Storm Water Pollution Reduction Project in the Montachusett Region's Millers River Watershed Area

This spring the Montachusett Reginoal Planning Commission (MRPC) was awarded a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant Program administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to aid municipalities in the Millers River Watershed with educational workshops and the creation of LID bylaws/ordinances. MRPC and the Millers River Watershed Council (MRWC) are partnering with Hadlyme Environmental Engineers to run the program that is specifically targeting communities within the Montachusett Region and the Millers River Watershed including Ashburnham, Athol, Gardner, Hubbardston, Petersham, Phillipston, Royalston,Templeton, Westminster, and Winchendon.

Workshops
As part of this program, MRPC will be hosting three workshops and a field trip to provide educational workshops focused on stormwater and LID. The first LID workshop took place on June 15, 2011 at Gardner Levi Heywood Memorial Library. The workshop provided an introduction to the project team and goals, the Millers River Watershed, environmental issues related to stormwater, low impact development (LID) and local LID bylaws/ordinances. The speakers included Jennifer Siciliano, Regional Planner from MRPC, Ivan Ussach Coordinator, fro the Millers River Watershed Council (MRWC), Alice Rojko, Watershed Planner from MassDEP, Fred Civian, Stormwater Coordinator from MassDEP and Ellen DeCoteau, Planning Agent of Winchendon

Download Jennifer Siciliano's PowerPoint Download Ivan Ussach's PowerPoint Download Alice Rojko's PowerPoint Download Fred Civian's PowerPoint Video of 1st LID Workshop

Pictures from LID Workshop 1 - Source: MRPC Staff More photos

Future workshops will focus on LID practices and creation of LID bylaws/ordinances. Dates for these workshops have not been set. A field trip to see LID in practice is also planned. Bookmark this page for notices of these important educational opportunities.

For further information, please contact Jennifer Siciliano, Regional Planner at MRPC, at: (978)345.7376 or e-mail: jsiciliano@mrpc.org

Additional LID Information
MassDEP Stormwater Policies and Guidance links including Massachusetts Stormwater Handbook (Vol 2, Ch 2): Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs)

The UNH Stormwater Center studies stormwater-related water quality and quantity issues. One unique feature is the field facility to evaluate and verify the performance of stormwater management devices and technologies. Fifteen different management systems are currently undergoing side-by-side comparison testing under strictly controlled conditions.

Forging the Link Manual - Linking the Economic Benefits of LID and Community Decisions provides guiding principles and the advantages of LID in the economic terms of how municipal land us decisions are commonly made (Roseen et al., July 2011)

EPA New England LID site

"Reining in the Storm" on LID in Virgina ― funded by VA Dept of Conservation and Recreation and the Chesapeake Bay Program, and administered by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission: http://www.clu-in.org/studio/reining.cfm

Following links updated from Massachusetts Smart Growth Toolkit Links for LID:

Urban Environmental Design Manual--Appendix-Development Criteria, provides a detailed overview of several criteria that can influence the quality and success of a redevelopment project. Published by the Sustainable Watersheds Office of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

Pennsylvania Standards for Residential Site Development, online resource from the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center serves the home building industry and the residents of Pennsylvania by improving the quality and affordability of housing. April 2007

Heat Island Effect ― Trees and Vegetation, online resource from the U.S. EPA promoting planting trees and vegetation as a simple and effective way to reduce heat islands and decrease local surface and air temperatures.

The Green Roundtable, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and support healthy, efficient and sustaining development and building projects through strategic outreach, education, policy advocacy and technical assistance.

Assessing Low Impact Developments Using a Benefit-Cost Approach' , a presentation by ECONorthwest economist Ed MacMullan at the 2nd National Low Impact Development Conference, held March 12-14, 2007.

Rooftops to Rivers: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows, this online resource is a policy guide for decision makers looking to implement green strategies in their own area, including nine case studies of cities that have successfully used green techniques to create a healthier urban environment. Natural Resources Defense Council, May 2006

'Low-Impact Development Design Strategies: An Integrated Design Approach' manual offers site planners and engineers an integrated design approach to incorporating low-impact development design strategies. Chapters include low-impact development site planning, hydrologic analysis, integrated management, erosion and sediment control considerations, and public outreach. Prepared by Prince George's County, Maryland (June 1999) [Note: be patient, takes a little time to open]

'A Builder's Guide to Low Impact Development' brochure, published by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, provides a good summary of LID including the why's and costs for developers and builders.

Green Building Resource Directory resource directory is designed to be an easy-to-use tool to help people in the home building trade locate useful green building resources. Resource categories include site planning, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, indoor air quality, waste management, water efficiency for indoor and outdoor use, homeowner opportunities, business operations, land development and general resources. Prepared by NAHB Research Center. (September 2000)

The Low Impact Development Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of Low Impact Development technology. Low Impact Development is a new, comprehensive land planning and engineering design approach with a goal of maintaining and enhancing the pre-development hydrologic regime of urban and developing watersheds. Their 'Top Ten Internet Resources' for LID.

Recognizing the connection between land and sea, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) launched the Coastal Smart Growth Program in 2004 to catalogue, develop, and distribute planning, technical, regulatory, and outreach tools for real-world growth management that protects coastal resources. Four excellent LID case studies are featured.

The Penn State University Green Roof Research Center demonstrates and promotes green roof research, education, and technology transfer in the Northeastern US.

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities website that provides information in order to increase awareness of the economic, social, and environmental benefits of green roof infrastructure across North America and to rapidly advance the development of the market for green roof products and services from a not-for-profit industry association.

Green Roof Demonstration Project presentation developed by The Chesapeake Bay Foundation. (February 2006)

Massachusetts Greenscapes are beautiful landscapes that protect our water. Greenscaping will save you time and money, and protect our environment by reducing the need for water and chemicals. This website will provide you with all the information you need to become a Greenscaper, the result of a multi-partner outreach effort in Massachusetts.

'The Practice of Low Impact Development' report prepared for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development by the NAHB Research Center, Inc. for developers and municipal officials. (July 2003)

Low Impact Development: Urban Design Tools website provides watershed managers with a new set of tools and techniques that can be used to meet regulatory and receiving water protection program goals for urban retrofits, re-development projects, and new development sites.

Massachusetts Smart Growth Toolkit LID Module has nice introduction, benefits and access issues, and provides a nice cost analysis of LID vs. conventional approach.

Massachusetts Low Impact Development Toolkit online materials designed to help citizens, public officials and developers implement LID. Developed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Innovative Stormwater Design: The Role of the Landscape Architect article written by Kathleen Webb Tunney in Stormwater, the Journal for Surface Water Quality Professionals. Progressive landscape architects see stormwater as a resource, not a problem. Their multidisciplinary approach to site design can save money and better emulate predevelopment hydrology. January 2001.

Polluted Runoff (Non-Point Source Pollution) listing of resources for urban environments from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

LID for Big Box Retailers website. This project's purpose is to provide large building and site footprint retailers with strategies that integrate innovative and highly effective Low Impact Development (LID) stormwater management techniques into their site designs for regulatory compliance and natural resource protection. Developed through an EPA Assistance Agreement funded by the Office of Water and hosted by the Low Impact Development Center.

Puget Sound Action Team's Low Impact Development website.

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, LID web site

The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program's Low Impact Development webpage.