LID on Tour: Changing Codes & LID Outreach in Texas

Transcription

1 LID on Tour: Changing Codes & LID Outreach in Texas Julia Raish Environmental Designer Ecosystem Design Group Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER

2 Round Top inquiry Ecosystem Design Group Workshop Project Introduction LID Codes in Texas How Regions Address the Codes Take Aways / Lessons Learned

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4 Educate Investigate Apply Reduce Green House Gases : Sequester Carbon : Clean Air : Clean Water : Reduce Soil Erosion : Create Pollinator Habitat : Recycle Waste : Support Human Well Being

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6 Introduction

7 Workshops prepared in cooperation with, and financed by grants through, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

8 Workshop Series Partners Larry Coffman, Stormwater Solutions Dr. Michael Barrett, Center for Research in Water Resources David Dods, URS Corporation Julia Raish, Ecosystem Design Group, LBJWC Emily Manderson, Ecosystem Design Group, LBJWC Dr. Mark Simmons, Ecosystem Design Group, LBJWC Bob Adair, Houston Land Water Sustainability Forum Dr. Fouad Jaber, Texas AgriLIFE Urban Solutions Center 37 local stakeholders across all 7 regions

9 Workshop Regions D/FW - Arlington Upper & West Fork Trinity Waco Bosque River San Antonio Salado Creek & Upper San Antonio River Austin / Pflugerville Gilleland Creek Houston Buffalo & White Oak Bayous Corpus Christi Oso Bay Lower Rio Grande Valley Arroyo Colorado

10 Workshop Stats Average Daily Attendance per Workshop Region Total workshop series attendance = 780

11 Workshop Series Professional Break-down Workshop Stats Engineer Contractors & Developers Academia Architect, Planner, Landscape Architect Consultant Municipal & County Govt. State & Federal Govt. Scientist & Environmental Entity Industry Other: Citizens, Nursery Professionals Image: Title

12 LID in Texas Roughly 50 of rain annually, gumbo soils No volume or quality controls Feast or famine rainfall; karst aquifer; strictest regulations

13 Why LID in Texas? Number of Species Connected Imperviousness (%)

14 Why LID in Texas? Volume Channel degradation Erosive velocities Boggy Creek, Austin Shoal Creek, Austin Fort Branch, Austin

15 Why LID in Texas? Protect the prized water resources Barton Springs, Austin

16 Why LID in Texas? Protect property

17 Conserve water? Why LID in Texas?

18 Improved Design Why LID in Texas?

19 Loop 360 TxDOT Pond 1,000 ft Courtesy Matt Hollon

20 LID Adoption? Stick TMDLs EPA nationwide rule Incorporation in MS4 permits Carrot Less expensive to build Infrastructure protection More attractive Pollutant reduction Ecosystem services

21 Workshop Goals Workshop Goals LID education for regional stakeholders Bring regional stakeholders together to begin forming LID networks Identify existing obstacles to LID implementation Provide follow-up consulting to begin removing these barriers Support for local LID initiatives Reduce waterbody impairments & create an LID friendly regulatory environment

22 Workshop Goals Workshop Goals Identify existing obstacles to LID implementation & create an LID friendly regulatory environment

23 Common LID Obstacles

24 Common Regulatory Obstacles

25 Common Regulatory Obstacles Image: Title

26 Common Obstacles in Austin Right-of-Way License agreements with utilities Maintenance / inspection Private property / SF lots Rainwater harvesting burdensome to commercial properties

27 How Regions Address the Obstacles

28 AUSTIN "/ C "/ D 1) Revising Environmental 1) Criteria Manual (ECM) "/ A "/ B 2) New two-year Commercial Landscape Ordinance

29 Direct stormwater runoff to at least 50 percent of required landscaped area AUSTIN Can use non-required landscaping as long as area is equivalent to 50% of required area Show drainage areas to landscaping on site plan to demonstrate compliance and sufficient drainage Stormwater from hot spot land uses (e.g., gas stations) and parking lots over the Recharge Zone may not be used unless landscape doubles as a water quality control LCRA Redbud Center

30 HOUSTON

31 CORPUS CHRISTI Housing: allow by-right, cluster developments, cottage housing, TODs/TNDs impervious cover limits, grant incentives if a) capture first two inches of runoff, b) direct rooftop runoff to impervious area Parking changes Within parking, incentives for shared, reduced parking and pervious surfaces, and allowing grass strip driveways General requirements: Certain requirements will be waived if you can match pre and post development hydrology; Allowed to count vegetative BMPs as part of site landscaping requirements; Pervious areas can count toward open space requirements.

32 SAN ANTONIO The City of San Antonio (COSA) encourages the installation of Low Impact Development (LID) features. It shall be the developer's responsibility to demonstrate that said features have such an impact. Bexar Regional Watershed Management LID Subcommittee

33 LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY

34 Project Outcome

35 Lessons Learned

36 Lessons Learned Codes & regulatory changes Take a long time They aren t the only (or even main) obstacle No, some, or a lot of existing regulations? Local performance data (of any and all types) is necessary for establishing or modifying codes Incentives are unlikely.at least for the immediate future Image: Title

37 Where to go for more info Houston Waco San Antonio Corpus Christi Lower Rio Grande Valley Austin / Pflugerville D/FW - Arlington Image: Title

38 Houston Waco San Antonio Corpus Christi Lower Rio Grande Valley Austin / Pflugerville D/FW - Arlington Image: Title

39 Houston Waco San Antonio Corpus Christi Lower Rio Grande Valley Julia Raish Environmental Designer Ecosystem Design Group University of Texas, LBJWC Austin / Pflugerville D/FW - Arlington LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER