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Network
Impacts: Research & Information
Gathering > Changes to the Decision
Making Process > Changes to Plans > Changes
to Regulations > On the Ground Changes > Beyond
Local Impacts
On
the Ground Changes
Changes
in procedures, plans and regulations result in on-the-ground changes
to the way a community alters (or does not alter)
its landscape.
As noted in the beginning of this report, NEMO’s emphasis on natural
resource based planning gives rise to a wide range of local actions covering
both the conservation and development sides of community growth. On the
ground, these can range from permanent protection of open space to more
environmentally sustainable development design.
| Kingston,
Rhode Island |
| When
a new parking area was proposed at the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Kingston campus, the RI NEMO Program, which
is based at URI, provided not only assessment results that demonstrated
the need to control impervious cover and runoff but also information
on pervious options. University planners chose to construct two
parking lots (accommodating up to 1000 vehicles) with porous
pavement. The choice to use an alternative pavement was motivated
by the location of the lots within the Pawcatuck sole source
aquifer, within the town of South Kingstown’s groundwater
protection overlay district and within the wellhead protection
area (WHPA) for the University’s wells. |
| California |
| The
California Coastal Commission, which coordinates the CA NEMO Partnership,
required a large residential/commercial subdivision in the City
of Oxnard to minimize impervious surfaces, direct all rooftop runoff
to vegetated areas and install best practices to treat polluted
runoff before discharge to the adjacent harbor. Also, a recent
golf course project in the City of Malibu implemented a water reuse/recycle
system and the use of biofiltration swales onsite to eliminate
dry weather runoff from the site and reduce the pollutants in stormwater
runoff. In addition, the El Dorado County Resource Conservation
District, another CA NEMO partner, recently completed a gully repair
project where they prescribed rain barrels and bio-infiltration
devices for runoff control. |
| Little
Falls, Minnesota |
| When
a new business park was proposed in Little Falls, MN, the Northland
NEMO Program worked with the city to ensure impacts on natural
resource protection were mitigated. As a result, the project went
from curb and gutter, pipes and ponds to vegetated swales, rain
gardens and bioretention. Thanks to these on-the-ground changes,
the site was able to capture a 100 year storm and saved the City
over $200,000. |
| Kandiyohi
County, Minnesota |
| Following
several Northland NEMO workshops, the county worked with the Minnesota
Department of Transportation to significantly modify the construction
of a major highway project, establishing more stormwater treatment
ponds as well as substantial increases in spending on erosion and
sediment control. |
| Watertown,
Connecticut |
| Working
with CT NEMO, Watertown has built two major subdivisions using “low impact development” (LID)
techniques such as narrow roads, grass swales and pervious driveways.
The Town of Old Saybrook has also built an LID subdivision. |
| Nottingham,
New Hampshire |
| The
New Hampshire NEMO effort, NROC, provided educational and technical
support to the Town of Nottingham over a one year period. The town
has since collaborated with the neighboring Town of Deerfield and
a local land trust to complete a conservation easement on an 89
acre parcel of prime wildlife habitat that the towns share. |
| Chico
Creek, Washington |
| The
WA NEMO Program worked with Kitsap County to develop a citizen-driven,
watershed-based planning process for the Chico Creek Watershed.
Through the effort the community identified valuable wildlife corridors
and areas worthy of protection from development. When a local timber
company put two parcels of land within those areas on the auction
block, Kitsap County was able to identify the more valuable parcel,
in terms of wildlife corridor, salmon habitat protection and
continuity with other protected lands, and to mobilize over 1
million dollars within a month to purchase the land. |
| Harris
County, Texas |
| The
TX NEMO Program is working with the Harris County Flood Control
District on a major stormwater wetland project that incorporates
both tidal and nontidal wetlands. The project is the result of
a collaboration between the Texas Master Naturalists (a volunteer
organization of Texas Sea Grant, Texas Cooperative Extension and
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) and local high school students
from predominantly minority inner-city schools near the stormwater
wetland. |
| Erie
County, Pennsylvania |
| The
PA NEMO Program worked with the County of Erie, the Lake Erie Region
Conservancy, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources, and local landowners to preserve a 39 acre tract of
Lake Erie waterfront through the purchase of development rights
from the current landowners. The property is highlighted by a two-tiered
bluff system and provides critical habitat for flora and fauna. |
| Alexander
City, Alabama |
| The
AL NEMO Program has partnered with Alexander City, the Alabama
Cooperative Extension Program—Tallapoosa
County, the Auburn University Landscape Architecture (AULA) Department
and the Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership to install
four rain garden demonstration projects throughout the city.
The demonstrations are part of an overall effort to protect Lake
Martin from stormwater runoff. In addition, Auburn University
is getting its own house in order, implementing a stream restoration
project using natural channel design and installing pervious
concrete on campus. |
| Glocester,
Rhode Island |
| In
partnership with the University of Rhode Island’s (URI) Onsite
Wastewater Training Center, RI NEMO worked with the Town of Glocester
on the Chepachet Village Decentralized Wastewater Demonstration
Project. Chepachet is a densely developed, historic mill village
that was facing failing septic and stormwater drainage problems
along the Chepacet River. RI NEMO helped the town implement alternative
onsite wastewater technologies and developed a conceptual plan
for village wastewater treatment using GIS mapping. |
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