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News & Announcements
It’s finally here! UConn’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and CT NEMO have just completed a compendium CD of resources on the Jordan Cove Project. The project, which began in 1995, was designed to determine water quantity and quality benefits of using LID/BMP techniques in a residential subdivision. To learn more or for a copy of the CD contact Jack Clausen at john.clausen@uconn.edu or call 860-486-0139. 7/07 - New LID Conference August 16, 2007!!Low Impact Development: Are we ready yet? is a day-long conference that will focus on these issues. National experts in LID research will talk about the results of their research, and reflect on how their work refutes or supports common perceptions about LID. Also, speakers from Connecticut drawn from a number of development-related fields will give their perspective on barriers to LID implementation. The goal of the conference is to begin a productive, statewide dialog on how remaining barriers to LID can be addressed. This conference is appropriate for engineers, landscape architects, and other professionals. Town personnel may also find the conference of interest. Visit the conference website: www.conferences.uconn.edu/lid/ 3/07 - Community Resource Inventory (CRI) is Now Online!?Natural resource-based planning is a mantra that runs through most NEMO workshops. Simply put, this approach to land use planning starts with an inventory of your town’s natural and cultural resources, prioritizes those resources through the development of open space plans or plans of conservation and development, and implements those plans through regulations or town policies. Although the concept is simple, we’ve found that starting the first step—the resource inventory—is often a stumbling block for communities that lack staff, resources and geographic information system (GIS) technology. No longer. Thanks to funding from the CT DEP, the NEMO program has created a dedicated website to help bridge the GIS technology gap. Called the Community Resource Inventory (CRI) Online, the website provides mapping resources, tutorials, examples and other resources that will assist you in getting started with natural resource-based planning. By working through the website, you will be able to develop a basic inventory of your town’s natural and cultural resources, upon which you can build. Visit the CRI website. Do Rain Gardens Work in the Winter?
?Although we are nearing the end of another Connecticut winter, a frequent question asked is about the winter performance of low impact development (LID) systems, especially rain gardens. The common perception is that because of frost in the ground, water will not infiltrate, and therefore the systems won’t function in the winter. Fortunately, research has shown that these systems DO function as designed through the winter months. The results of my research here in Connecticut showed that a bioretention system, the technical term for rain gardens, functioned as designed through the winter months, retaining 99% of inflow over a two year period (see nemo.uconn.edu/research/raingarden.htm). Frost penetration was up to 7 inches during one winter of study. In general, if the ground is frozen, any precipitation will be in the form of snow. However, occasionally the ground has frost, and a rain event occurs. Interestingly, when an event like this happens, meltwater ponds for a short time, then infiltrates into the system. (This phenomenon was captured on video last winter at the Haddam rain garden. The clip can be viewed on the website above.) The soil media in the bioretention system thawed out very quickly, and allowed infiltration into lower layers. The frost in the system was not solid. This was due to the nature of the coarse, sandy-organic soil mixture and the non-compacted, planted surface. These systems are different from wetlands, which have poorly drained, organic soils that are not conducive to infiltration when frozen. Rob Roseen at the University of New Hampshire (see www.unh.edu/erg/cstev/) has performed similar research, but on a larger bioretention facility. He has confirmed, with detailed monitoring data, the rapid thawing of the soil media during a melt event, and subsequent re-freezing after. Overall, their bioretention system has performed very well in that northern climate. There is also concern about the performance of porous paving alternatives through the winter months. Specifically, people are concerned about frost heaving. The key to avoiding frost heaving on any pavement is the installation of a proper base course. Rapid drainage is essential beneath any road, so just as with asphalt, specifications for most alternative porous pavements call for a base that is designed to infiltrate water rapidly. Once this water passes through the coarse surface materials and into the base, any freezing will not cause heaving of the pavement surface. There are many examples in cold regions of porous pavements that have survived numerous winters without obvious damage. The Ecostone® paver road at the Jordan Cove project here in Connecticut is a local example; the pavers were installed in 2000, and the surface is still in excellent condition. In contrast to the LID systems, a typical dry detention pond, with its highly compacted soils, will likely provide very little infiltration through the winter. In general, research has shown that a properly designed and installed bioretention or porous pavement system will provide for rapid drainage, without excessive ponding or overflow, even through the winter months. 1/07 - Press Release - New Website for CT PlannersAt long last we are releasing the Community Resource Inventory (CRI) Online! Below is the press release that CT Dept. of Environmental Protection sent out. Take a look at the site and tell us what you think. All hail Emily Wilson (task master and GIS guru) and Kara Bonsack (designer and web genius) for keeping us flying straight and producing such a magnificent site.
