.usda.gov/waic 30
www.watershedweeklv.org 30
www.stormwatercenter.net 30
DATEBOOK .
THE COUPON
30
31
All issues of News-Notes are accessible on EPA's website: www,eDa,oov/OWOW/info/NewsNotes/index,html
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Protecting Our Water loadings even when best management practices are used. State 303(d) lists contain numerous
Resources Through waterbodies affected by urbanization and reflect increased recognition that the designated uses of
Better Development many waterbodies cannot be achieved without incorporating specific low impact development
rractices practices that will reduce storm water runoff and the associated pollutant load. In this way,
(coniinueuj communities can continue to grow without further degrading their waterbodies; and in some cases,
will be able to grow while contributing to watershed restoration efforts.
Fortunately, this dilemma can be solved. States and local governments are leading the way in
identifying and testing alternatives to traditional development methods that better protect water
quality and wildlife habitat. This issue of Nonpoint Source News-Notes contains articles and
examples of how selected communities, local governments, and environmental groups are pursuing
better development strategies (see page 12).
With thoughtful planning, design and construction, development can serve the economy, the
community, and the environment. We must change the development debate from the traditional
growth/no-growth question to "how and where should new development be accommodated?" By
applying a comprehensive water resource planning approach and better design to new development in
greenfields, brownfields redevelopment, and infill development, communities can continue to grow
while protecting their water resources. Smart growth practices for water include cluster development
(increasing density to preserve open space), narrow streets, vegetated buffer strips, numerous
transportation options, and mixed-use development.
EPA recognizes that communities are searching for technical expertise and tools necessary to
understand and manage the dynamics of growth. In my opinion, EPA has a role in helping
communities make informed decisions based on sound science. My office has invested in the
development of guidance and tools to help states and local governments monitor and assess their
water resources, develop and implement appropriate goals, and evaluate whether these goals are
being achieved. I believe that, at all levels of government and including the community, a
systematic approach to managing growth is needed to successfully develop our country in a way
that does not impair future generations' use of our water resources.
To help communities learn more about their water resources, identify trends in water quality
improvements or degradation, and assess the results of their management actions, EPA is
improving and integrating our assessment, monitoring, and data management systems to make
them more useful and accessible to the public. We are also working to integrate our point and
nonpoint source programs and drinking source water protection programs to allow us to more
easily evaluate our progress in meeting the goals of the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water acts.
We continue to work with industry, state and local governments, and nongovernmental
organizations such as watershed groups to help create partnerships, provide resources and tools,
and more effectively disseminate information to those who can make a difference.
I encourage you to share your successes so other communities can accelerate their learning curves. I
also look forward to working with you on creating and promoting tools to protect and improve
water quality through better development practices.
SPECIAL FOCUS: Land Use and Water Resources
Coffee Creek
A Place You Never Have to Leave
The American dream of owning a nice house with a spacious yard has transformed the countryside
previously surrounding major metropolitan areas into miles of residential developments and strip
malls. Urban sprawl has resulted in longer commutes for many Americans, more infrastructure,
and pollution. The developers of Coffee Creek Center, a 640-acre community in Chesterton,
Indiana, decided to meet the challenge of sprawl head on. Their new development includes an
open residential community and commercial center, thereby offering nearby jobs and eliminating
the need for long commutes. But what sets Coffee Creek Center apart from the rest is the one
amenity that often draws people out of the city into the suburbs in the first place — open space
and natural areas. By including a 180-acre watershed preserve in the community, the developers are
protecting natural resources while offering potential buyers that little something extra.
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Coffee Creek — A Everything You Could Need — Close By!
rlace You Never Coffee Creek Center was designed with all the conveniences of modern society in mind. The
ndve 10 Ledve commercial district offers a wide range of facilities, ranging from large corporate offices to small
(CO i uea) mixed-use areas that can serve office, retail, or living needs. Commercial buildings offer high-tech
services, including fiber optic technology and proximity to a thriving retail district. Day care
facilities, restaurants, health clubs, dry cleaners, and grocery stores are all located within easy
walking distance of the corporate center. The proximity of these retail services eliminates the need
for corporations to provide such services to their employees, giving them an edge over some urban
corporations who provide these services to meet the needs of their employees.
The residential community of Coffee Creek Center is also a short walk or drive from the commercial
center, eliminating the need for lengthy commutes. Narrower streets encourage slower traffic, giving
the neighborhood a more laid-back feel. The residential center offers a wide variety of housing types,
with "Village Homes," middle sized single family homes, the most common. "Estate Homes," large
residences with wrap-around porches and spacious lots, are found at various locations throughout the
development. Single family attached townhomes provide more economical living arrangements as
does a neighborhood of paired and single family "Cottage Homes."
Coffee Creek has also created new ways to combine retail and residential communities. To
accommodate the growing number of self-employed, part-time, and telecommuting workers, a wide
variety of live-work facilities were included in the design of the center. These buildings, located near
the commercial district, offer a range of designs, some resembling homes more than businesses and
others vice versa. The key is flexibility in allowing both uses to exist under the same roof.
Nature is All Around
The developers also worked to protect and promote the environment. They used a combination of
French drains, cisterns, native-planted swales, innovative planted parking lots, and other drainage
features to encourage infiltration of storm water throughout the built environment. Most of the
homes are built with porches that encourage residents to take advantage of the 200 acres of green
space within the community. Parks are scattered throughout the community, giving all residents
easy access to natural areas.
The focal point of the shared public space is the 180-acre Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve
surrounding Coffee Creek, a tributary of Lake Michigan. Coffee Creek, named in the early 1800s
after a caravan of wagons accidentally dropped a sack of coffee beans into the creek, winds through
the development. The developers set aside this acreage to protect the creek and restore important
natural ecosystems, including prairie, wetlands, and wet prairies, that existed prior to the
settlement of the area. By doing so, they also provided opportunities for residents of their
community and the general public to enjoy open spaces and recreation. More than five miles of
trails wind through the Preserve, complemented by creek overlooks and boardwalks. The Preserve
is also home to an amphitheater and a pavilion that are available for public and private events.
Although the Preserve is physically part of Coffee Creek Center, it is owned and managed by the
Coffee Creek Watershed Conservancy, a nonprofit organization. Coffee Creek residents and the
general public wishing to get involved in environmental projects can help the Conservancy to
restore the Preserve's ecosystems, control invasive species, monitor the creek's water quality, and
monitor wildlife.
Complementing the environmental efforts of the Conservancy, the Coffee Creek Neighborhood
Association works to enhance the residents' sense of community. They offer opportunities for
interaction through recreational leagues, cultural and educational programs, service clubs, senior
citizen organizations, festivals and holiday celebrations, a community computer network, and a
recycling program. Coffee Creek's design combines this community feel with the enjoyment of
diverse open spaces to create an ideal lifestyle.
[For more information about the Coffee Creek Center neiohborhood, contact Kevin Warren at the Lake
Erie Land ComoanV, 1010 Sand Creek Dr. South, Chesterton, IN 46304; Phone: (219) 395-5300. For more
information on the Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve, call (219) 926-1842.1
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 3
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Protecting Open Space and a V\fay of Life
Ever thought of building houses to prevent development? That's the solution offered by The
Cholla Group, an Arizona company formed in 1997 by 14 investors seeking to preserve a large
tract of ranchland located about an hour's drive east of Tucson. The Cholla Group is developing
the Rancho La Joya Preserve as an active cattle ranch dedicated to raising organic beef; a
recreational resource for horseback riding, birding enthusiasts, hikers, and mountain bikers; and a
small community of 65 homesteaders who will live on and own the ranch in its entirety. Of the
ranch's 36,000 acres, approximately 1,500 acres will be used for homesteads and recreational and
ranching- related development; the rest will be committed to restoration, open space, and habitat
and water quality protection. The overall goals of the ranch include improving habitat, protecting
natural and scenic resources, restoring riparian areas and grasslands, and creating a residential
community in which conservation and agriculture are compatible.
The Cholla Group partners, many of whom are planning to live on the preserve, see it as a way to
outsmart inevitable growth. "We expect Tucson to keep growing. In the meantime, we are creating
a small community of like-minded individuals who are interested in conservation and ranchland
protection on a large scale," explains Gil Lusk, Managing Partner with The Cholla Group. "We'd
like to show that development, ranching, and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive
and can be profitable."
How Will It Work?
The Cholla Group is working closely with federal, state, and local organizations to develop the
Rancho La Joya Conservation Plan (RCP) to guide the development and management of the ranch
preserve. Although the specifics of the RCP are not yet complete, its three primary goals are already
established:
Preservation: The RCP requires that about 34,500 acres, or 96 percent of the ranch, including
the unique and valuable resources, be set aside as natural preserve lands to be retained in perpetuity
for grazing, recreation, education, and resource conservation. These natural preserve lands include
the riparian corridors, wetlands, sensitive species habitats, slopes in excess of 30 percent, highly
scenic resources, and lands less accessible from existing roads.
In keeping with the ranch's conservation goals, the cattle operations will be managed so that both
the cattle and the environment flourish. "We will operate a rotating pasture system so the cattle
will be on a certain pasture only every 2 to 2.5 years," notes Lusk. "This will keep the cattle happy
and restore the vegetation. Part of our goal at Rancho La Joya is to show that you can achieve a
system that will support the agricultural family without destroying the environment."
Natural Resources
Worth Protecting
The 36,000-acre Rancho La JoVa Preserve
is located in the Sonoran Desert from an
elevation of 3,000 feet alona the San Pedro
River to about 6,000 feet at the base of the
Rincon Mountains, Because of the diverse
toDoaraohy, the ranch suooorts numerous
drainaae outflows, sorinas, rioarian areas,
and uniaue ecoloaical niches. The ranch
occupies an imoortant position in the
Rincon Mountain ecosystem and contains
numerous bird, wildlife, and olant soecies,
includina mule deer, Javalina, fox, bobcat,
oanther, coVote, cacti, oak, sVcamore,
oine, manzanilla, cottonwood, saauaro,
arasses, and more than 200 bird soecies.
Limited Settlement: The RCP allows approximately 1,500 acres to be
carefully developed as homesteads, for limited uses including no more than
65 single-family residential units on 10 to 30 acres each and recreation areas
and community centers, including the equestrian centers.
A Certain Future: The developers have arranged for all homestead owners
to own, in addition to their parcel of land, an equal share of all the common
property (ranch buildings, cattle, natural preserve lands, and recreational
facilities). The developers created a for-profit company called the Rancho La
Joya Corporation to manage the ranch operations for the shareholding
owners of Rancho La Joya. Corporation staff will provide protection and
security services; operate and maintain all business ventures on the ranch,
including cattle operations and recreational casitas (guest houses); and
maintain all community facilities, roads, water systems, and trails.
To ensure that 96 percent of the ranch preserve, including its most
environmentally sensitive acres, remain natural and never subdivided, the
developers also created a nonprofit organization called the Rancho La Joya
Conservancy to hold all development rights and manage the natural resources.
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Protecting Open The Conservancy will develop a yearly work plan that includes natural resource projects such as the
Space and a installation of stream fencing, construction of storm water detention/aquifer recharge impoundments,
Way of Life anc} grassland restoration. The Conservancy's efforts are funded through an endowment established
(continued) fry The Cholla Group, LLC, using a dedicated portion ($20,000) of the sales price from each of the
65 homesteads. Because of its legal standing and permanent endowment funding, the Conservancy
can protect the resources of the ranch preserve in perpetuity.
How Is This Financially Feasible?
The RCP allows for the sale of 65 homesteads, or residential lots — enough to create a community
able to socially and financially sustain Rancho Lajoya for an indefinite period of time. The
homesteads range in price from $250,000 to $550,000 and include an equal share of the Rancho
Lajoya Corporation. A small portion of the homestead purchase price is funneled into the Rancho
Lajoya Conservancy endowment; the rest is used to reimburse The Cholla Group for the cost of
developing the project, including costs such as land purchase, carrying costs, road construction,
wells and utility systems, construction of amenities (equestrian centers, pools, etc.), planning costs,
and surveying costs. Any surplus funds will be used for cost overruns and profits for the 14
partners in The Cholla Group.
Once Rancho Lajoya is developed and operational, any profit from yearly ranch operations and the
recreational business (guest houses) will be reinvested in the continuing operations of the ranch. No
profit or dividends will directly accrue to Corporation shareholders/homestead owners. Should
owners sell their homestead, profits, reinvested in the ranch over the years, will be indirectly reflected
in the pricing of the homestead and the increasing value of the underlying share of ranch ownership.
The Cholla Group developed the idea of the Rancho La Joya Preserve because they were concerned
about the increasing breakup of family ranches, loss of ranch culture, and development of prime
rangeland. Now, by showing that ranching, habitat protection, and people are not mutually
exclusive, the Rancho La Joya Preserve can serve as a model for people concerned about preserving
large tracts of undeveloped land anywhere in the country.
