Land Development
Rain gardens are great ways to capture runoff from parking lots and developments, while also providing habitat for birds, honeybees and butterfies.
The rapid rate of population growth and related development of new homes, roads and shopping centers has made polluted runoff from urban and suburban lands the only pollution sector in the Bay watershed that is still growing. By working together at the federal, state and local levels, Bay Program partners hope to halt the growing loads of nutrients, sediment and chemical contaminants coming from developed and developing lands.
Current Restoration Actions
To date, it is estimated that increased pollution loads from new land development—such as converting farms and forests to suburban developments—have surpassed the gains achieved from improved landscape design and stormwater management practices. Pollution from urban and suburban lands continues to grow due to the rapid rate of population growth and related development.
About one-quarter of the nutrient reductions called for in the states' (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia) Bay cleanup plans are expected to come from efforts to treat pollution from urban/suburban lands and septic systems.
Bay Program partners are now focusing on specific regulatory and programmatic improvements for each jurisdiction, such as:
- Enhancing state and local programs for regulating stormwater.
- Using offsets and innovative technologies, such as low-impact development and environmentally sensitive design, to help maintain pre-development hydrology and control stormwater from existing development.
Bay Program partners are also exploring future goals of “no net increase” of polluted runoff from new developments and “positive impact development” for redevelopment and new development projects.
Bay-friendly Development and Lifestyles
Planning is the first step in Bay-friendly development. When we plan how we want our communities to grow, development can improve services, create jobs and save money while conserving open space, forests and farmland.
Many methods are available for communities to develop in a Bay-friendly way.
- Urban growth boundaries allow high-density development within a defined area surrounding a city. Outside of this defined area, planners zone for low or rural density, which preserves farmland, timberland and natural lands.
- Infill and redevelopment emphasizes restoring, rehabilitating or expanding infrastructure in vacant areas within urban or highly developed areas.
- Watershed management plans are comprehensive plans that direct future development to the best locations within a community.
- Open space development allows the same number of buildings on a site, but clusters them on a smaller portion of the site.
- Traditional neighborhoods encourage walking to work or school, and have commercial establishments for basic services.
- Environmentally sensitive designs and low-impact development mimic pre-development hydrology by preserving trees and open space; reducing impervious surfaces like driveways, rooftops and sidewalks; minimizing land disturbance; and disconnecting transport of runoff.
Each resident of the Bay watershed has an important role in reducing polluted runoff coming from our homes, schools, businesses and communities. Everything we do on the land—from driving our cars to fertilizing our lawns—has an impact on the Bay and its many rivers and streams. For Bay restoration to be a success, we all must do our part.