Many cities are defined by their relationship to rivers. People need clean water for drinking and bathing, but urban areas can have profound impacts on water quality and supply.
Furthermore, the neighbors that share the river add to these impacts. By managing all water resources in a holistic way, and by engaging with neighbors throughout the watershed, city leaders can integrate management at many levels.
In partnership with Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, and Mayors Innovation Project, American Rivers explored these themes in a two day convening. This report collects the ideas, inspirations, and expertise of the mayors, municipal leaders and urban water managers who attended. It also charts a path forward for American Rivers, cities, and water agencies interested in pursuing integrated water management.
The Upper Nooksack River Recreation Plan will help guide the management of recreation and natural resources along the upper Nooksack River system in Washington state. The plan recognizes and supports the economic and health benefits of recreation, along with protection and restoration of the natural and cultural values of the upper river basin.
The recreation plan was developed through a collaborative planning process led by an advisory committee comprised of representatives from American Rivers, American Whitewater, Hydropower Reform Coalition, Mount Baker Club, National Park Service, Nooksack Tribe, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Pacific Northwest Trail Association, the United States Forest Service – Mt. Baker Ranger District, Whatcom Chapter of Back Country Horseman of Washington, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department, Whatcom Events (Ski to Sea Race), the Whatcom Land Trust, and Wild and Scenic River Tours. Planning assistance was provided by the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program.
This manual is written to provide stormwater managers and site designers with a common understanding of Low Impact Development (LID) goals and objectives, site assessment considerations, and a toolbox of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) applicable to the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River watersheds. BMP information includes design guidelines, specifications, details, and maintenance concerns as well as assistance in selecting the BMPs based on the unique characteristics of a particular site. This is a technical manual and the information provided is targeted toward engineers, planners, landscape architects, and technical staff, as well as policy makers and developers.
In addition, this manual will help to foster a watershed approach to improving water quality within the region. With this understanding, the manual focuses on stormwater BMPs that apply across the two watersheds, ranging from using vegetated buffers in agricultural areas to vegetated roofs in urban areas. The aspiration is to create a user-friendly watershed-wide LID Manual to help protect the rivers and streams within the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River watersheds.
Stormwater that dirty, oily runoff from streets and parking lots that contaminates local streams is a leading cause of water pollution in Ohio and around the country. American Rivers and Midwest Environmental Advocates released a report, “Local Water Policy Innovation: A Road Map for Community Based Stormwater Solutions” to help citizens tackle this pervasive problem and ensure clean water in their communities.
The threats posed by stormwater are caused locally, seen locally, and are best addressed locally. Stormwater pollution begins when natural landscapes are altered, changing the way water moves over the land. Hard structures such as parking lots and rooftops prevent water from naturally soaking into the ground. The rain water picks up pollution from streets and runs off into local streams. A typical 10-acre parking lot will create 270,000 gallons of polluted stormwater runoff after only one inch of rain. Our paved surfaces and rooftops generate 16-times more runoff than the fields they replace, increasing the frequency and severity of flash flooding. Due to sprawling impervious surfaces, many urban areas now lose between 300 and 690 billion gallons of water annually that would otherwise be filtered back into groundwater and drinking water supplies.
This report explains how to improve stormwater policies in local communities and capture the attention of policy makers. Local governments already have the processes in place to ensure good stormwater practices with zoning districts, site plan reviews, zoning ordinances, and Comprehensive Plans now it’s time to act.
By following the steps and guidelines in this report, citizens will be on their way to reducing stormwater pollution and making lasting changes in policy that preserve the natural landscape so many enjoy in local parks and at local waterways.