[For more information contact Gil Lusk, The Cholla Grouo, LLC, 3030 East River Road, Tucson, AZ 85718;
Phone: (520) 529-3442; E-mail:holusk@msn.com; Internet: www.rancholaJoVa.com.]
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Builds Environment-conscious Home
The mission of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is to improve and sustain the health of the
Chesapeake Bay, North America's largest estuary, by reducing pollution and restoring habitat. In
keeping with its goals, the CBF has based the design of its new headquarters in Annapolis,
Maryland, on the principles of water resource protection through better development. CBF staff
worked with architects from the SmithGroup (Bethesda, Maryland) to incorporate better building
strategies such as energy efficiency, resource conservation, runoff prevention, and indoor air quality
protection into the design of the new facility. Named the Philip Merrill Environmental Center in
honor of a CBF trustee, the building fully complies with Maryland's legislation and is the only
recipient of the U.S. Green Building Council's highest rating, Platinum, for Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design.
The building also serves as a very visible model for what can be accomplished in this type of
development. Completed at a cost of $199 per square foot, the 32,000-square-foot building "is
comparable in cost to a first class office building in this area — the type you'd see with walnut
trim," explains Chuck Foster, Director of Fleet and Facilities for CBF. "Of course our building
doesn't have that. We think we just spent our money more wisely."
Planning the Site
CBF chose to construct the new building on the footprint of an abandoned pool and poolhouse
complex to avoid spoiling undeveloped land. Before construction of the new building, the
abandoned buildings on site were deconstructed, and many of the materials were recycled.
Avoiding the use of nonrenewable resources when at all possible, CBF used recycled and natural
materials, as well as materials from regenerable resources, throughout the new building. A parking
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 5
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Chesapeake Bay
Foundation Builds
Environment-
Conscious Home
(continued)
The Merrill Center's open floor plan conserves energy. Environmentally-
friendly construction materials, such as the recycled pipes used for handrails,
conserve natural resources.
lot was included under the new headquarters building, and additional parking areas were covered
with gravel to create fewer impervious areas on site. CBF also installed a bioretention filter to treat
oil and other pollutants in runoff from the parking areas and driveways.
CBF encourages its employees to use alternative transportation whenever possible. CBF included
bicycle racks, showers, and changing facilities in the building to make biking a more convenient
mode of transportation. Employees who use carpools are offered preferred parking and are enrolled
in a program that guarantees them a ride home if they must miss their carpool.
For work-related business, bicycles are available for
local errands while two low-emission, hybrid
gas/electric cars are available for longer trips. To
reduce the need for staff to travel off-site for meals,
CBF subsidizes a caterer daily to sell breakfast and
lunch at cost. CBF also uses video and
teleconferencing technology to reduce the need for
its employees to travel.
Improving Energy Efficiency
CBF designed the building with many energy-saving
features. Forty-eight geo thermal wells were drilled
300 feet into the earth's surface where the
temperature is a steady 58 degrees Fahrenheit
year-round. The closed-loop system (no water is
removed from the ground) uses heat exchange to
help heat the building during the winter and cool it
during the summer, allowing the building to rely less
on traditional heating and cooling methods. Solar
panels on the building's south wall generate electricity, and panels on the roof heat water, further
reducing the need for a conventional hot water heater. High windows and the building's
orientation toward the south take advantage of natural lighting and heating provided by the sun.
Sensors and dimmer switches reduce electric lighting when sunlight is abundant. In addition,
external sunshades reduce sunlight entering the building during the hot summer months. Finally,
the building's walls and roof consist of insulated panels that decrease energy consumption. Thanks
to these innovations, Foster estimates that CBF uses about two-thirds less energy than the average
office building, thereby saving about $35,000 per year.
Conserving Resources
CBF emphasized resource conservation in every aspect of building construction. They used metal
siding, roofing, ceiling tiles, particle board, and other construction materials that were recycled or
created through processes that minimize damage to the environment. The wood for the external
sunshades, for example, was recycled from old pickle barrels provided by an Eastern Shore pickle
company that was going out of business.
For new flooring they used natural, renewable materials like cork, natural linoleum, and bamboo.
CBF made an effort to buy locally produced materials to conserve resources and to decrease the
impact of pollution caused by shipping. In fact, more than half of the construction materials came
from within a 300-mile radius.
The Merrill Center uses very little water — only 10 percent of that used in a conventional office
building. The building is equipped with a rainwater catchment system that uses barrels to store the
water that runs off the roof. The stored water is routed to fire suppression systems, climate control
systems, mop sinks, and laundry equipment. In addition, CBF installed waterless composting
toilets that convert human waste into fertile garden topsoil over the course of three years. CBF has
successfully used this type of toilet for the past 20 years in its educational facilities. To eliminate the
need for outdoor watering, CBF is using native plants that are adapted to the local climate and can
subsist on rainwater alone.
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Chesapeake Bay
Foundation Builds
Environment-
Conscious Home
(continued)
Enhancing Indoor Air Quality
CBF recognizes that good air quality is essential for the health and happiness of its employees. To
reduce exposure of employees to chemical vapors, only paints and adhesives containing no volatile
organic compounds were used during the building's construction. In addition, operable windows
allow for natural ventilation on days when the weather permits. To help ensure the windows are
used, CBF installed an automated system that instructs employees to open their windows when
temperature and humidity are acceptable. Aside from small soundproof meeting offices and storage
rooms, the office space has no walls. This design allows for efficient ventilation and lighting.
Rooms where chemicals, such as cleaning supplies, might be stored are directly vented to the
outside to prevent circulation of the air through the building. Finally, CBF installed a carbon
dioxide monitor in the main conference room that senses when the room is occupied and increases
ventilation accordingly. This system saves energy by allowing the levels of ventilation in an empty
room to be much lower.
Serving as a Model for Others
CBF staff moved into their new headquarters on December 8, 2000. The move was met with some
mixed feelings. Most employees were excited about moving into the new building, although some
were apprehensive about a building with an open floor plan and self-composting toilets. More than
six months after moving into the building, however, everything seems to be going well. "Staff come
to work earlier and stay later," comments Foster. "They seem to enjoy working in a building with
so much natural light."
Assessing the Benefits of Effective Planning: Metro Square vs. Suburbia
Can the benefits of effective olannina be measured? Yes,
saVs an October 2000 exploratory study conducted by
Criterion Planners of Portland, Oreaon, The study,
contracted by the Natural Resources Defense Council in
cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection AaencV,
suaaests that the environmental benefits of compact
neiahborhoods desianed with thouahtful olannina and water
resource consideration are tanaible and measurable. This
study, unlike previous ones that were only model-based, is
one of the first to examine a fully completed and occupied
smart-arowth style development, the Metro Sauare
neiahborhood. Located a mile from downtown Sacramento,
California, Metro Sauare is a development of 46
sinale-familv, detached homes built in 1998, Usina a case
study methodoloaV, it was compared with two recent
conventional suburban residential developments.
Titled Environmental Characteristics of Smart Growth
Neiahborhoods: An ExoloratorV Case Study, the study
considered the impacts of the new-urbanism features
included in Metro Sauare on four different areas—air, water,
land, and eneraV use. Each topic area was considered in
detail. For example, the study considered many
water-related issues, includina consumption, storm runoff,
aroundwater recharae, surface water duality, reuse,
alternative supplies, and alternative waste treatments. The
land issues assessed included aariculture/forestrV, open
space, sensitive lands, and adaptive reuse. Analysts looked
at the correspondina impacts from the conventional
suburban developments.
The study found several environmental benefits to the Metro
Sauare neiahborhood. Compared to the two conventional
suburban developments with the same number of
sinale-family homes, Metro Sauare consumes only about
one-auarter as much land and, unlike the two conventional
developments studied, no aaricultural land was converted in
its construction. Construction of Metro Sauare, built on
existina vacant city lots, reauired no new infrastructure,
whereas the suburban sites reauired a full complement of
water, sewer, streets, drainaae, and other improvements
that represent enormous amounts of embodied eneraV and
upstream pollutant emissions.
Despite its use of alleys and wide sidewalks, Metro Sauare
contains less paved surface per household and per capita
than the conventional developments, thereby reducina
surface water runoff. Its more compact lots also reduce the
need for pesticides and fertilizers, as well as water for
irriaation durina Sacramento's dry summers. Its households
use about 20 to 30 percent less water than those in
conventional developments, and more rainfall and other
surface water is returned to around aauifers because of the
smaller amount of impervious surface per capita.
Water consumption at Metro Sauare could not be precisely
auantified because Sacramento does not meter water use.
However, the authors assumed that because the suburban
yards were approximately six times laraer than those of Metro
Sauare, it could be reasonably expected that Metro Sauare
households consume proportionately less irriaation water.
The study recommends that additional, more sophisticated
research be conducted on more sites incorporatina this
desian and location to help confirm that they are indeed
more environmentally efficient. For example, the study
suaaests that a variety of conventional desians should be
analyzed, includina residential, commercial, and mixed-use
projects of varVina sizes. In the interests of auantifVina water |
consumption, the study recommends installina water meters
in the homes,
[For more information contact Kaid Benfield, Natural
Resources Defense Council, 1200 New YorkAve., NW, Suite
400, Washinoton, DC 20005; Phone: (202)289-6868.1
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
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Chesapeake Bay
Foundation Builds
Environment-
Conscious Home
(continued)
The building has received international attention. "We were not prepared for the interest that
would be shown in our building. We've already had more than 1,000 visitors from around the
nation, as well as from India, Germany, and Turkey." So many people want to see the building that
CBF offers four organized tours each week, "plus a few impromptu tours as necessary," notes
Foster. Thanks to CBF's efforts, a couple of new buildings in the area are incorporating green
designs. "In fact, the state of Maryland is following what we did almost step-by-step for a new
building at St. Mary's College," said Foster. Diverse organizations, ranging from state and federal
government to nonprofit and for-profit groups, have expressed interest in emulating the CBF's
designs and have contacted them for assistance. CBF hopes this is just the beginning of an
expanded interest in better development practices.
[For more information contact Chuck Foster, Phillio Merrill Environmental Center, 6 Herndon Avenue,
Annaoolis, MD 21403; Phone: (410) 268-8816; E-mail: cfoster@savethebaV.cbf.oro; Internet:
www. sa vetheba V. cbf. oro/merrillcenter. 1
Land Use and Water Resources Publications Available from Scenic America
Scenic America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
helpina local arassroots CTOUDS fiaht sprawl and apply land
use and water resource strateaies. The aroup recently
published a series of nine fact sheets desianed to inform local
activists. Available for download, the fact sheets are:
Scenic America offers a series of additional publications,
includina
Aesthetics, Community Character and the Law (2000), This
document helps land-use planners and citizens
understand the law of aesthetics and the leaal tools
available to help their communities maintain their special
features and sense of place, (B37-Aesthetics: $34 each
or five for $136)
O, Say Can You See: A Visual Awareness Tool Kit for
Communities (1999), This document contains a collection
of visual assessment exercises to teach readers how to
aet members of their community to assess local visual
assets and think about how to preserve and enhance
them, (B35-0,Say; $20 each or five for $80)
Savino America's Countryside: A Guide to Rural
Conservation, 2nd edition(l997). This document offers
case studies and practical tools to teach readers how to
preserve community character, (B16-Rural: $25,95 each
or five for $103,80)
[For more information, or to order documents, contact Scenic America, Inc., 801 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 300, Washinoton,
DC 20003; Phone (202) 543-6200; Internet: www.scenic.oro/orowth.htm.
Conduct a Visual Assessment of Your Community
Promote Good Desian in Business and Historic Districts
Encouraae Attractive On-Premise Sians
Fiaht Billboard Bliaht
Protect Community Trees
Locate Wireless Telecommunications Towers
Sensitively Identify and Protect Scenic Vistas and
Viewsheds
Ensure a Strona State Scenic EVwaVs Proaram
Advocate for Context-Sensitive HiahwaV Desian
Low-Impact Development: A New Movement in Storm Water Management
Prince George's County, Maryland, a major metropolitan area outside Washington, D.C.,
developed Low-Impact Development (LID) in response to the limitations of conventional
end-of-pipe storm water management controls. "We had one of the best and most progressive
conventional storm water management programs in the United States," says Larry Coffman,
director of the county's storm water management program. "What we found is that many of the
techniques, such as ponds, were not showing significant improvements in water quality. In many
instances they were contributing to the degradation of watersheds. For generations we were just
removing storm water offsite from each development and translating problems downstream rather
than using it is a resource that could be used to maintain the ecosystems in and around the site. We
needed a new approach that addressed our water quality permit requirements, property owners'
economic requirements, and our aquatic resource protection goals." It is from this "call to arms"
that LID developed.
LID is based on maintaining or restoring the hydrologic integrity and functions of each site by
using small-scale source controls that are designed to address specific water quality objectives.
