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
Round Top inquiry Ecosystem Design Group Workshop Project Introduction LID Codes in Texas How Regions Address the Codes Take Aways / Lessons Learned
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
Introduction
Workshops prepared in cooperation with, and financed by grants through, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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
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
Workshop Stats Average Daily Attendance per Workshop Region 190 140 93 15 74 34 41 Total workshop series attendance = 780
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
LID in Texas Roughly 50 of rain annually, gumbo soils No volume or quality controls Feast or famine rainfall; karst aquifer; strictest regulations
Why LID in Texas? 35 30 25 Number of Species 20 15 10 5 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 Connected Imperviousness (%)
Why LID in Texas? Volume Channel degradation Erosive velocities Boggy Creek, Austin Shoal Creek, Austin Fort Branch, Austin
Why LID in Texas? Protect the prized water resources Barton Springs, Austin
Why LID in Texas? Protect property
Conserve water? Why LID in Texas?
Improved Design Why LID in Texas?
Loop 360 TxDOT Pond 1,000 ft Courtesy Matt Hollon
LID Adoption? Stick TMDLs EPA nationwide rule Incorporation in MS4 permits Carrot Less expensive to build Infrastructure protection More attractive Pollutant reduction Ecosystem services
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
Workshop Goals Workshop Goals Identify existing obstacles to LID implementation & create an LID friendly regulatory environment
Common LID Obstacles
Common Regulatory Obstacles
Common Regulatory Obstacles Image: Title
Common Obstacles in Austin Right-of-Way License agreements with utilities Maintenance / inspection Private property / SF lots Rainwater harvesting burdensome to commercial properties
How Regions Address the Obstacles
AUSTIN "/ C "/ D 1) Revising Environmental 1) Criteria Manual (ECM) "/ A "/ B 2) New two-year Commercial Landscape Ordinance
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
HOUSTON
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.
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
LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Project Outcome
Lessons Learned
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
Where to go for more info Houston Waco San Antonio Corpus Christi www.texaslid.org Lower Rio Grande Valley Austin / Pflugerville D/FW - Arlington Image: Title
Houston Waco San Antonio Corpus Christi Lower Rio Grande Valley Austin / Pflugerville D/FW - Arlington Image: Title
Houston Waco San Antonio Corpus Christi Lower Rio Grande Valley Julia Raish Environmental Designer Ecosystem Design Group University of Texas, LBJWC jraish@wildflower.org Austin / Pflugerville D/FW - Arlington LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER