protecting our water and environmental resources

7/31/2019 Protecting Our Water and Environmental Resources

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Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program Purdue University 1

ID-255

IISG-01-4

Brian K. Miller

Assistant Director,Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College

Program

Robert McCormick

Coordinator,

Planning with POWER

Leslie Dorworth

Aquatic Ecology Specialist, Illinois-

Indiana Sea Grant College Program

Planning with POWER

765-494-3627

www.planningwithpower.org

Land use, water quality, and natural

resource stability are inseparable. Infact, nonpoint source water pollution,caused by polluted runoff from the land,is the number one water quality problemin the United States. Efforts to combatthis threat are focusing primarily onchanging the individual behaviors ofland users, but few programs address theimpact of land use policies, which arecreated and enforced at the town, city,and county levels. Ultimately, protectionof the nations water and natural

resources will depend upon educatinglocal land use officials about the linksbetween land use and water quality, andproviding them with ideas and tools totake action at the local level.

The Planning with POWER (ProtectingOur Water and EnvironmentalResources) Project is a statewideeducational program that links land useplanning with watershed planning at thelocal level.Planning with POWER is

coordinated by Illinois-Indiana SeaGrant College Program (IISG) and thePurdue Cooperative Extension Service(CES). The project capitalizes on twosuccessful, ongoing statewide educationand technical assistance projects:Purdues Extension Land Use Team,made up of Extension educators whoassist local communities on land use

Protecting Our Water and Environmental Resources

A Model for Incorporating Natural Resources Protection into Local Land Use Decisions

planning issues, and the Conservation

Partnership, composed of the NaturalResources Conservation Service

(NRCS), Soil and Water ConservationDistricts (SWCD), the Indiana

Department of Natural Resources(IDNR), and Cooperative Extension

Service (CES) staff who assist local

communities with natural resource

management education and watershed

planning.

Planning with POWER is a model

program demonstrating that education of

local officials, supported by scientifictechnology, can become a catalyst for

natural resource protection at the local

level. This program empowers land use

decision-makers and citizens to identify

water and environmental resource risks

their communities face and to develop

strategies and policies that will protect

those resources while accommodating

Photo courtesy of Bob McCormick, Purdue University

Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service West Lafayette, IN 47907

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program Purdue University


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growth in their communities. Newtechnologies and scientific data are usedto identify a communitys water andother natural resource assets and toweigh land use change and policyoptions that will allow for growth butprotect vital environmental resources.

Planning with POWER helps decision-makers look holistically at all of acommunitys environmental assets.Indicators of urbanization are used in azoning-based build-out analysis toidentify future environmental problemareas and land use planning actions thatwill reduce the potential for waterpollution and natural resourcesdegradation.

The Planning with POWER message issimple. Through a three-tiered strategyof 1) natural resource-based planning, 2)improving site design and using bestmanagement practices, and 3)remediation and maintenance, water andother natural resources can be protectedwhile allowing for compatible economicgrowth.

Once armed with this knowledge, localofficials are better able to incorporate

natural resource protection into theireveryday decisions. In addition, waterquality concerns become a part of localdebates on topics as different as roadwidth and curbing, landscape andneighborhood design, and open spaceplanning.

Here are some examples of decisionslocal officials face and natural resourceprotection measures they might employ.

Plan commissions and local land usedecision-makers can address waterresource protection in comprehensiveplans by:

Utilizing best management practices(BMPs) to prevent, reduce, and slow

storm water runoff. Encouraging use of detention and

retention basins in subdivision designto slow and hold storm water.

Preserving and utilizing natural orcreated wetlands for increasedinfiltration and storing excess stormwater runoff.

Slowing down the expressway ofpolluted runoff by utilizing grassswales, filter strips, or vegetatedbuffers in place of curbing and piped

drainage whenever possible. Ensuring regular maintenance such as

sweeping streets, cleaning stormdrains, and removing sediment fromdetention/ retention ponds.

Enforcing follow through on agreedupon site design with contractors.

Enforcing proper on-site septicregulations for design and installation

Encouraging proper maintenance anduse of on-site septic systems byhomeowners.

Encouraging development in areasserviced by sewage treatmentinfrastructures.

Encouraging common on-site wastedisposal for a group of homes ordevelopment.

Open space (land without permanentstructures) is composed of farm lands,managed green space (parks, golfcourses, etc.) and wild lands.

Plan commissions and local land usedecision-makers can protect naturalresources, and the lands that providethem by:

Utilizing agricultural BMPs such asriparian buffers and targeting openspace as buffers between agriculturalland and water resources.

Plan commissions and local

land use decision-makers can

address water resource

protection.

Open space is composed of

farm lands, managed green

space (parks, golf courses,

etc.,) and wild lands.

Photo courtesy of Brian Miller, Purdue University


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Planning with POWER

Project Partners

Purdue Cooperative

Extension Service

Illinois-Indiana Sea

Grant College Program

Indiana Department of

Environmental Management

(IDEM)

Indiana Land

Resources Council

(ILRC)

Indiana Department

of Natural Resources

(IDNR)

Natural Resources

Conservation Service

(NRCS)

Soil and Water Conservation

Districts (SWCD)

Targeting open space to protectcritical wildlife habitat and travelcorridors Protecting key forest landsfor recreation, environmentalbenefits, and future timberproduction.

Protecting prime farm land for future

agriculture, food production, andwildlife habitat.

Targeting open space in areas neededto collect and treat storm runoff.

Targeting open space to protect groundwater and surface water supplies.

Plan commissions and local land usedecision-makers addressing runoff can:

Incorporate improved site designs.

Minimize impervious surfaces.

