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| In Nevada’s climate, the goals are the same but the approach is different. For example, rangeland soils are highly erodible, and stormwater BMPs are often incorrectly installed or absent (as shown above). |
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Spotlight On... NEMO Nevada Program
Yes, it Does Rain in the Desert
Article from the National Network Newsletter Winter 2007 issue.
- Article by Susan Donaldson, NEMO Nevada Coordinator
During the past 30 years, tremendous growth has occurred in western Nevada. From 2000 to 2005 alone, Nevada’s population grew 20.8%, and, despite water limitations, there’s no end in sight. New estimates by the Nevada State Demographers Office suggest that from 2005 to 2026, Washoe County’s population will grow 48%; Douglas County, by 32%; and Lyon County by 84%.
We all know the consequences of increased growth: more impervious cover, less infiltration, increased and earlier peak flows, increased pollutant loading, etc. What’s different about our high-desert climate, however, is our pattern of precipitation. In most years, we receive less than 8 inches of precipitation, with most of that coming during winter months. It is not uncommon for several months to pass without measurable precipitation. The next runoff event can be extremely high in concentrations of urban pollutants. At the same time, in-stream flows are at their lowest by late summer or early fall, resulting in problems in achieving TMDLs (total maximum daily load).
Found out of compliance with its Phase I permit in 2002, the Truckee Meadows area (Reno/Sparks/Washoe County) was struggling to address deficits in stormwater management, and a NEMO program was a logical outcome. With funding from Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, the NEMO Nevada program was launched with a workshop by our fearless leaders, Chet Arnold and John Rozum in fall 2003. The program has a number of goals and is led by a planning group that meets quarterly.
We soon discovered that the education delivery model applied in Connecticut would have to be altered to fit Nevada. We have 17 counties and no municipalities, and planning is done on a county or state basis with varying levels of input. In Washoe County, there are a variety of boards and commissions providing input on development, and in addition to targeting these many groups, we soon figured out that we also needed to reach Community Development staff, landscape architects and installers, engineers and private planners.
Our “Basic NEMO” training consists of a 3-hour workshop on nonpoint source pollutants and sources related to specific land uses; the effects of urbanization on the water cycle; water quality laws and regulations such as TDMLs; impacts of urbanization on waterways; and strategies for coping with polluted runoff, with a focus on low impact development. Free workshops are offered in spring and fall, and advertised by direct mailing to the target audience and via email and the NEMO Nevada website. We provide a binder of information that includes a checklist of questions to ask when reviewing developments.
In 2005, we expanded the program to Douglas County. Presently, our focus includes expansion to the rapidly-growing communities of Fernley and Dayton, which lack an organized planning structure. We continue to videoconference the trainings to remote locations, including Elko and Lyon Counties in March 2007. To date, a total of 15 three-hour Water Quality Workshops (Basic NEMO) have been provided. We’ve also sponsored two seminars by Jane Wenk of Wenk Associates to address questions about the economics of low impact development (LID) and to provide information for local landscapers at their annual conference. Other groups who receive training include Master Gardeners and University students.
NEMO graduates have provided examples of the application of NEMO information in their official capacities. Citizens Advisory Board members queried developers about the use of low impact development practices and now feel better prepared to ask questions of applicants. Washoe County planning staff required infiltration best management practices, incorporated the workshop information into the design of parking lots, and made suggestions to developers. A nursery worker used the information in designing and planning medium-size residential landscape projects, and a landscaper became more conscious of the problem of excessive irrigation water use. After review by NEMO Nevada, the Douglas Co. Draft Design Standards and Washoe County Comprehensive Plan’s Conservation Element incorporated LID and stormwater protection.
The ultimate goal of the program is to increase the implementation of LID projects for stormwater infiltration and water quality improvement. To that end, NEMO sponsored a demonstration project at the University of Nevada, Reno at a new student union building. The project incorporates infiltration via a swale and porous pavement, and eliminated a catch basin. The NEMO program also supported a project to incorporate infiltration into tree filter boxes as part of downtown renovation. Several other projects are in the planning stages.
For more information visit the NEMO Nevada website at http://www.unce.unr.edu/NEMO.