8
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Low-Impact
Development: A New
Movement in Storm
Water Management
(continued)
Prince George's County and the Low Impact Development Center, a nonprofit water resources
research organization formed in 1998 in Beltsville, Maryland, have developed a guiding set of five
principles for a comprehensive approach for new developments and retrofits of urban areas.
1. Conservation of natural areas: Preserving sensitive hydro logic areas such as riparian buffers
and infiltrable soils.
2. Minimize development impacts: Use site planning techniques such as site fingerprinting or
better site design to reduce hydro logic and hydraulic impacts.
3. Maintain site runoff rate: Use techniques such as surface roughness and increasing flow paths
to maintain peak runoff rates.
4. Integrated management practices (IMPs): Use LID source control techniques to meet volume
control, filtering, or watershed timing goals.
5. Public outreach and education: Identify and distribute appropriate educational materials on
construction and maintenance of IMPs.
Over the past few years, the LID Center has been concentrating on LID urban retrofits to meet
long-term control plans for combined sewer overflow, total maximum daily load, and National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements. The Center's staff have helped design
pilot projects and assisted in the monitoring and construction of LID practices. Neil Weinstein, the
Executive Director of the Center, comments on the Center's experience: "There are always lots of
questions about short- and long-term costs, effectiveness, and maintenance. But what we have found
is that through the construction, design, and monitoring of many of our pilot projects we are getting
answers that our clients and regulators like. Before LID many of our clients were stuck and had few, if
any, options using conventional techniques because of space limitations, costs, or maintenance. LID
offers a tremendous number of options on construction, phasing, and funding that weren't possible
under conventional approaches. Over the next several years I see lots more communities evaluating
and incorporating LID into their storm water management programs."
LID is rapidly gaining acceptance throughout the country. The Puget Sound Water Quality Action
Team is committed to getting the word out about LID. Members of the Washington-based team
include a governor-appointed chair; the directors of 10 state agencies; a city and a county
representative, and a representative of federally recognized tribes, each appointed by the governor;
and nonvoting representatives of three federal agencies. In addition to organizing and cosponsoring
a LID conference with the King County Department of Natural Resources in June 2001, the Puget
Sound Water Quality Action Team also produces guidance material and encourages tribal and local
governments, community groups, citizens, businesses, and state and federal agencies to incorporate
LID methods wherever possible to protect the water quality and biological resources of the Sound.
In Minnesota, the Dakota Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is using incentives to
promote LID. Located just south of Minneapolis, Dakota County is experiencing tremendous
urban development. Using set-aside funds and a substantial grant from the Metropolitan Council,
the SWCD provides cost-share funds to support the design and installation of innovative source
control stormwater management practices. "The LID cost-share grant is the best way for me to get
in the door to talk to developers," says Jay Riggs, the SWCD's Urban Conservationist, "and if we
don't end up with a project, I am still able to educate a critical player." In addition to providing
cost-share monies, the technical advisory team for the Dakota LID Initiative has developed the
LID Evaluation System (LIDES), a protocol for evaluating LID projects and determining
cost-share eligibility. According to Riggs, "The LIDES is an important tool for us to determine
which projects to fund and how much money they should receive." The last major component of
the LID Initiative is education. The Dakota SWCD is targeting multiple audiences to receive the
LID message: developers, design professionals, city staff, elected officials, and the public. "It is
critical for us to establish demonstration projects to show that these techniques work in our
climate," explains Brian Watson, the SWCD's manager. "We are taking a traditional SWCD
program like cost-share and expanding it into the urban realm. These voluntary incentives have
worked for us in the past, and we're confident they will effectively promote LID in our region."
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
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Low-Impact LID is proving to be an innovative technical approach to storm water management and
Development: A New environmental protection. With anchor points in Maryland, Washington, and Minnesota, the
Movement in Storm fumre of LID looks bri ht_
Water Management
(continued) ^or more information contact Neil Weinstein, Executive Director, LID Center, Inc., 7 Old Gate Court,
Beltsville, MD 20852; Phone: (301) 982-5559; E-mail: nweinstein@lowimoactdevelooment.oro; Internet:
www.lowimoactdevelooment.oro. 1
Lending a Hand Long Distance
The Conservation Fund is going high-tech rather than heading for the highway. In June 2001 the
Fund, a nonprofit conservation organization, held its first distance learning workshop, Gateway
Communities: Keys to Success. The free workshop focused on gateway communities, which are towns
and cities bordering America's national and state parks, wildlife refuges, forests, historic sites,
wilderness areas, and other public lands. The workshop provided an overview of key issues that
influence gateway communities and public lands, including growth, tourism, and transportation,
and how to use a community's assets to preserve community character and the environment.
"Distance learning can reach a wider audience, provide a flexible learning environment, and bring
together people from distant places to share knowledge and experience," explains Anne Desmarais,
Sustainable Programs manager with the Conservation Fund. "The distance learning workshop
provided an opportunity for a larger, nationwide audience to participate, whereas participation in
on-site workshops tends to be limited to the local area. A majority of the participants in the
distance learning workshop traveled less than 30 minutes to participate — most of these
participated at their place of work. Distance learning is a powerful solution to provide quality,
affordable education to working professionals."
The Fund offered the workshop through its Gateway Communities Leadership Program (GCLP),
which seeks to build the capability of public land managers and gateway communities to
collaboratively identify and address gateway and adjacent land issues through place-based
partnership initiatives. Through the GCLP, the Fund develops education resources and offers
training courses, workshops, and technical assistance to emerging and existing partnerships.
Long-Distance Logistics
The Fund conducted the workshop in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior's
(DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) National Conservation Training Center (NCTC), and
with financial support from DOI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "Through our
partnership with the DOI to develop and design collaborative learning and educational
opportunities, BLM provided direct funding to help cover cost of design and delivery, and FWS
provided distance learning staff and facilities to make the workshop possible," says Desmarais.
The three-hour workshop was broadcast over interactive satellite television (ITV), available in both
digital and analog satellite formats. The ITV information was sent to registered downlink sites,
which included federal agency facilities, local cable networks, and academic institutions. Course
materials were provided for download on the NCTC web site. At each registered downlink site, a
site coordinator was responsible for advertising the workshop locally, registering and preparing the
site for the workshop, and disseminating workshop materials. During the workshop, participants
relied on phone, fax, and e-mail to interact with participants from other gateway communities and
with the workshop leader, Edward T. McMahon, Vice President of The Conservation Fund and a
nationally known speaker on gateway communities and better development practices.
Drawing Participants Nationwide
The pilot offering of Gateway Communities: Keys to Success was an overwhelming success, drawing
an unprecedented number of participants from communities and public agencies around the
country. More than 290 documented individuals at 58 sites in 30 states participated, including
public agency officials (68 percent), members of community organizations (11 percent),
state/national nonprofit organizations (11 percent), and private sector employees (4 percent).
Participant feedback was provided through evaluation forms at each workshop site. "Participant
responses were generally enthusiastic about the content and the format of the pilot ITV workshop,"
10 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Lending a Hand notes Desmarais. "Based on these evaluations, future GCLP distance learning workshops will include
Long Distance increased opportunities for group discussion among participants at downlink sites, and between
(continued) participants and the workshop presenters through e-mail, fax, and phone."
Pleased with the pilot program's success, The Conservation Fund will offer two additional distance
learning workshops in winter 2001 and 2002. The Fund will broadcast a second offering of the
introductory workshop Gateway Communities: Keys to Success on December 6, 2001, from 12:30 to
3 p.m. EST In 2002 the Fund will also offer a new workshop, Gateway Communities: Building
Community And Public Lands Partnerships, focusing on identifying issues and tools for successful
gateway community/public land partnerships.
For more information about these workshops, or to register and participate in these events, please
refer to the event announcement and links on the NCTC web site at http://training.fws.gov/dl/
gatewaycommunitiesl20601.htm. The Fund also offers a series of on-site and regional workshops
addressing the needs of gateway communities. For more information see
www.conservationfund.org.
[For more information contact Anne Desmarais, The Conservation Fund, 1800 North Kent Street, Suite
1120, Arlinoton, VA 22209-2156; Phone: (703) 525-6300; E-mail: adesmarais@conservationfund.ora.]
Notes on the National Scene
Polls Reveal Continuing Misperceptions
Perceptions of who's responsible for water pollution haven't changed much in the past six years,
according to polls conducted by three different organizations.
Only 15 percent of those polled recently by the National Geographic Society were aware that their
own actions might affect rivers and watersheds, whereas a survey by the National Nonpoint Source
Forum six years ago revealed that about 19 percent saw themselves as responsible for water
pollution.
Both surveys found that people identify industry as the biggest polluter of our waterways: 44
percent in the National Geographic poll, 48 percent in the Forum survey.
A Roper poll for the National Environmental Education Training Foundation in 1999 confirmed
this misperception of the major cause of water pollution. Less than half (47 percent) of the
Americans Roper polled believed that runoff pollution is the biggest threat to water in their area.
The good news: Nearly one in five (20 percent) responding in the National Geographic poll
support protecting and conserving rivers, although most said they didn't have much time and
others said they lacked either information or awareness about the problem.
[For more information, contact Sarah Clark, The National Geooraohic Society'; Phone: (202) 828-5664;
E-mail: sclark@nos.oro.l
Success with Section 319 National Monitoring Program
Report Examines Section 319 National Monitoring Program
Since its inception in 1991 the Section 319 Nonpoint Source National Monitoring Program
(NMP) has worked to improve water quality around the country. The many achievements of the
NMP are noted in the November 2000 report Section 319 Nonpoint Source National Monitoring
Program Successes and Recommendations, released by the North Carolina State University Biological
and Agricultural Engineering Department's Water Quality Group (WQG). The report, available
on-line atwww.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/wqg/section319/frontcover.html, explores the
successes and lessons learned from NMP projects. It also offers recommendations to help improve
state nonpoint source water quality programs and future NMP and other watershed projects. The
report can also be obtained in hard copy by sending an e-mail request to wq_puborder@ncsu.edu.
What is the Nonpoint Source National Monitoring Program?
U.S. EPA, in cooperation with the states, developed the National Monitoring Program to improve
the understanding of nonpoint source pollution and to scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 11
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Success with nonpoint source pollution control technologies. All NMP projects combine water quality
Section 319 National monitoring with implementation of best management practices (BMPs). Typically, project staff
Monitoring Program monitor the baseline water quality conditions for at least two years, implement BMPs, and then
(continued) monitor for an additional three to six years. The data from the pre- and post-BMP periods are then
analyzed to evaluate whether water quality changes can be attributed to implementing BMPs.
To date EPA has approved 23 of 60 proposals. The funds EPA provides are used for monitoring
and evaluation; funds for the technical and financial assistance related to land treatment
implementation must be leveraged from other sources. Although most NMP projects have focused
on agricultural sources, EPA is actively soliciting projects in other land uses such as forests and
urban areas, as well as agriculture.
Learning from Successes and Failures
The report highlights the water quality concerns and the key successes and lessons learned for each of
the 23 NMP projects. After reviewing the successful and unsuccessful project elements of each NMP
project, the WQG developed a series of key recommendations to help improve the likelihood of
future project success. Although these recommendations are targeted at NMP projects, they are
applicable to any nonpoint source control project. "We can learn from past NMP watershed projects.
One thing we have learned is that watershed projects should include a commitment to long-term
monitoring if BMP effectiveness is to be established," explains Garry Grabow of the WQG. The
reports recommendations are organized into four primary categories: Program and Project
Organization and Administration, Effective Water Quality and Land Treatment Monitoring
Strategies, Land Treatment Implementation, and Information and Education.
Program and Project Organization and Administration
Successful projects
• Clearly define roles and responsibilities of federal, state/regional, and local governments for
effective interagency coordination and cooperation.
• Involve all major agencies and landowners in project selection and planning to maintain
long-term commitments.
• Coordinate the efforts of water quality monitoring and land treatment implementation
agencies and personnel.
• Ensure up-front commitment of funds for the multi-year project period.
• Attempt documentation at a statistical level of causes and effects.
Effective Water Quality and Land Treatment Monitoring Strategies
Successful projects
• Thoroughly document water quality problems (use impairment, pollutant(s) causing the
problem, and critical pollutant areas) to allow development of realistic goals.
• Monitor, track, and document land treatment and land-use changes to help show their
relationship to water quality improvements.
• Use multiple-watershed monitoring or an appropriate experimental design such as the
paired watershed, monitored upstream/downstream before, during, and after land
treatment.
• Conduct multiple years of pre- and post-BMP implementation monitoring to account for
year-to-year variability and to increase the likelihood of documenting concrete water
quality changes.
• Ensure that pollutants monitored correspond to pollutants being treated by BMP systems.
• Also, monitor explanatory variables to help adjust for major sources of variability other
than BMPs.
Land Treatment Implementation
Successful projects
• Implement appropriate and sufficient BMPs to address the water quality problem. BMPs
need to cause at least a 20 percent change in the water quality pollutant levels or loads
before statistical linkages can be drawn.
12 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Success with • Target BMP implementation to the critical pollutant source areas and pollutants, to reduce
Section 319 National the delivery of the pollutants to the water quality resource of concern.
Monitoring Program • Identify the parties responsible for operation and maintenance of both management and
(continued) structural BMPs and make sure they follow through.
• Implement a system of BMPs. Multiple structural and management BMPs are usually
necessary to best control the pollutant of concern.
Information and Education
Successful projects
• Provide education and outreach both before and during project implementation to ensure
a high level of landowner participation, increase general awareness of the water quality
problem, gain public support for the project, and improve landowners' understanding of
their contributions to the problem.
To ensure continued funding of nonpoint source projects across the country, policy makers,
politicians, government administrators, landowners, and taxpayers must have access to data
showing that nonpoint source control technologies do work. Through its rigorous long-term
monitoring requirements, the NMP is able to offer this data. By reviewing the NMP and
suggesting ways to make it better, the WQG is helping to ensure continued monetary and political
support for this program and other nonpoint source programs.
(For more information contact GarrV Grabow, NCSU Water Quality Grouo, Biolooical and Aoricultural
Enoineerino Deoartment, North Carolina Coooerative Extension Service, North Carolina State University,
Camous Box 7637, Raleioh, NC 27695-7637; Phone: (919) 515-3723; E-mail: oarrV orabow@ncsu.edu;
Internet: www.bae.ncsu.edu/Droarams/extension/waa.l
Section 319 National Monitoring Program Yields Results
by Steven A. Dressina, Environmental Consultant and Former Manaaer,
U.S. EPA's National Monitorina Proaram
Low-cost riparian zone protection is a practical and cost-effective tool for reducing nonpoint source
pollution concentrations and loads from livestock grazing lands. This finding and others from a
section 319 National Monitoring Program (NMP) project in the northern end of the Lake
Champlain Basin were reported by Don Meals of the Vermont Department of Environmental
Conservation at the Ninth National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop August 27-30 in
Indianapolis, Indiana and cosponsored by the Conservation Technology Information Center,
Purdue University, and U.S. EPA. Phosphorus, nitrogen, suspended solids, and indicator bacteria
levels were all reduced in response to livestock exclusion and riparian zone protection implemented
as part of this successful seven-year watershed project.
Begun in 1991 as a coordinated effort among U.S. EPA and other federal agencies, state and local
government and groups, and academia, the NMP currently includes 23 watershed projects ranging
from a small subwatershed assessment of the water quality benefits of innovative construction
practices in Connecticut to a study of the effects of habitat restoration on stream temperatures and
aquatic communities in the Upper Grande Ronde Basin of Oregon. NMP projects typically extend
for 7 to 10 years and feature carefully crafted monitoring programs designed to measure the water
quality benefits of improved land management measures. The results from the sustained efforts of
the many hard-working people involved in these projects are beginning to roll in.
For example, improved grazing management, riparian fencing, and revegetation have reduced
turbidity by half in one of the watersheds of the Morro Bay, California, project. In another West
Coast project, rainbow trout are returning to a segment of McCoy Creek in Oregon, where
riparian areas were revegetated and wet meadow conditions and stream meanders were restored.
Flood control structures, stream stabilization, and low stone weirs have reduced by 90 percent the
sediment loading to Lake Pittsfield, Illinois, one of several NMP projects in the Midwest.
Elsewhere in Illinois, biotechnical bank restoration and low stone weirs were used to increase
biological diversity (as measured with the Index of Biotic Integrity) and increase fish populations in
the urbanized Waukegan River watershed. In the Sycamore Creek watershed of Michigan, a
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 13
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Success with combination of no-till farming and stream bank erosion control reduced sediment load by 57
Section 319 National percent in one treated subwatershed. Barnyard and streambank treatments at a dairy on Otter
Monitoring rrogram Creek in Wisconsin are responsible for major reductions in suspended solids, total phosphorus,
' ammonia nitrogen, BOD, and fecal coliform levels.
In the Long Creek watershed of southwestern North Carolina, livestock exclusion and riparian
vegetation were successfully employed at a dairy to achieve significant reductions in fecal coliform
levels and in sediment, phosphorus, and nitrogen loads. Monitoring in the Oak Creek, Arizona,
NMP project contributed to a better understanding of the origin of fecal coliform loading in this
highly valued recreational stream. Recreation areas were closed after related monitoring efforts in
the watershed identified the agitation of contaminated sediment as a source of fecal material.
Future years will bring even more valuable information. All NMP projects include both water
quality and land treatment monitoring across three project phases — before, during, and after
implementation of control practices. The effectiveness of pollution control practices cannot be
determined until all three phases have been completed. Several projects are still in the middle
phase, and results from these will trickle in over the next several years. Some of the projects for
which results are yet to come are the Lightwood Knot Creek project in Alabama, where sediment,
nutrients, and bacteria from cropland and poultry operations are being addressed; the Jordan Cove
project in Connecticut (construction); the Peacheater Creek project in Oklahoma (poultry, dairy,
and beef); and the Swatara Creek project in Pennsylvania (coal mine drainage).
Some NMP projects are still analyzing their data to determine the effectiveness of control practices
that were implemented. Sound statistical analysis is a cornerstone of the NMP program, and all
projects have access to technical assistance from experts in the Water Quality Group at North
Carolina State University (NCSU), as well as valuable assistance from their peers working on other
NMP projects. NCSU is willing to work with potential projects in developing a monitoring
approach that is suitable for inclusion in the NMP. Annual workshops, such as the one held
recently in Indianapolis, bring NMP participants together with experts covering a range of
disciplines, including water quality, statistics, land treatment, modeling, and sociology.
Although the current set of NMP projects will continue to add to our understanding of the causes
of, impacts of, and controls for nonpoint source pollution at the watershed level for the next several
years, NMP program leader Thomas Davenport of U.S. EPAs Region 5 office is always looking to
enlist new projects.
[For more information contact Thomas Davenoort, U.S. EPA Reoion 5 at (312) 886-0209, E-mail:
davenDort.thomas@eoa.oov; or contact the staff at NCSU's Water Quality Grouo, Biolooical and
Aaricultural Enoineerino Deoartment, North Carolina Coooerative Extension Service, North Carolina State
University, Camous Box 7637, Hale/oh, NC 27695-7637; Phone: (919)515-3723; Internet:
h2osoarc. wo. ncsu.edu/3 Windex. html. 1
News from States, Tribes, and Localities
AMD&ART Helps Revitalize Streams and Communities
Schoolchildren in many areas of the Appalachian coal region draw landscapes using three basic colors:
green for the grass, blue for the sky, and orange for the streams. They have no fear of correction from
their teacher because indeed many streams, or rather stream bottoms, are coated with a bright orange
precipitate. This coating is caused by acid mine drainage (AMD), acidic water that emerges from
abandoned mining tunnels and contains high levels of dissolved iron, aluminum, sulfates, and other
minerals. The effects of AMD are devastating to the aquatic environment. It changes the natural
water chemistry; kills insects, crayfish, fish, and other forms of life; destroys habitat; and ruins
recreational opportunities for visitors and residents alike. AMD problems, combined with the
economic devastation associated with the decline of the coal industry, present a cultural as well as
an environmental challenge for people living in modern-day coal country.
AMD&ART is a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 to help meet this challenge. The goal of
the organization is to combine innovative science, the art of landscape design, community history,
14
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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AMD&ART Helps
Revitalize Streams
and Communities
(continued)
and citizen participation to create artful public places that integrate the treatment of AMD with
opportunities for people to explore, learn, and recreate. Goals of an AMD&ART project include
the following:
• Remediation. The primary goal is to restore AMD-polluted waters to a life-sustaining level.
Abandoned mine lands are transformed into treatment systems and wetlands that help
restore water quality. Clean water will sustain long-term environmental health and provide
recreational and economic benefits that will improve the self-image and quality of life of
affected communities.
• Community action. AMD&ART provides a forum for community discussion, planning,
and action. Local residents take ownership of a project and actively work together to link
regional history, public art, community activism, and remediation science. Relationships
are also developed between communities and various state and national resource agencies.
• Experimental learning. AMD&ART sites provide an opportunity to learn about and
experience an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving.
• Collaboration. Through AMD&ART, individuals, organizations, and agencies with
various interests work together to bring ideas and solutions to AMD remediation.
• Sustainability. AMD&ART sites are designed to be sustained by local resources.
• National model. The community-based, interdisciplinary approaches used by AMD&ART
can serve as a model for other communities with AMD or other environmental problems.
The AMD&ART initiative began with three sequential project sites east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The AMD&ART Vintondale site incorporates a popular hiking trail with an attractive series of ponds
and a wetland that gradually remove AMD pollutants before allowing mine water to enter the South
Branch of Blacklick Creek. Native plants, chosen for their color to reflect the increasing health of the
water, transition from deep orange to silver-green alongside the system. The seven-acre wetland is
designed for maximum habitat and educational possibilities. Markers planned for the trail will invoke
memories of the past, when mines and coal plants supported the town.
The centerpiece of the AMD&ART Hughes Bore Hole site is an existing AMD discharge that
emits 1,500 gallons of flow per minute and delivers four tons of dissolved metals per day to the
Little Conemaugh River. Visually arresting, this bore hole discharge creates a stunning array of
colors that ooze and creep downstream over an essentially lifeless landscape. Designing a passive
AMD remediation system for this massive outflow will offer a unique opportunity to learn about
large-scale restoration techniques in the future. The area around the bore discharge will remain
essentially untouched except for the installation of boardwalks that mirror the pattern of
abandoned mine tunnels hundreds of feet below.
The Dark Shade Creek Sub-Basin project is AMD&ART's largest-scale project — a 9-mile-long
drainage network with a 35-square-mile watershed and more than 20 AMD discharges. Within the
watershed is the sobering sight of a trout stream with clear running water merging with an orange,
AMD-stricken waterway. Farther downstream, the Dark Shade Creek empties into the Stonycreek
River, one of two rivers that flow through the city of Johnstown. As the Dark Shade Creek
watershed is restored, water quality in the Stonycreek River will improve dramatically. The
AMD&ART team will work with many communities in the watershed to create a network of
effective projects that will cleanse the entire watershed, as well as provide a broad base of public
involvement opportunities.
AMD&ART projects strive to incorporate a sense of place, economic revitalization, and a renewal
of community spirit. Although developed for coal regions, this model can be universally applied to
watersheds throughout the country for a number of pollution problems. This fresh approach offers
the opportunity to achieve stronger communities along with a cleaner environment.
(For more information contact Shannon Peterson, Project Coordinator, AMD&ART, Inc., 411 Third Avenue,
Johnstown, PA 15906; Phone: (814) 539-5357; E-mail: amdandart@amdandart.oro; Internet:
www.amdandart.oro. 1
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
15
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Saving Water for the Future
This summer the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) launched a new water
conservation initiative targeted at state facilities, water utilities, and citizens. The backbone of the
initiative is an Executive Order issued by Maryland's then Governor Paris Glendening on May 24,
2001 requiring all state facilities to conduct water use audits and to take steps to reduce their water
use in the buildings and on the landscape. Water utilities that exceed certain water use criteria are
also required to implement water conservation plans. In addition, MDE is developing an outreach
and education campaign to teach Maryland citizens the importance of water conservation. Similar
to the way it responded to concerns about sprawl by quickly implementing better land use
development programs, the state of Maryland is once again on the cutting edge of environmental
issues, anticipating and addressing the issue of water supply before it grows out of control.
Why This Big Step?
The program is a direct result of the drought of 1999, which caused many Maryland municipalities
to find it necessary to implement water use restrictions. At that time the governor formed two
drought management task forces to determine how the state could prevent similar problems in the
future, considering that the state's population is expected to grow while its water supply is not. The
groups developed several recommendations for businesses and individuals that were subsequently
incorporated into MDE's program. "It is habit to think that we have all the water we need," says
Lyn Poorman of MDE. "By not taking our water supply for granted, we can be more resilient
during times of drought." To set a good example for the residents of Maryland, the governor issued
the Executive Order requiring mandatory state agency water conservation.
State Facilities
The order requires that each building owned, leased, or managed by the state reduce its total water
use by 10 percent by 2010. To help achieve this goal, each state agency responsible for the lease or
maintenance of a facility is required to designate a water conservation coordinator, who will lead an
annual water use audit and coordinate the development of a water conservation plan. The annual
audit will rely on the use of flowmeters or other methods to account for water use and demonstrate
that the water use reduction goals are achieved. The audit will help the agency identify and select
specific water conservation measures that need to be employed to improve water management and
water use efficiency. Elements of a conservation plan will likely include the purchase of
water-efficient plumbing fixtures and other products when new or replacement products are
needed, detection and repair of leaks, implementation of wastewater reclamation and recycling of
water for nonpotable applications, and installation of efficient landscape design and irrigation
techniques to prevent runoff.
Water Utilities
To expand the water conservation effort, MDE is requiring 27 water utilities serving more than
10,000 people to conduct audits to evaluate the amount of residential water used per person. If
water systems have a per capita residential usage that exceeds 100 gallons per day (all uses), they
will be asked to develop and implement a water conservation plan. Plans could include
components such as improving metering capabilities, repairing distribution systems, changing the
way they bill their customers, and providing water conservation education and/or financial
incentives for consumers to reduce their water use.
Citizen Education
To round out the water conservation effort, MDE is also educating the citizens, businesses, and
industries that use the water. MDE's water conservation and drought management website
(www.mde.state.md.us/waterconservation/water_conservation.html) provides a comprehensive list
of ways these groups can reduce their water use. MDE is also relying on radio advertisements,
brochures, and outreach booths at community events to spread the word. MDE plans to eventually
develop water conservation curriculum for the public schools. "We are trying to get the message
out that even though it seems like we have lots of water now, we need to conserve for the future,"
explained Poorman. "People need to understand that if we use less water, more will be available for
infiltration to replenish the groundwater and surface water, the burden on the wastewater
treatment plants will be lower, and there will be less opportunity for water pollution to occur."
16 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Saving Water for Program Status
tne ruture Water use audits were due from the state agencies and water utilities during late summer 2001. The
(uoniinueuj corresponding water conservation plans were due by October 1. To help with implementation, the
governor has provided MDE with two full-time positions — one person to help refine state agency
and utility audits and water conservation plans and another to focus on education and outreach.
Poorman expects the positions to be filled soon, which will allow the program's implementation
rate to accelerate.
Even without the new positions in place, the education program is underway. The first radio ads
promoting conservation were aired in September. A booth promoting MDE programs, including
water conservation, has been featured at the state fair and community events. As Maryland's new
water conservation program matures, it is sure to become a model for other Mid-Atlantic states
that face the increasing water demands of a growing population.
[For more information contact the Water SuoolV Prooram at the Maryland Deoartment of the
Environment, 2500 Broenino HiohwaV, Baltimore, MD 21224; Phone: (410) 631-3702; E-mail:
watersuDDlv@mde. state.md. us. 1
Ohio EPA's Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program Creates a
New Source of Funds for Steam Restoration
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) recently introduced a creative way for
communities to fund stream and wetland restoration work in conjunction with improvements and
repairs to wastewater collection systems and treatment plants. Traditionally, the state's Water
Pollution Control Loan Funds (WPCLF) program has provided low-interest loans to
municipalities for wastewater treatment projects. Under a new program called the Water Resource
Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP), if the community adds an approved restoration project to
its treatment works project, it can reduce the total amount of money owed to the WPCLF. This is
accomplished by reducing the rate of the treatment works loan by 0.1 percent and applying the
savings to the WRSSP project money.
A variety of restoration activities can qualify as a WRSSP project, including shoreline easement
purchase and protection, restoration and protection of stream channels or wetlands, and planning
costs associated with waterway restoration. The community has the option of either taking on the
project itself or engaging the services of a land trust, park district, or other entity to complete the
project. The Ohio EPA must approve all WRSSP projects, however. Notably, environmental
projects required as a part of a negotiated fine or settlement for environmental violations are not
eligible for funding under the program.
The city of Vermilion, located in north-central Ohio, was the first community to participate in the
WRRSP. The city received a $1.66 million, low-interest, 20-year loan from the WPCLF to improve
and repair the city's wastewater collection system and wastewater treatment plant. In addition, it
developed a WRRSP project to provide funds to the Lorain County Metropolitan Park District to
purchase, restore, and protect undeveloped property along the Vermilion River. This add-on
reduced the interest rate, saving the city $1.18 million in interest payments over the life of the loan
and freeing that money to be used for the restoration and enhancement of the river.
[For more information contact Bob Monsarrat, Ohio Environmental Protection AoencV, Division of
Environmental and Financial Assistance, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, OH 43216-1049; Phone: (614)
644-3655.1
Storm Water Management in the District of Columbia
Storm water best management practices (BMPs) are getting a new lease on life, thanks to a new
program developed by the District of Columbia. In 1988 the D.C. Department of Health launched a
formal program providing for the installation of storm water management controls. This program
required that a responsible party be designated and legally obligated to maintain the BMP before the
Department approved its installation. Within a few years of launching the program, the District of
Columbia had pioneered the use of underground sand filters to treat storm water runoff. The units
are designed to capture and treat the first half-inch of runoff generated by a 15-year storm event.
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 17
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Storm Wator Since 1988 more than 400 sand filters have been installed or approved for installation, typically to
Management in the treat runoff from service stations and parking lots for commercial and residential areas.
District of Columbia . . .
(continued) Under the old program, BMPs were inspected alter installation only il an emergency lailure was
reported or if a permit renewal required inspection. By the mid-1990s many units had ceased to
function properly. Recognizing that proper sand filter operation and maintenance was critical to
sound storm water management, and ultimately to water quality in the Anacostia and Potomac
Rivers, the Department of Health resolved to formalize its storm water management facilities
maintenance inspection program.
Maintenance Is the Best Medicine
In 1999, under Theodore J. Gordon, Chief Operating Officer, the Department of Health
implemented a new formal maintenance inspection program that established the regulations,
policies, and procedures needed to ensure maintenance of units that were not operating properly.
Program authority was given to the Department of Health's Watershed Protection Division
(WPD). To support the program, the Department of Health hired one full-time staff member in
the WPD who is responsible for developing educational material, performing maintenance
inspections, and enforcing the District of Columbia's storm water regulations. Since the program's
inception, more than 230 storm water BMPs (98 of which were sand filters) have been inspected,
approximately 80 of which needed maintenance service. Of those 80, 68 have received
maintenance service and have been restored to good working condition. The remaining 12 are still
in need of maintenance service and are subject to enforcement action.
The owners of failing sand filters have ample opportunity to address the problem before WPD
implements enforcement measures. Once an inspection identifies that maintenance is needed, WPD
issues a letter giving the responsible party 30 days to secure a contractor to fix the problem. If after
that time no action has been taken, the owner receives a Notice of Violation, which provides an
additional 15 days to secure a contractor. If the owner does not respond, they are subject to an initial
$100 fine per problem (the owner is subject to multiple fines if the same system has multiple
violations). The fine is due within 15 days. Continued non-compliance can result in a doubling of
the fine and eventually a court appearance. "Because maintenance of these systems can be costly,
owners think that it's more economical to pay fines, and are slow to act but ultimately they still have
to service the storm water facility and end up spending more money and wasting a lot of everyone's
time," explains Walter Caldwell, an Environmental Specialist with WPD.
Educating to Avoid Enforcement
In connection with the formal storm water BMP maintenance inspection program, WPD is
making a concerted effort to notify BMP owners of program requirements and educate them about
proper maintenance. Using a grant from EPA, together with matching funds from the
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the WPD has developed an instructional
video illustrating sand filter maintenance. A study of sand filter residuals, designed to characterize
residuals found in sand filters with various land uses, has also been performed. The video
documents full restoration of a sand filter located in the parking lot of a property owned by the
District of Columbia Housing Authority. It will be shown primarily to sand filter owners and
maintenance contractors. The video reviews all the important elements of sand filter maintenance
[For more information or for cooies of the video or ouidebook, contact Walter Caldwell, District of
Columbia Deoartment of Health, Watershed Protection Division, 51 N Street, NE, Washinoton, DC 20002;
Phone: (202) 535-2240; E-mail: walter.caldwell@dc.oov.]
Restoring New Mexico's Ponderosa Pine Forests: Restoring Clean Water
Ponderosa pine forests, or areas once supporting ponderosa pine forests, cover about 4.7 million
acres in New Mexico. Changes in land use, as well as changes in fire control philosophies, have
altered the natural state of these pine forests. Once shaped by natural, frequent ground fires, these
forests are now susceptible to raging wildfires that leave the land scarred and blackened, opening
the way for serious erosion and sedimentation in nearby waterways. In response, the New Mexico
Surface Water Quality Bureau is working with the U.S. Forest Service and environmental
organizations to implement a series of pine forest management techniques to reduce the likelihood
of this pattern of wildfire and water quality degradation.
18 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Restoring New Ponderosa Pine Forests in the Past
Mexico s Ponderosa Virtually all ponderosa pine forests were shaped by frequent ground fires until the late 19th
century. Because of their frequency, the fires prevented a buildup of flammable vegetation. When
Hesionng Llean £res i3umecj) tne iack Of fuel kept the fire at a reduced intensity so the fire simply removed the
brushy vegetation and grasses in the understory and did not harm the mature trees. Now, however,
these forests are largely shaped by the absence of fire.
Scientists at Northern Arizona University's Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research have learned, by
analyzing fire scars in old ponderosa pines across the Southwest, that fires burned every 2 to 10
years or so in ponderosa pine forest up until about 1900. At that time the Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad and other railroads were built, connecting the region with distant mining districts and
urban areas and providing markets for cattle, goats, and sheep. This led to more intense grazing in
the ponderosa pine forest areas, which eliminated the understory and caused natural fires to cease.
With the adoption by the Forest Service of a grazing permit system at the turn of the century,
passage of the Taylor Grazing Act in 1934, and other changes in range management, the grasses,
herbs, and small trees necessary for ground fires returned to many areas. By that time, however, the
Forest Service believed that all fires were bad for the forest and doused any fires that occurred.
When the ground fires stopped burning, bushes and small trees kept growing. This vegetation now
serves as a ladder, allowing fires to reach the tops (crowns) of the ponderosa pines, causing much
more intense fires that destroy mature trees.
Links to Water Quality
Forest Service studies have shown that wildfires also negatively affect water quality. Intense
wildfires cause a complete loss of vegetation, which leaves the soil exposed and allows a dramatic
increase in runoff and erosion following precipitation events. For example, according to the Cerro
Grande Fire Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation report, a peak flow of 1,278 cubic feet per
second (cfs) is expected in Pueblo Canyon at the Diamond Drive crossing in Los Alamos if a
25-year, 1-hour rain event (equivalent to 1.9 inches of rain in 1 hour) occurs. Before the Cerro
Grande Fire, the same rain event would have resulted in a mere 9 cfs. Similarly, a maximum peak
discharge in Frijoles Canyon on Bandelier National Monument was estimated at 3,030 cfs 1 year
after the La Mesa Fire of 1977. Before the fire, the same event would have produced a peak
discharge of approximately 19 cfs.
These floods impair the water quality of streams in the burned area's watershed. "We are concerned
about the wildfires' lasting impact on water quality," explains Abe Franklin with the New Mexico
Surface Water Quality Bureau. According to Franklin, the high water flushes the fish, invertebrates,
and much of the riparian vegetation downstream. Flood flows also widen channels and deliver
sediment downstream to other rivers or reservoirs. "These above-normal flows are expected for
several years after a wildfire. The negative impacts resulting from the high water and erosion can
linger longer, as the stream channel and riparian vegetation take time to become reestablished." In
some cases, Franklin adds, the lack of wildfire can actually be bad for water quality — for example,
when thickets of young trees keep cattle out of the forest and force them to seek forage in more
sensitive areas, such as riparian zones.
Forest restoration can also cause an indirect benefit to water quality by reducing evapotranspiration,
thus increasing the amount of water reaching a stream. In a study of a ponderosa pine thinning
project in the Beaver Creek watershed of Arizona, after one-third of the basal area (the cross-sectional
areas of the combined tree trunks) of pines was removed, the creek's water yield increased at least
15 percent. "Increased water quantity, if it doesn't come all at once, can translate to more dissolved
oxygen, lower temperatures, and higher instream flow to support aquatic life where a stream might
otherwise run dry," explained Franklin. The study also showed that the water yield gradually
decreased to pretreatment levels during the 6 to 10 years period following the thinning, indicating
that the forest would need to be thinned again to experience the water yield increase. Because
thinned ponderosa pine forest can be inexpensively (and relatively safely) maintained with
prescribed fire, this study supports the need to manage the forests with fire.
DECEMBER 2001. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 19
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Restoring the Pines
The Bureau supports restoration of ponderosa pine ecosystems with technical assistance, as well as
Clean Water Act section 319(h) funding, in cases where the restoration activity is conducted in
part to protect or restore water quality. These funds have allowed agencies to thin and burn many
acres of ponderosa pine forest. Prescribed burning without prior thinning is also possible if the
weather is very wet and cool, but is less effective at opening up the understory or preventing
intense wildfire during times that are not so wet and cool.
One of the Bureaus thinning projects, located in a ponderosa pine area called the Santa Barbara
Allotment, is getting some help from The Conservation Fund, which holds the grazing lease for another
Forest Service grazing allotment. The Fund has arranged for members of the Santa Barbara Grazing
Association to temporarily graze their cows on the Fund's "Grass Bank" while the Santa Barbara
Allotment is being thinned. The period of rest encourages the sparse grasses that persisted under the
thick ponderosa pine canopy to multiply, providing better fuel for prescribed fires. The grass is
regrowing more abundantly after the burns and will provide better range for the cows in the future.
The Bureau is also supporting the Upper Santa Fe River Watershed Restoration Project, which, if
implemented as proposed, will thin approximately 2,570 acres (probably followed by prescribed
burning) in the 17,384-acre watershed; another 4,700 acres will be burned under very specific
prescription conditions without thinning. This project is planned largely to protect the watershed
that provides 40 percent of Santa Fe's municipal water supply.
Clearly these projects alone and others like them cannot achieve all the ponderosa pine restoration
that is needed in New Mexico. Even with new federal funding becoming available, it might be
impractical to restore ponderosa pine forests with repeated mechanical thinning. "Over 100,000
acres per year would have to be thinned for 20 years to restore half of New Mexico's 4.7 million
acres of ponderosa pine forest. And without adopting prescribed fire, the expense would have to be
repeated, and some management objectives would not be attained," explained Franklin.
Mechanical thinning tends to leave small trees in place. These small trees can quickly fill the
understory, elevating fire danger again. Furthermore, current markets cannot absorb all of the
low-value, small trees that might be produced from widespread thinning projects. Finally, without
fire, effective nutrient release to the understory vegetation would not occur.
The Bureau recognizes that restoring ponderosa pine forests is a multifaceted effort. The Bureau
and other organizations will need to educate the public regarding fire safety and the important role
of fire in ponderosa pine ecosystems. "Most of the section 319 projects that the Bureau funds have
a public outreach component," notes Franklin. "A number of local environmental groups are also
implementing fire education programs." Managers of projects proposing prescribed burns will need
to work closely with owners and managers of lands adjacent to the burn area to allay their fears of
uncontrolled wildfire. Finally, the Bureau and other organizations need to conduct research to
better understand the long-term succession of intensely or moderately burned ponderosa pine
forest and to discover ways to reduce costs of mechanical thinning.
[For more information on the tooic ofoonderosa Dine forest restoration efforts in New Mexico, call Abe
Franklin, New Mexico Environment Deoartment, Surface Water Quality Bureau, P.O. Box 26110, Santa Fe,
NM 87502; Phone: (505) 827-2793; Fax: (505) 527-0160; E-mail: abraham franklin@nmenv.state.nm.us.l
Notes on Watershed Management
Infrequent Inspections May Lead to Greater Stream Pollution
Enforcement of control measures can be the key to erosion prevention, a new study shows. Drs.
Seth Reice and Richard Andrews, professors at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill,
conducted the study between 1996 and 2000 in a 16-county area in the central Piedmont region of
North Carolina. The scientists sampled benthic macroinvertebrates, some of which are particularly
sensitive to sediment loads, including mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisfiies. They then compared that
information to the strength of erosion control rules and the degree to which they are enforced. The
stringency of the laws proved far less important than the strictness of enforcement. The scientists
found that if enforcement is slack, many builders are less careful about implementing the necessary
erosion control measures and water quality is degraded. If enforcement is strict and backed by
meaningful penalties, builders conform to the rules and water quality is better.
Restoring New
Mexico's Ponderosa
Pine Forests:
Restoring Clean
Water
(continued)
Forest Waste Used
as Furniture
The September 2001 issue of
The Nature Conservancy's
maaazine includes an article
detailina one waV oeoole can
use the loas removed durina
the thinnina of a oonderosa
oine forest—as furniture
material. The New Mexico
Chanter of The Nature
Conservancy secured Dine
loas for furniture for its Bear
Mountain Lodae, located in
the Gila National Forest near
Silver City, New Mexico.
Almost all of the lodae's
furniture, includina
headboards, armoires, tables,
and chairs, was made locally
out of trees that were cut as
oart of a nearby forest
restoration oroJect, The effort
to build custom-made
furniture for the lodae is Dart
of the Jobs and Biodiversity
Project, a Silver City-based
coalition of community and
environmental CTOUDS, that is
develooina waVs to restore
forests to healthy conditions
while encouraaina economic
arowth. The oroiect is one of
12 national oilot oroarams
funded by the Ford
Foundation to exolore turnino
forest resources into
protected livelihoods.
20
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
-------
Infrequent Funded by a $577,000 grant from the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program (funded by EPA
Inspections May ancj tne National Science Foundation), the project looks at sedimentation problems from a new
Leact to u rearer angle. "Ours was the first investigation ever to look at the actual impact of developers and
Stream Pollution , , , • , • , • D .
regulators on natural stream ecology in this way, explains Reice.
(continued)
Water Quality and Erosion Control
The scientists collected macro invertebrate samples at 18 construction sites before, during, and after
each project. During-construction samples were taken only on days following heavy rainfalls (at
least l/2 inch). According to Reice, "This was a very complicated, detailed study, during which we
sampled and identified more than 300,000 invertebrates." Their analysis showed the best water
quality in Orange County, followed by Wake County, followed by a 16-county, 8,000-square-mile
area known as District 4 of the North Carolina Division of Land Quality.
The researchers compared the sampling results with the results of a public policy analysis of erosion
control rules and enforcement. The analysis, conducted by Andrews and Ph.D. student Joanne
Carmin (now a faculty member at Virginia Polytechnic Institute), revealed that Orange County
had the strongest erosion control rules and adequate staff to inspect and strictly enforce the rules.
Wake County had less stringent rules than Orange County but also was well staffed and strictly
enforced the rules. District 4, on the other hand, had the same relatively weak rules as Wake
County but fewer enforcement staff per capita and was less able to enforce the rules.
"The problem for District 4 is that the inspectors, who are good people doing their best, can't
possibly keep up. It's likely they can't visit a construction site more than once before it's
completed," Reice says. "The bottom line is that problems lie not with the counties or where the
streams are but with enforcement, which is just not good enough in most counties. Our data
provide a powerful argument for hiring many more sedimentation inspectors for North Carolina."
[For more information, contact Dr. Seth Reice, University of North Carolina-Chanel Hill, Deoartment of
BiolooV, CokerHall, Chaoel Hill, NC 27599-3280; Phone: (919) 962-1375.1
Storm Water Retrofitting of Reservoirs Protects New York's Drinking Water
Controlling storm water entering New York's Kensico Reservoir is key to ensuring safe drinking
water for some 9 million New Yorkers — half the population of the states — and is the linchpin of
the Kensico Water Quality Protection Program.
New York City's drinking water supply system is one of the largest in the world, supplying around
1.33 billion gallons of potable water each day to the city and upstate communities. Kensico
Reservoir, one of 19 in the city's 1,969-square-mile watershed, is particularly important because it
is the final impoundment for 90 percent of New York City's unfiltered water supply before it enters
the distribution system. To meet the federal Surface Water Treatment Rule and U.S.
Environmental Protection Filtration Avoidance mandates, the New York City Department of
Environmental Protection's (DEP) Bureau of Water Supply has developed a proactive $15 million
program to manage and protect the Kensico Reservoir and its watershed.
The Kensico Reservoir Storm Water Management Program is designed to reduce fecal coliform
bacteria and turbidity delivered to the reservoir by controlling and treating storm water. The first
phases of the project — assessment of the watershed, site selection, and the screening and design
of storm water control and treatment facilities —were completed in July 1998. Facility
construction was completed this past summer. DEP has committed to monitoring and evaluating
facility performance and maintaining the facilities.
Watershed Assessment
The 13-square-mile Kensico Reservoir watershed includes four suburban towns in Westchester
County, New York, and a small portion of land in Fairfield County, Connecticut. To assess storm
water pollutant loadings in the watershed, the reservoir basin's physical characteristics were
inventoried and digitally mapped. The watershed's topography is hilly and rolling; more than
two-thirds of it contains slopes greater than 8 percent. Almost a third of the land area is used as
open space, approximately one-fifth is developed in low-density residential, and the remainder is
primarily recreational open space, farmland, and commercial.
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 21
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Storm Water
Retrofitting of
Reservoirs Protects
New York's
Drinking Water
(continued)
Impervious surface area in the reservoir's subbasins ranges from 4 percent in the Whippoorwill
basin to 45 percent in the Malcolm Brook basin (which drains into the Catskill Upper Effluent
Chamber which sends the water directly into the district system) and averages 19 percent. The
greatest concern is runoff from developed land directly adjacent to the effluent chambers that
convey drinking water to consumers.
A preliminary assessment concluded that 73 of the watershed's 148 drainage basins might
contribute fecal coliform bacteria and suspended solids (which cause turbidity) to the reservoir.
The assessment initially selected 19 of the 73 for stormwater remediation, using field observations
and the following criteria:
• Proximity to reservoir effluent chambers
• Known or potential sources of pollutants
• Quality and quantity of storm water runoff
• Presence of wetlands
• Topography
• Property ownership
• Observed erosion
Conceptual designs were prepared for 88 storm water management facilities in the 19 drainage
basins. The storm water management plan was then refined by applying the following criteria, in
combination with field investigations, maintenance considerations, and physical site constraints:
1. Can the site and the facility reduce pollutant loads?
2. Does the facility minimize impact on environmental resources and improve water quality?
3. Does the existing condition warrant engineered improvements?
4. Are there property ownership/permission constraints that make implementation impractical
or impossible?
5. Since the Final Environmental Impact Statement was issued, have any watershed and land use
conditions or assumptions changed affecting the appropriateness of the facility and/or the site?
6. Are there likely to be permit or property ownership issues that will compromise the project?
7. Are the maintenance and/or operation requirements of the project so burdensome as to
make it inappropriate?
The final plan targeted 57 storm water management facilities. Each design incorporated existing topo-
graphy; avoided wetland encroachment; included landscaping, wetland plantings, and features to
discourage waterfowl; and provided for long-term maintenance. Each facility was engineered to
minimize environmental impact on and off the site, without sacrificing water quality — a crucial
component of enlisting the support of the community, regulatory agencies, and private property owners.
Construction followed a prioritized schedule based on erosion potential, water quality benefits,
proximity to the effluent chambers, and permitting and property owner constraints. Each facility
began functioning upon completion, and monitoring started in spring 2000, using the water
quality monitoring stations incorporated into each facility.
Advisory Group
An expert advisory panel of academic and government engineering and health professionals
reviewed plans and facility designs for the highest-priority drainage basin, Malcolm Brook. The
panel supported the project and offered comments that helped shape the designs and gain
community support.
Gaining Community and Regulatory Support
Securing permission from 32 landowners to construct 18 facilities on their land was a challenging
aspect of the project. DEP identified the owners of property where the facilities would be sited and
launched an outreach campaign to explain the project and secure local support and legal
permission to construct and maintain the facilities on private property. Sites located within the
same basin were pursued where access to private property was denied.
22
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
-------
Storm Water
Retrofitting of
Reservoirs Protects
New York's
Drinking Water
(continued)
Ultimately, 44 engineered facility designs were completed, including 10 extended detention basins,
14 segments of stream channel stabilization, 13 outlet stilling basins, 1 area of parking lot
stabilization, and 1 sand filter system. Additional road stabilization and drainage improvements to
reduce erosion were incorporated into the stilling and detention basins and sand filter designs.
In-reservoir containment booms are also being installed to prevent, recover, and clean up hazardous
discharges from 23 Interstate-684 storm water outfalls that discharge directly into the reservoir.
Initially, DEP briefed town supervisors, engineers, and planners. Once their support was obtained,
DEP submitted applications for local permits and approvals. A similar process of pre-application
meetings followed with federal and New York state permitting agencies. These meetings set the
stage for the relationship among DEP, municipalities, and regulatory agencies, allowing them to
comment on the preliminary designs and permit applications.
The Rest of the Plan
Other components of the Kensico watershed management plan include
• Sewer inspection and repair: New York City funded repairs by the Town of Mount
Pleasant and Westchester County to 39 segments of the 95,000 feet of sewer line in the
watershed.
• Storm water infrastructure inspection/sewer system disconnection: DEP is digitally
mapping the storm sewer system in the Kensico watershed and will video-inspect it to
locate illicit wastewater discharge connections.
• Waterfowl management: Through hazing, shoreline meadow management, egg addling,
and physical barriers, the city has dramatically reduced the amount of bird waste that
enters the reservoir. The program runs August 1 through March 31 each year and has
eliminated the greatest source of fecal coliform bacteria to the Kensico.
Farmscapes Offer Biological Pest Control
Want to reduce pesticide use on Your farm? TrV usina
beneficial insects instead. This approach, coined
"farmscaDino," is explained in a report recently released
bV the Appropriate TechnoloaV Transfer for Rural Areas, a
project operated by the National Center for Appropriate
TechnoloaV, The report defines farmscapina as a
whole-farm, ecoloaical approach to pest manaaement
that relies on the use of hedaerows, certain plants, cover
crops, and water reservoirs to attract and support
populations of beneficial oraanisms such as insects,
bats, and birds of preV,
Accordina to the report, a farmer must consider many
issues when developina a farmscapina plan:
1, EcoloaV of Pests and Beneficials
4 What are the most important (economically) pests
that reauire manaaement?
4 What are the most important predators and parasites
of the pest? What are the primary food sources,
habitat, and other ecoloaical reauirements of both
pests and beneficials?
2, Timina
4 When do pest populations aenerallV first appear,
and when do these populations become
economically damaaina?
4 When do the most important predators and parasites
of the pest appear?
4 When do food sources for beneficials first appear
and how lona do they last?
4 What native annuals and perennials can provide
habitat?
3, StrateaV Identification
4 How can Vou reduce pest habitat?
4 How can you auament beneficial habitat?
4 What trap crops are available (those planted
specifically to be more attractive to the pest than is
the crop to be harvested)?
4, Establishina Insect Populations
4 Where can Vou obtain seeds and plants?
4 What is the cost of around preparation, plantina, and
maintenance (irriaation, weedina, etc.) for at least 1
year followina establishment of perennials, plus the
number of beneficial habitat plants needed per
season?
4 What type of eauipment will you need?
Detailed appendices offer information about various
types and examples of successful farmscapina plans,
plants that attract beneficial insects, types of pests and
their predators, seed blends to attract beneficial insects,
hedaerow establishment and maintenance budaets, and
a sample flowerina period table. The report is available
for download at www,attra,ora/attra-pub/farmscape,html
or www,attra,ora/attra-pub/farmscapina,pdf.
[For more information contact the ADorooriate TechnolooV Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), P.O. Box 3657, FaVetteville,
AR 72702; Phone: (800) 346-9140; Internet: www.attra.oro.1
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
23
-------
Storm Water • Turbidity curtain: A turbidity curtain installed at the mouth of Malcolm Brook in the
Retrofitting of southwest section of the Kensico Reservoir successfully directs turbidity and fecal coliform
Reservoirs Protects bacteria away from the Catskill Upper Effluent Chamber.
Drinkinn Watpr * Reservo*r dredging: The channels leading to the reservoir's two effluent chambers were
(rnntjnuprj) dredged in 1999 to eliminate the potential for accumulated sediments to be resuspended
during storms and affect the quality of water entering the effluent chambers.
• Failing septic system detection and remediation: To promptly identify and remediate failing
septic systems, DEP is conducting a house-to-house survey and routinely patrolling the
watershed. Incorporating an aggressive public outreach campaign, designing the facilities
to minimize site and resource disturbances, providing for proper long-term maintenance of
storm water controls, and monitoring effectiveness were high priorities for DEP, which is
now using Kensico's storm water management plan as a template for watershed projects in
other urban areas.
[For more information, contact James D. Benson, Prooram Manaoer, New York CitV Deoartment of
Environmental Protection, 465 Columbus Avenue, Valhalla, NY 10595; Phone: (914) 742-2034; E-mail:
BensonJ@water. deo.nVc.nV. us. 1
2001 CF Industries National Watershed Award Winners Announced
Watershed groups based in Alaska, Idaho, Wisconsin, and Vermont received the 2001 CF
Industries National Watershed Award for demonstrating effective nonregulatory approaches to
improve water quality. Recipients are:
• Duck Creek Watershed Management Project, Juneau, Alaska, which has become a national
demonstration site to display stream and wetland technology.
• Tri-State Water Quality Council, Sand Hill, Idaho, for protecting the Clark Ford-Pend
Oreille Watershed.
• The Lake Champlain Water Basin Program, Grand Isle, Vermont, whose innovative
initiatives have achieved a 38.8 metric ton reduction in phosphate runoff into the basin.
• Riverbend Conservancy, established by Alliant Energy of Madison, Wisconsin, which chose
to establish preserves in southern Wisconsin instead of selling the land for development.
Three communities and one corporation are honored by CF Industries annually for innovative
partnerships that balance a watershed's environmental and economic needs and use economic
incentives, voluntary initiatives, and education in striving to improve water quality. The award was
established in 1996 as an outgrowth of the National Forum on Nonpoint Source Pollution and is
administered by The Conservation Fund.
[For more information, contact John DeweV, CF Industries, Phone: (847) 438-9500.1
Notes on Education
Hard Work and a Bit of Fame Help Clean Up Hawaii's Waters
Honolulu, Hawaii, is taking innovative steps to combat storm water pollution. According to EPA
studies in the early 1990s, the biggest threat facing Hawaiian waters was nonpoint source pollution
— the oils, pesticides, debris, and sediment carried by rainwater through stormdrains and
discharged into the ocean. For the Hawaiian economy, which has always relied on clean beaches
and clean water to attract tourists, this pollution could have spelled disaster. However, Honolulu's
Mayor, Jeremy Harris, and his staff recognized the magnitude of the threat and began a storm
water education program in 1995. Since then the program has continued to evolve and has been
recognized nationally for its success.
The Education Program
The goals of the education program are twofold: (1) to increase people's understanding of nonpoint
source pollution so they change their behavior and business practices and (2) to build enduring,
supportive relationships with community and environmental organizations. As a first step,
Honolulu developed a series of public service announcements (PSAs). "The PSAs cover a variety of
24 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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Hard Work and a Bit
of Fame Help Clean
Up Hawaii's Waters
(continued)
subjects. Some focus on the streams and promote the Adopt-a-Stream program; others emphasize
the message of the storm drain stenciling program. Most tell the story of how pollutants entering
the storm drain system — through dumping oil, chemicals, and paint, using excess amounts of
fertilizers and pesticides, and hosing down driveways — end up in the ocean," explains Robert
Rock, Environmental Information Specialist with the City of Honolulu.
To gain public interest, the PSAs feature celebrities like Richard Chamberlain, the late John Denver,
Jackie Chan, David Copperfield, Hawaiian star Jason Scott Lee, and local comedian Frank De Lima.
"We are very proud of our PSAs," says Rock. "We have been able to get great talent at no cost to us.
All of the celebrities have been very generous in donating their time to this worthwhile cause."
Actor Jackie Chan donated his time to
promote the storm water program while
helping students stencil storm drains.
The PSAs are aired during prime time so they can reach the most people. The prime
time slots were made possible through an agreement with television stations to air one
free prime time message for every paid prime time message. "Although we pay prime
time rates for a prime time buy, we are actually getting a 50 percent discount since we
get two-for-one during the same time period," explained Rock. The PSAs are aired
twice a year for two to three weeks at a time, depending on the city's budget. "We also
distribute new PSAs to the TV stations before we buy any air time," adds Rock. "Most
stations do run them, which costs us nothing, so we get additional air time as a bonus.
We then make our two-for-one buys about a month later."
The city's education effort also takes on other forms. City staff and volunteers stencil
storm drains in neighborhoods and highly trafficked urban areas to communicate the
message that pollutants entering storm drains end up in the ocean. Stencils in both
English and Hawaiian add local relevance to the message. The city maintains a web
site (www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com) where citizens and businesses can access
information about storm water quality, ask questions, download regulations, and learn
about volunteer opportunities. The city also spreads its message with bus posters,
community event booth displays, banners, and give-aways like key chains and
magnets.
Putting it Into Practice
Although making people aware of a problem is the first step, an education program is incomplete if
people don't change their behavior as a result of the information provided. To encourage people to
practice nonpoint source pollution prevention, the city works with community groups to
encourage them to participate in preventive, corrective, and educational activities related to storm
water. These include storm drain stenciling projects, educational material distribution, stream quality
monitoring, and city cleanup days. The city also encourages citizens to take part in ongoing citywide
programs such as Adopt-A-Stream, Adopt-A-Park, Adopt-A-Beach, Adopt-A-Block, and
Clean-A-Reef. To show its support and appreciation to the participating groups, the city provides
many of the project materials, such as gloves, bags, brooms, stencils, and paints.
The program, implemented under contract by a public education consultant, costs about $150,000
per year and is paid for through the city's operating budget. This cost does not account for the time
provided by city staff in support of the program. The contract amount pays for the consultant's
time, development and production of all public education materials, coordination and support of
special events, and research.
Volunteer participation and a variety of donations contributed substantially to the success of the
educational program and saved the city considerable cost. Donors included the television stations
that donated air time and provided two-for-one purchases of television spots, celebrities who
donated their time, companies that provided trucks and containers for tire and battery pickups,
and companies that donated refreshments for volunteers and prizes for various programs.
Seeing Results
The education effort has made a remarkable difference around Honolulu. "Participation in the
various adoption programs has left the parks and streams visibly cleaner," says Rock. "One group
removed over 200 tons of pollution that would have ended up in the ocean."
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
25
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Hard Work and a Bit Even those who do not participate in adoption programs are hearing the education messages. This
of Fame Help Clean past year ^e cjjy conducted a telephone survey to measure awareness and the impact of the
up Hawaii S Waters program. Of those contacted, 63 percent agree that major pollution of ocean and streams is caused
' by rainfall moving over and through the ground and carrying away pesticides, fertilizers, and other
pollutants (up from 53 percent in 1995). The survey also showed that people are learning about
many of the new programs: 78 percent have seen the storm drain stencils, and 45 percent have
heard of the Adopt-A-Stream program. "We are extremely pleased with the high level of knowledge
of the new programs since they did not previously exist," notes Rock.
Honolulu's successes are also being recognized locally and around the nation. The Hawaii chapter
of the Public Relations Society of America awarded the public education campaign a Koa Anvil
Award in 1996 for being the best public service campaign. The campaign also won Honolulu the
Most Livable Cities Award at the 2001 U.S. Conference of Mayors. This competition included all
kinds of programs — not just environmental programs — in other large cities across the nation.
[For more information, contact Robert R. Rock, Environmental Information Soecialist, Citv and County of
Honolulu, 650 South Kino Street, Honolulu, HI 96813; Phone: (808) 527-5699; E-mail:
rrock@co.honolulu.hi.us; Internet: www.cleanwaterhonolulu.com. 1
Montgomery County's Green Man Promotes Earth-friendly Landscaping
Clever cartoons, such as this
one depicting alient plants,
compliment Keyser's articles.
; Invaders in Your Yard and Honey, I Shrunk the Lawn are just two spine-tingling educational
tales convincing homeowners to change their landscaping practices. The author, newspaper
columnist Joe Keyser, writes a monthly column about environmentally friendly landscaping
techniques for Montgomery County's Gazette and the Montgomery County Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) website (www.co.mo.md.us/services/dep/greenman/home.html).
As the former program director for the American Horticulture Society and a contributing author
for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Keyser has experience in landscaping and horticulture writing.
Now, as DEP's Public Education Coordinator, he focuses his efforts on environmental education
and outreach. He sees the column as an expedient and cost-effective way to help the public
appreciate how landscaping can fit in with the natural ecology of the area.
Laugh and Learn
Keyser uses wit to keep readers entertained but gets his point across with startling facts and
statistics. He has written many articles, more than 20 of which are available on the Internet, that
explain topics such as edible landscaping, lawn care, landscaping wet and shady areas, using native
plants, and using indoor plants to improve air quality. In an article entitled Alien Invaders in Your
Yard, he warns about the dangers of invasive species and encourages
homeowners to design gardens with native noninvasive species. As he
explains it "Each year, exotic invasive plants like porcelain berry and
English ivy take over an area eight times the size of Montgomery County,
leading to billions of dollars in agricultural and forest product losses, and
billions more in control costs. Your backyard may well represent a small
but important skirmish in this chilling invasion scenario."
In Honey, I Shrunk the Lawn Keyser encourages homeowners to reduce
the size of their lawns by using mulched planting beds and
groundcovers. He quips, "Nothing is as satisfying as lawn care: coping
with brown patch, powdery mildew, drought, rain, and weeds. In return,
you enjoy the weekly mowing, noisy machinery, fumes, sweating, raking
leaves, watering, and the cost of buying seed and fertilizer. Ah, it's the
good life. Haven't you had enough? Maybe instead of just cutting your
lawn, you should cut it down to size."
Making a Difference
Heeding his landscaping advice has not always been easy for residents of Montgomery County.
Recently local citizen groups trying to implement Keyser's suggestion to replace grassy areas with
native shrubs and wildflowers wound up in a legislative battle with Montgomery County's
Permitting Office over regulations requiring that right-of-ways be planted with grass. However,
26
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
-------
Montgomery
County's Green Man
Promotes
Earth-friendly
Landscaping
(continued)
common sense prevailed. Once the county lawmakers learned of the benefits and beauty of native
plants, they changed the county's requirements and now encourage planting right-of-ways with
natives.
