As we move into November in the Northeast I have begun the
ritual preparations for what is directly ahead of us, winter! The wood is stacked, the oil tank is full, and
the outside hoses and spigots stored and turned off. This is part of life in a cold climate and
something that most have done already or plan to do soon to hedge the odds of
surviving another winter season with minimal damage. This type of preparation increases our
resiliency to the unpredictability of the season.
In this respect the word “resiliency” is increasingly becoming part of a new planning strategy. Community resilience can be defined as the degree to which a community is capable of organizing itself to Increase its capacity for learning from past disasters and bouncing back from future disasters[1]. A 2010 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identifies “communities that actively engage in hazard and resiliency planning are less prone to disaster, recover faster from disasters which do occur, and endure less economic hardship than those communities that do not.”[2] Preparedness includes an emphasis on non-structural planning controls such as land use planning and buffer protection, as well as stormwater controls like Low Impact Development (LID). Together these programmatic approaches constitute a Green Infrastructure (GI) approach to controlling stormwater drainage and pollution in a watershed or municipal setting.
Implementing these standards in your community can be done with very little effort and will check off items 1 & 2 of the list above. This is all part of a long-term commitment to more resilient communities. Resilience takes time. We are not used to planning for what is not right in front of us but what may be 5 or 10 years in the future. In the wake of extreme weather events, and increased pollution from impervious surfaces that have been causing many problems over the past several years we can at least respond that we are planning for the future when asked the question, are we prepared for the next storm?
In the same way, the towns and cities we live in plan and prepare. This is part of our culture, our way of
life. But how do we prepare for the
unknown and the pressures and challenges of the future? Is it part of our plan?
In considering this question I am reminded of the old Iroquois
tradition as they convened their council meetings. Prior to the meeting they invoked this
declaration: In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions
on the next seven generations.
For the Iroquois, this inter-generational format of
government codified a direct relationship between policy and ecology. Today we may not give the same consideration
to the needs and survival of those who will be in the same positions of authority
150 in the future, but there is a growing understanding that longer-term
planning isn’t just good for the environment, it also makes sense economically
and for the human safety of the population now and in the future.
In this respect the word “resiliency” is increasingly becoming part of a new planning strategy. Community resilience can be defined as the degree to which a community is capable of organizing itself to Increase its capacity for learning from past disasters and bouncing back from future disasters[1]. A 2010 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration identifies “communities that actively engage in hazard and resiliency planning are less prone to disaster, recover faster from disasters which do occur, and endure less economic hardship than those communities that do not.”[2] Preparedness includes an emphasis on non-structural planning controls such as land use planning and buffer protection, as well as stormwater controls like Low Impact Development (LID). Together these programmatic approaches constitute a Green Infrastructure (GI) approach to controlling stormwater drainage and pollution in a watershed or municipal setting.
Over the past year the UNH Stormwater Center has been
involved in a project funded by the NERRs Science Collaborative focused on
getting GI and LID into the DNA of local and watershed wide planning
efforts. In this project we have been
working with a team of experts that includes an advisory board comprised of
representatives from coastal decision makers throughout the area. In some of the early meetings the advisory board
challenged the project team to define what exactly it would look like in the
future when a local community had achieved success. This was a remarkable challenge and something
that I had been thinking about for quite some time, but had never thought to
put it into writing. Over the preceding
6 months we tried to define stormwater planning success and the approach became
what we referred to as the “complete community approach” to stormwater
management. The complete community
approach is an attempt to blue print just what communities with a focus on
resiliency should be doing to prepare for the pressures and challenges of the
future. The approach involves six
fundamental and linked efforts that include:
1)
Adopt ordinances and regulations with new development that mandate the
use of stormwater filtration and infiltration practices for reducing runoff.
2)
Require improved stormwater controls for reducing runoff with redevelopment or
other significant improvements such as repaving or building renovations.
3)
Employ conservation strategies such as protecting naturally vegetated
buffers and limiting the size or percentage of allowable impervious area.
4) Reduce existing
impervious area through targeted stormwater retrofits in high impact locations.
5)
Make a long-term commitment to fund and maintain stormwater controls
along with an accounting mechanism to track long-term benefits. Consider
innovative funding mechanisms such as impact fees or stormwater utilities.
6) Provide
opportunities for outreach by sharing plans and progress with citizens through
community newsletters, cable access, and on-site signs that explain what steps
are being taken to protect or improve the community’s waterways.
Fortunately, many communities
in the area are already well on their way towards implementing the complete
approach. For those just starting to
plan there are some great resources available including model stormwater
standards that are available on the Southeast Watershed Alliance’s website: http://southeastwatershedalliance.org/wordpress/wp-ontent/uploads/2013/05/Final_SWA_SWStandards_Dec_20121.pdf
Implementing these standards in your community can be done with very little effort and will check off items 1 & 2 of the list above. This is all part of a long-term commitment to more resilient communities. Resilience takes time. We are not used to planning for what is not right in front of us but what may be 5 or 10 years in the future. In the wake of extreme weather events, and increased pollution from impervious surfaces that have been causing many problems over the past several years we can at least respond that we are planning for the future when asked the question, are we prepared for the next storm?
[1] Adapted
from the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction. 2005. Grand Challenges for
Disaster Resilience. National Science Technology Council, Committee on
Environment and Natural Resources. Washington, D.C.: National Science and
Technology Council.
[2] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Coastal Services Center (2010). Final
Research Report: Hazard and Resiliency Planning: Perceived Benefits and
Barriers Among Land Use Planners. http://www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/sites/default/files/files/1366390536/hazard-and-resiliency-planning.pdf
James Houle, M.A., CPSWQ., PhD Candidate, Program Manager, The UNH Stormwater Center, Environmental Research Group, Dept of Civil Engineering, University of New Hampshire
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