8/06 - CT NEMO Receives Outstanding Achievement AwardThe CT NEMO Team has been awarded the 2006 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation (RNRF) for their Putting Communities in Charge publication. As you probably know, this is the CT NEMO program’s first official compilation of some of the local actions that have been catalyzed by CT NEMO. The first printing of the publication went like hotcakes (or even better – hot Krispy Kremes), but there are a few of the second printings lying around if any one would like a copy (see Publications). The official press release is also attached for those who want to learn more. 6/06 - New Workshop for Those Who Get Their Hands Dirty
OK, so we have all of the town officials, commissions, and planners educated on LID practices (well, maybe not all, but quite a few…), the engineers know how to design them, so now we just need to get them in the ground! What do you mean none of the contractors want to do it? Well of course not! These techniques still are fairly new in this part of the country, and many contractors have not been shown the proper way to install them so they will perform properly. As part of the Niantic River Watershed Project, NEMO held its first workshop dedicated to contractors. Experts from CT NEMO, and Aqua Solutions, LLC conducted the workshop on February 23, 2006 at the University of Connecticut Avery Point campus. Stormwater basics, low impact development concepts and specific installation and maintenance guidance were highlighted at the workshop to 40 participants. Additional workshops for contractors are being planned over the next year. If you are interested in participating, or helping to organize, a workshop in your area contact Mike Dietz (a.k.a. “Dr. Stormwater”) at michael.dietz@uconn.edu. 6/06 - Municipal Initiative Program produces 3 more Stellar GraduatesIt won’t surprise you that we at the NEMO Program strongly believe in the power of education to effect long-term change. Still, education is really just the catalyst that inspires informed action. Whether it’s a new stormwater regulation for a town or responsible lawn care for homeowners, the trick is to take new information from a workshop or publication and apply it to your unique circumstances. Enter the Municipal Initiative. The Municipal Initiative (Muni) is a unique program developed in collaboration with the CT Department of Environmental Protection that allows the NEMO Team to focus more resources on a few municipalities. During an application process, towns identify specific town planning goals they wish to accomplish, and through education and “over-the-shoulder” advice, the NEMO Team assists the town to achieve those goals. Although the NEMO Team can only focus on a few towns per year, the chosen towns then serve as case studies to inspire other towns in Connecticut. In order to qualify for the Muni, selected towns must designate a contact person who will be responsible for facilitating a NEMO Task Force. The membership of this task force includes, at a minimum, members of the major land use commissions or boards and the office of the chief elected official (town council; board of selectmen, mayor’s office). Other groups, such as town departments, land trusts and economic development commissions are also encouraged to participate. The Municipal Initiative, now in its fifth year, remains a gratifying experience in what a group of dedicated town staff and volunteers can accomplish, given a little backup education and advice. In 2005, NEMO worked with three communities under this initiative: Killingly, Killingworth and Torrington. These communities have either completed the Muni, or are in the final stretch. If your town is interested in participating in the Municipal Initiative, contact John Rozum, the CT NEMO Program Director. 6/06 - Coming Soon from the NEMO ProgramBuild a Community Resource Inventory…Online! No more! Beginning this summer, the NEMO Program will launch the CRI-Online website. The website, funded by a grant from CT DEP, is designed to be a tool that helps commissions get started in developing a customized resource inventory for their town. This “one stop shop” of map making will provide town-level maps for printing or to be inserted into your favorite GIS program. Look for an announcement on the NEMO website. All About Rain Gardens
Although the focus of NEMO education efforts has typically been town personnel and commission members, it doesn’t mean the information isn’t applicable to a wider audience. An upcoming publication, created by Mike Dietz of CT NEMO and Karen Filchak (UConn Cooperative Extension), brings rain garden design to homeowners. The Rain Garden Design Manual is another step in the direction of moving from “why” to “how” in LID practices. The manual, based on a similar publication from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will provide homeowners with simple, yet detailed guidance on all aspects of home rain garden installation. Topics such as where to put the garden, how large to make it, what plants to use, and how to maintain it will be covered. The manual is scheduled to be available in the summer of 2006. Copies will be available upon request from Mike Dietz, and the electronic version (pdf) will be available on the NEMO website. 6/06 - From the NEMO Science DeskMany folks familiar with NEMO teachings are well aware of the local and regional impacts that land use has on natural resources and the water cycle. However, the impact of global land use patterns on large scale climate patterns has been highlighted in a recent article (“Land Use and Climate Change”, by Roger A. Pielke Sr., Science, Vol. 310, December 9, 2005). Pielke cites NASA reports estimate that human development has transformed between one-third and one-half of the earth’s land surfaces. There is growing evidence that land use patterns, in addition to greenhouse gas production, is playing a role in climate disturbances. Although greenhouse gas production may have a larger global influence on average temperatures, land use changes seem to produce varying regional effects. Pielke cites the alteration of thunderstorm patterns due to land use changes as one mechanism that can influence regional temperature and precipitation regimes. Interestingly, while some areas may experience temperature increases, other areas may experience temperature decreases. These changes can cancel each other out when averaged out globally. However, Pielke reminds us that “people and ecosystems will experience the effects of environmental changes regionally, and not as global averaged values.” This cutting edge research shows how important land use decisions can be, from the local, regional and global perspectives. The human influence on global systems is undeniable. With all of its success stories in the land use arena, NEMO is helping to tip the balance in the other direction, in favor of ecological and social balance. 1/06 - BBC News article: Rain gardens 'cut city pollution'
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