Keyser's writing has led to changes not only in public areas, but also in private residential
landscapes. He routinely receives thank you letters from citizens and gardeners who comment that
they have implemented his gardening ideas with success. The Washington Post, the Gazette's
distributor, expects to expand the Gazette's circulation beyond its current Montgomery County
edition readership of 1 million people. The expansion is expected to include the Southern
Maryland, Frederick County, and Prince George's County editions. With this increase, Keyser
expects that the influence of his articles will continue to grow.
(For more information contact Joe KeVser at the MontoomerV County DEP, 225 Rockville Pike, Suite 120,
Rockville, MD 20850; Phone: (240) 777-7720; E-mail: areenman@askdeo.com; Internet:
www.co.mo.md.us/services/deD/oreenman/home.html.]
EnviroScape®Reaches 35,000 at Boy Scout Jamboree
Terrene Institute of Alexandria, Virginia, joined EPA's Office of Water in the official U.S. EPA tent
at the Boy Scout Jamboree in July. The Jamboree, held over nine days at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia,
attracted some 35,000 Boy Scouts from all over the country. Terrene invited two college students
from Fredericksburg, Adam Lincoln and Gretchen Kuhl, and staff from EnviroScape of Chantilly,
Virginia, to help out at the tent. To accommodate the large crowd and continuous stream of
visitors, two EnviroScape models were used, side by side — one showing the sources of water
pollution and the other showing prevention practices in use. EPA and Terrene provided free
handouts to the Boy Scouts as well. "This was an opportunity for college students to not only learn
from teaching but also learn how to teach others while reaching a tremendous amount of our
younger generation who are thirsty to learn how to better protect their environment," said Judy
Taggart, Executive Vice President, Terrene Institute.
"It was a lot of work over nine days, but well worth the effort," said Erin Foster of EnviroScape,
adding that "We all enjoyed the interaction with the Boy Scouts and others in the EPA tent."
[For more information contact Carlene Bahler, Terrene Institute, 4 Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305;
Phone: (703) 548-5473; E-mail: cbahler@erols.com.1
More Water Education Resources Available
Staff at the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension's
Environmental Resources Center (ERC) recently developed a
series of materials, Educatino Youno Peoole About Water. The
purpose of the resources is to help stakeholders develop a
community-based water education proaram that taraets youth
and links key community members in partnerships—all workina
toward common water education ooals. The resources
available on-line (www.uwex.edu/erc/ywc/index,html), are the
followina:
Guide to Prooram Plannino and Evaluation walks proaram
planners throuah the steps in settina UD and evaluating a
Vouth water education proaram, includina brinaina
toaether the key components that can lead to an effective
proaram, (64 paces, $5)
A Guide to Uniaue Prooram Strateoies tells the story of 37
proaram coordinators from around the country. Discover
how they intearate community water education issues and
Vouth develooment needs into uniaue proaram desians.
(64 paaes, $5)
A Guide to Goals and Resources, 2nd edition, provides the
proaram coordinator with 100 water education curricula
summaries, environmental education tonics and aoals,
and multimedia resources. (59 paaes, $5)
Plannino for Fun and Success! is a video exploration of eiaht
water education proarams for youth, Proaram manaaers
share their keVs to success and the barriers they have
overcome to keep their proarams UD and runnina. Divided
into four trainina modules, this video illustrates concents
explored in workshops where participants learn to desicm
a community-based youth water proaram. The video
comes with a Proaram Leader Workshop Guide that
explains how to conduct a workshop and use the
materials in local plannina sessions. (53 minutes, $10.95)
[For more information contact ERIC Clearinohouse, 1929
KennV Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1080; Phone: (800)
276-0462; E-mail: ericse@osu.edu; Internet:
www.uwex.edu/erc/eypaw.l
DECEMBER 2001. ISSUE #67
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
27
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National Geographic Goes On-line to Teach About Rivers
Rivers get the spotlight in this year's National Geographic Geography Action!, an annual conservation
and awareness program designed to educate and excite people about the world's natural, cultural, and
historic treasures. This year Geography Action! Rivers 2001 looks at how people and rivers are
connected. Geography Action! starts each spring and culminates during Geography Awareness Week in
November, when the results of how people took action will be posted on-line. The Geography Action!
Rivers 2001 website (www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/index.html) offers information for
students, teachers, and the public. Readers can visit a "Take Action!" activities menu on the web site or
take an on-line survey about the types of river-related activities they participate in during the year. The
website also contains a section just for K-12, an interactive river system, and supplementary educational
materials for download.
Reviews and Announcements
Better Models for Development in Virginia
The Conservation Fund recently released a 108-page guide, Better Models for Development in
Virginia, that explains how to create, maintain, and enhance livable communities in Virginia.
Written for elected officials and interested citizens, the book sets out six principles and 25 key ideas
for better development. Copies are $15 (plus $3 shipping and handling for the first book and $1
for each additional book). Contact the Conservation Fund at (703) 525-6300 or send a check
directly to The Conservation Fund, 1800 North Kent Street, Suite 1120, Arlington, VA
22209-2156; Internet: www.conservationfund.org.
National Academy of Science's TMDL Report
In June 2001 the National Academy of Science's National Research Council released
a report assessing the scientific basis of the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program.
The report includes suggested steps that state agencies and EPA can take to improve the
program. For a press release from the NAS see www.nationalacademies.org/news.nsfand
select "June 15, 2001" in the news archives. Read the full text of Assessing the TMDL Approach
to Water Quality Management for free on the National Academy's Press (NAP) web site
(www.nap.edu/catalog/10146.html?onpi_newsdoc061501). Printed copies are available for
purchase for $22.60 on-line from NAP or by calling (202) 334-3313 or (800) 624-6242.
Southern Sprawl Documentary
On June 20, 2001, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington aired its fourth television
documentary, Paving the American Dream: Southern Cities, Shores & Sprawl. The documentary
examines the factors that led to the explosive growth occurring along the eastern seaboard and
offers some solutions to the problems caused by such growth. For more information, contact Elaine
Penn at (910) 962-2657. A hard copy of the documentary ($22.95) can be ordered by calling (910)
962-2650.
As a supplement to the documentary, UNC Wilmington is developing an educators' resource web
site, designed primarily for public schools. The site, due to be launched in fall 2001, will contain
interdisciplinary activities that educate students about growth issues spanning various subjects from
history to science, art to English. Many of the activities will be teacher- and classroom-driven;
others will be designed for students to perform on their own. This site will also contain a section
for environmentally concerned citizens and professionals. Finally, the site will list links to hundreds
of other growth-related web sites.
A Watershed Decade
EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds recently released a report that details its activities
over the past 10 years. This 34-page publication contains chapters on Aquatic Resources, Progress
and Challenges, Meeting the Challenges, Partnerships, Global Activities, The Challenges Ahead,
Regional Map, Organization Chart, and Finding OWOW on the Web. The publication is available
for download at www.epa.gov/owow/home/accomplish.html. For more information or to receive a
28 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
-------
copy, reference EPA 840-R-00-002 and contact the National Service Center for Environmental
Publications (NSCEP); Phone: (513) 489-8190, (800) 490-9198; Internet:
www.epa.gov/ncepihom/ordering.htm.
EPA Watershed Training Opportunities Booklet
In early 2001 EPA released the updated version of the EPA Watershed Training Opportunities booklet,
which lists all watershed-related training courses offered either by or with funding support from the EPA
Office of Water. The booklet contains a short description of each course and contact information. This
booklet is also available on the Internet at www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/its.html. To obtain
a hard copy of this publication free of charge, reference EPA 841-B-01-002 and contact National Service
Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP); Phone: (513) 489-8190, (800) 490-9198; Internet:
www.epa.gov/ncepihom/ordering.htm.
National Management Measures to Protect and Restore Wetlands and Riparian Areas
for the Abatement of Nonpoint Source Pollution (draft)
This draft guidance is intended to provide technical assistance to state, local, and tribal program
managers and others on the best available, economically achievable means of reducing nonpoint
source pollution of surface and ground water through the protection and restoration of wetlands
and riparian areas and implementation of vegetated treatment systems. Deadline for comments is
February 4, 2002. Send comments to Christopher Solloway of EPA's Nonpoint Source Control
Branch at solloway.chris@epa.gov.
Websites Worth a Bookmark
www. na tionalgeographic.com/earthpulse/spra wl
The National Geographic Society's web site displays a series of images that explore the advantages
and disadvantages of both New Urbanism developments, which feature intermingling homes,
commercial businesses, parks, and schools, and suburban communities, which are dominated by
single-family tracts, shopping malls, and office parks.
www. brook, edu/es/urban/publications/fulton.pdf
Who Sprawls Most? How Growth Patterns Differ Across the U.S., a report from the Brookings
Institute examines the growth of urban communities in relation to population growth and the
effects on public water and sewer systems.
www.epa.gov/owow/nps/partnership.html
This website, developed by the Nonpoint Source Capacity Building and Funding Work Group (a
joint State-EPA workgroup), provides watershed groups and local governments links to technical
tools for scientific support, engineering support, information technology, assistance with legal
issues, project management, outreach, and planning support. It also provides links to legal
resources for activities such as permitting, enforcement, contracting, fund raising, and resource
management.
WWW.eelink.net This environmental education web site offers a wide range of resources, including professional
development information, classroom resources, environmental information and data, employment
listings, and other resources. Although the site is geared toward environmental educators, it offers
a great deal of useful information for the public.
www. waterwiser. org
WaterWiser is a program of the American Water Works Association operated in cooperation with
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It's a clearinghouse for information on water efficiency including
books, calendar of events, links, references and products and services directories.
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67 NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES 29
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www.nal.usda.gov/wqlc
The Water Quality Information Center at the National Agricultural Library (NAL) is part of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service. The center was
established in 1990 to support USDA's coordinated plan to address water quality concerns. As the
focal point of NAL's water quality efforts, the center collects, organizes, and communicates the
scientific findings, educational methodologies, and public policy issues related to water quality and
agriculture. The center's activities involve three areas: communications, library resources, and
special projects.
www. watershedweekly. org
The Watershed Weekly site is primarily designed for Pennsylvania protection programs, but it also
deals with watershed issues beyond the Pennsylvania borders. The website includes many special
features including the weekly show, watershed heroes, resources, links and the Watershed Weekly
newsletter.
www.stormwatercenter.net
The Stormwater Manager's Resource Center (SMRC) is designed specifically for storm water
practitioners, local government officials and others that need technical assistance on storm water
management issues. Created and maintained by the Center for Watershed Protection, the SMRC
has everything you need to know about Stormwater in a single site.
Datebook
DATEBOOK is oreoared with the coooeration of our readers. If You would like a meetina or event olaced
in the DATEBOOK, contact the NFS News-Notes editors. Notices should be in our hands at least two
months in advance to ensure timelV oublication.
Meetings and Events
January 2002
27-30
February 2002
25-March 1
27-March 1
April 2002
10-11
23-26
Water Reuse, Conservation, and Resources Management, Las Vegas, NV. Contact Debbv Oualls, Water Environment
Federation, 6666 West Ouincv Avenue, Denver, CO 80235. Phone: (303)347-6240; e-mail: daualls@awwa.ors;
eb site:
: www.awwa.or;
•e/02s
International Erosion Control Association 33' Annual Conference and Expo: Adventures in Erosion Education,
Orlando, FL. Contact IECA staff. Phone: (970) 879-3010; fax: (970) 879-8563; e-mail: ecinfo@ieca.ors; web site:
www.ieca.ors.
5' National Mitigation Banking Conference: Moving Toward Solutions, Washinston, D.C. Contact the Terrene
Institute, 4 Herbert Street, Alexandria, VA 22305. Phone: (800) 726-4853, (703) 548-5473; fax: (703) 548-6299;
e-mail: terrinst@aol.com.
4 Annual Washington State: Achieving Cleaner Water by Reducing Nonpoint Pollution, Sookane, WA. Contact
Washington Department of Ecolos^, Water Quality Prosram, P.O. Box 47600, Olvmoia, WA 98504-7600 or Gina
Mulderins, Conference Coordinator; Phone: (253) 843-9268; Fax: (253) 843-4949; E-mail:
Mulderis@NWLink.com; Internet: www.ecv.wa.sov/Drosrams/wa/nonDoint/conference/cleanerwater/
15' Annual Enhancing the States' Lake Management Programs: Managing Invasive Species in Lakes and Reservoirs,
Chicaso, IL. Contact Bob Kirschner, Chicaso Botanical Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022;
Phone: (847) 835-6837; E-mail: bkirschn@chicasobotanic.ors.
30
NONPOINT SOURCE NEWS-NOTES
JANUARY 2002. ISSUE #67
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the control of nonooint sources of water oollution and the ecosVstem-driven manaaement and restoration of water-
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