Minimize the disruption of naturaldrainage and vegetation.

Use cluster development when feasiblewhich reduces the total area of pavedsurfaces and increases open space.

Recommend improved design ofsidewalks, roads, and parking lots thatreduces total surface area.

Use brick, crushed stone or perviouspavement in low traffic areas.

Direct drainage to vegetated swalesinstead of traditional curbing and

piping. Encourage designs which reduce

grading and filling and retain thenatural features of the landscape.

Local officials can promote watershedmanagement protection through:

Education that increases citizenawareness about protecting water andthe environment.

Storm drain stenciling programs and

hazardous waste disposal days.

Local officials can encourage citizenparticipation by:

Helping groups organize local citizenwater quality monitoring programs.

Helping school teachers design studentprojects on local watershedmanagement and land use planningissues.

Promoting spin-off research projects

targeting water quality and impacts oflocal land use decisions.

Collaborative Efforts

Planning with POWER was developedto create an adaptable model forcombining Extension education and hightechnology to educate the critical targetaudience - local land use officials.

Through a number of collaborations with

other agencies and organizations,Planning with POWER will be involvedin a wide range of education, research,and technical assistance projects thatcontinue to test and expand the model inIndiana.

Planning with POWER is coordinatedby Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant CollegeProgram and Purdue Cooperative

Photo courtesy of NEMO, University of Connecticut

Photo courtesy of NEMO, University of Connecticut


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Extension Service. The IndianaDepartment of EnvironmentalManagement has provided criticalfunding needed to initiate this statewide(Planning with POWER) project. Anadvisory committee provides directionon the development of this project and

includes representatives from thefollowing organizations: PurdueUniversity Cooperative ExtensionService; the Natural ResourceConservation Service; IDNR, Divisionof Soil Conservation; the Soil and WaterConservation Districts; Illinois-IndianaSea Grant College Program; IndianaDepartment of EnvironmentalManagement (IDEM); and Indiana LandResources Council (ILRC).

Local delivery and assistance providedby thePlanning with POWER project isa collaborative effort between the PurdueExtension Land Use Team and theConservation Partnership composed ofCES, NRCS, SWCDs, and IDNR.

Additional funding has been obtainedfrom NOAA Coastal Services Center todo Geographic Information Service(GIS) build-out analysis work on threecommunities in Indiana. These analyseswill serve as teaching tools and examples

for other communities wishing toemploy this approach.

Technical Resources

Purdue University scientists areconducting research and developingproducts that communities can use whenmaking planning decisions that protectnatural resources. Some key projectsthat provide data and technical resourcesthat can be used by communities that are

Planning with POWER are detailedbelow:

Purdue Department of Agricultural andBiological Engineering

Impacts of Land Use Change on WaterResources:An analysis tool, Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment

(LTHIA), provides estimates ofchanges in surface runoff, recharge,and nonpoint source pollution resultingfrom past or proposed land usechanges. AdditionalGIS models and mapping are beingdeveloped by the department.

Purdue Residential Onsite Wastewater

Disposal (PROWD): An extensive setof publications and resources canguide homeowners and communities inselecting septic or alternative treatmentoptions that are best suited to your soilconditions and treatment andenvironmental objectives. This Website provides onsite

wastewater information to help protectthe environment:

Purdue Department of Forestry and

Natural Resources

Engaging Citizens as Stewards of

Ecosystems (ECASE): Upper WabashBasin. This project will result inpredictive models of land use changeon natural resources to assist

communities in making land useplanning decisions that are compatiblewith natural resource objectives.

Development and Evaluation of

Ecosystem Indicators for Urbanizing

Midwestern Watersheds. Thisresearch examines seven watersheds incentral Indiana that are in transitionfrom rural to urban. The data fromthis research is instrumental inassessing the impacts of land use

change on watersheds and indetermining measures communitiescan take to reduce these impacts.

Planning with POWER

is funded by:

Purdue Cooperative Extension

Service

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

College Program

Indiana Department of

Environmental Management

(Sec. 319 Grant)

NOAA Coastal

Services Center

Agr icult ura l & Bio log ica l

Engineering


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The Planning with POWER project

can help you to:

1. Evaluate where your community is inthe planning process.

2. Identify the steps needed to incorpo-

rate natural resource protection intoyour communitys long-term compre-hensive plan.

3. Connect your community with theappropriate technical and educationalresources needed to identify naturalresources at risk in your community,evaluate management and policyoptions that can protect those re-sources, and select practices neededto balance natural resource objectives

with economic objectives.

4. Evaluate your communitys progresstoward natural resource-basedplanning and protection and identifyadditional steps that can be taken.

How Your Community Can Start

Planning with POWER

To learn more about how resourcesprovided by the Planning with POWERproject can assist your community,please contact:

Robert McCormick765-494-3627

Fax: 765-496-6026Email: [email protected]

Purdue University1200 Forest Products Building

West Lafayette, IN 47907-1200

www.planningwithpower.org

Photo courtesy of Bob McCormick, Purdue University

Photos courtesy of Bob McCormick, Purdue University and Corel Stock


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Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant College Program is 1 of 30 National Sea Grant College Programs. Created by Congress in

1966, Sea Grant combines university, government, business and industry expertise to address coastal and Great Lakes

needs. Funding is provided by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce,

Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

New 3/01

It is the policy of the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, David C. Petritz, Director, that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to theprograms and facilities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, marita l status, parental status, sexual orientation, or disability. Purdue

University is an Affirmative Action employer. This material may be available in alternative formats.

http://www.agcom.purdue.edu/AgCom/Pubs/menu.htm

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