Keys to Communication with Water Resource Managers to Increase Community Liveability & Sustainability

AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.

California ReLeaf Retreat“Keys to Communication with Water Resource Managers

to Increase Community Livability & Sustainability”

August 5, 2010, Sacramento State University

Ian Hanou, Senior GIS Project Manager, AMEC Earth & Environmental

Credits:US Forest Service

Kestler Design Group

Nashville Metro Water Services

Texas Trees Foundation

Bartlett Tree Research Group

Davey Resource Group

NYC Parks Greenstreets


Goals

Increase understanding of urban forestry and the relations to water resources

Discover and discuss associated tools, models, resources, and trends

Develop a message for improving your programs with local partners


Agenda• Intros, Goals, Background, Survey

• Basics: Terms, Issues, Benefits

• Regulations, Legislation, Trends

• Tools and Models

• Successful Projects

• Discussion


AMEC Background• 23,000 employees worldwide

• E&E and Information Management

• Water Resource Engineering

• GI/LID Modeling, Planning, Design

• Urban Tree Canopy Assessments

• Interdisciplinary Services Provider


Office Locations


Topics for the Discussion Portion

Selling urban forestry: multiple benefits, the ultimate multi-taskers

Tools/resource to improve your pitch Water conservation and supply issues /

concerns related to urban forestry Drought tolerant plants and water reuse Improving relationships with water managers Crafting your message


Survey Results: Common Themes

Optimizing resources (trees and water) Describing, quantifying and selling(!) the

benefits of trees Sustainable programs Green infrastructure integration Tools and example projects that work


Survey Results: Where we stand

Is there a guru in the group? Exposure but wanting to learning more Most unfamiliar with available models Stormwater less of an issue than water

quality, supply and conservation Most middle of the pack (a 3 out of 5)


Basics: Terms, Issues, Benefits How do trees affect stormwater runoff, water quality,

erosion and water use? Evapotranspiration, infiltration, filtration, and

interception/stem flow First Flush: LID treats frequent flows, WQ benefits Trees can change peak flow but not always volumes LID and trees: need infiltration out the bottom Storm intensities and duration Ecosystem benefits: what do we know and what do our

potential partners know?














Trends Regarding Regulations

Federal facilities standards to mimic pre-development hydrology … are municipalities next?

Planning and regulations on a watershed basis

Wastewater req’d to monitor TMDLs in waterways … is stormwater next? More difficult non-point source

Parking lot minimum percent canopy cover mandates


Regulations / LegislationCardin Introduces Bill To Limit Stormwater Runoff From Federal

Highways A key senator has introduced a bill that would require the

Department of Transportation (DOT) to adopt minimum standards for reducing stormwater runoff from federally-funded highways, including measures to minimize the impact of projects on natural hydrology and maximize the amount of stormwater captured from highway projects.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced S. 3602 -- known as the Safe Treatment of Polluted Stormwater Runoff Act -- on July 15. The bill was referred to the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW), on which Cardin chairs the water subcommittee.


Regulations / LegislationSTATE MAKING 50 MILLION INVESTMENT IN CLEANING UP STORMWATER

OLYMPIA, Wash., July 7 -- The Washington State Department of Ecology issued the following news release: The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is offering a $50 million grant program to local governments to expand their work to keep Puget Sound and other state waters clean.

"Our communities have come a long way since 2007 in stepping up to meet the stormwater challenge, especially in these difficult economic times," said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "We know local governments will continue to need funding and technical assistance to manage stormwater and prevent polluted runoff. This funding is a big help."

The funding helps local governments maintain jobs in their stormwater programs and it creates job opportunities across the board from design to construction of stormwater-control projects.


Regulations / Legislation U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) have

introduced legislation to help address the nation's water quality challenges by encouraging the research, development and promotion of new technologies and designs that use natural processes to combat polluted stormwater runoff.

The Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act would establish up to five regional centers of excellence that would spearhead the research and development of new stormwater management techniques, which use soil and plant life to filter storm water polluted by sediments and chemicals on the surface before it reaches nearby bodies of water. The legislation would also establish a green infrastructure program within the EPA's Office of Water to coordinate and promote the use of new stormwater techniques. EPA's regional offices would complete similar efforts.


Regulations / Legislation

The Washington DC Draft MS4 permit is being called by EPA the direction they intend to go with all new MS4 permits, and to pressure the states in the same direction. Thus it is important to read through it and understand what EPA is attempting to do - and the central place Green Infrastructure will play. A growing market will be establishing Green Infrastructure compliance programs for cities under the next rounds of both Phase 1 and 2 permits.


Regulations / Legislation Friday April 30 has been designated a day of national grassroots lobbying in

support of the Small Business Environmental Stewardship Act of 2010, H.R. 4509, which would reauthorize the National Tree Planting Program. Under this program from 1991-94, more than 18,000 small landscaping businesses were employed to install more than 23 million trees.

H.R. 4509 would appropriate $50 million per year in 2011-15. Reauthorizing this program through a small federal investment in trees will provide a low-cost, natural solution to meet far reaching environmental and green development goals. H.R. 4509 will create and sustain job opportunities while generating energy cost savings and enhancing retail and commercial areas where America's small businesses operate.


Modeling Programs / Other

EPA: SWMM, SUSTAIN i-Tree: Streets, Eco, Hydro CITYgreen USFS Community Tree Guides http://www.treebenefits.com/calculator CNT Green Values Calculator


Elements of modeling

water resources:

Base flow Peak flow Quantity (volume) Erosion/scour Contaminant loading (WQ) Soils/compaction Storm duration/intensity Evapotranspiration


Air Pollution Removal

Carbon Storage &

Sequestration

Stormwater

Mitigation

Water Quality

(Contaminant

Loading)

CITYgreen Software


Limitations of CITYgreen Modeling

TR-55 was created for modeling large storms in agricultural watersheds and is inaccurate for small storms which make up the bulk of yearly rainfall. It assumes a soil wetness to start and is meant to determine the runoff from a single storm event, while continuous simulation models rely on correctly understanding and modeling the effects of physical processes on water movement. They are run over a long time period and account for a much wider range of processes that are important for green infrastructure. Also, CITYgreen has not been peer-reviewed. Additionally, it is not specific to tree species, condition, or structure. For air and carbon, CITYgreen applies averages from species-specific research data collected in a reference city, and for water benefits it uses average, composite curve numbers. Lastly, CITYgreen’s stormwater modeling places a value on the urban forest canopy based on construction costs for detention ponds that in most cases have already been built and paid for. Conducting CITYgreen modeling in areas prior to development is an alternative approach to avoid this. Other software programs should be considered for more intensive stormwater modeling; however CITYgreen does illustrate the broad benefits of urban forests and other green infrastructure over highly impervious development and landscapes without trees.


Continuous Simulation (SWMM etc.)

Event Simulation (CN method)Processes accounted for:

The Curve Number (CN) method as implemented in TR-55 and other programs was created based on

plotting curves of rainfall versus runoff for large storms in agricultural watersheds. It is extremely

inaccurate for small storms, which make up the bulk of yearly rainfall. It is meant to be used to determine

the runoff from a single storm, and assumes a soil wetness to start.

Continuous simulation models rely on correctly understanding and modeling the effects of physical

processes on water movement. They are run over a long time period and account for a much wider range

of processes that are important for Green Infrastructure (GI). The main controlling parameter for GI facilities is the percolation out the bottom of

the facility, not the infiltration into it. Many GI facilities also include plants and small surface

storage areas that allow for evaporation and transpiration of water. These features must be

simulated using a proper continuous model.

AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.Source: Scott Maco, Davey Institute

AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.Source: Scott Maco, Davey Institute


i-Tree Hydro (beta version end of 2010)

UFORE-Hydro: a GIS-based program that estimates stream flow and water quality change based on tree cover and impervious surface attributes within a watershed. It is calibrated against actual stream flow data and designed specifically to estimate effects as a result of changes in vegetation cover.

Inputs: weather / precipitation, elevation, land cover, gauging stations data, watershed boundary

Parameters: 9 channel, soil, and vegetationResolution: 10-meter & 30-meter so far, but

1-meter is possible with <5sqkm areaOther: no dollar-value associated (resource

units only), also testing in Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado, Florida, and Phoenix

Eastern U.S. Beta Testing Sites







Successful

Projects


Projects




The Community Builders Gary, IN – Lakefront Revitalization

Virtual Construction Site

Data Management for a 5yr - $50m revitalization effort

Just like Google Earth – but site specific and much more data


GIS Roadmap to Planting Success (Dallas, TX)

Identifies and prioritizes strategic planting locations

An interactive tool that won't sit on the shelf

Target tree plantings in collaboration with partners, energy, planning, sustainability, public health, air quality, transportation and water quality


Urban Tree Canopy AssessmentsMetropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

Planning and Decision Support Solutions Through Advanced Image Analysis

GIS Assessment and Custom Reporting Tools


Create a Competition?


Recommendation: 3D Visualization for planning. Base scenario shown.


Recommendation: 3D Visualization for planning. New development.


Recommendation: 3D Visualization for planning. Some green space.


Recommendation: 3D Visualization for planning. Additional green space.














Nashville Green Infrastructure Evaluation

Primary Question:

AMEC Earth & Environmental

What volume of runoff could be removed from the combined sewer system by green infrastructure practices?


Analysis Approach Model runoff reduction using EPA’s

SWMM-5 Program by:Infiltration and deep percolationEvaporation from the surfaceTranspiration by plantsLeaf interceptionBeneficial reuse



Nashville, TN Urban Tree Canopy Mapping(1-m 4-band NAIP image)


Leaf Interception Analysis

Leaf Area Index (LAI) of 4.5 selected with the help of ORNL forest hydrologist

Separate rainfall record into discrete events

Inter-event dry period of 6 hours to allow drying

Interception subtracted from each event where available

Interception = LAI*0.0078”

AMEC Earth & Environmental AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc.

* MS Excel calculations showed 7.3% of rainfall intercepted by trees


ft0.25Starting Water Table Depth

ft3Depth

0.225Beginning Moisture Content

0.70Upper ET Fraction

10Tension Slope

8Conductivity Slope

in/hr2.5Saturated Conductivity

0.35Field Capacity

0.1Wilting Point

0.4Porosity

Storage Parameters

in4Ponding Depth

0.175Initial Deficit

in/hr2.5Saturated Conductivity

in4.33Suction Head

Infiltration ParametersTree Planter Parameters



Green Roof Parameters


ft0.33Depth


0.74Upper ET Fraction

10Tension Slope

8Conductivity Slope

in/hr4Saturated Conductivity

0.35Field Capacity

0.15Wilting Point

0.4Porosity

Storage Parameters

in1.0Ponding Depth

0.15Initial Deficit


in1.93Suction Head

Infiltration Parameters


The analysis showed 54.5% of runoff volume was removed through green roof evapotranspiration



ft2.5Depth


0Upper ET Fraction

10Tension Slope

8Conductivity Slope


0.04Field Capacity

0.01Wilting Point

0.4Porosity

Storage Parameters

in0.5Ponding Depth

0.33Initial Deficit


in1.0Suction Head

Infiltration Parameters

Pervious Concrete Parameters




Next Step: Developing Nashville’s GI Program

AMEC has been selected to assist the City of Nashville in the development of a Green Infrastructure program and supporting documentation, including:

(1)Assessment and removal of barriers to GI implementation in new development and redevelopment across all departments and throughout all written documents, policies, etc

(2)Development of a roadmap for implementation document agreed to by all departments

(3)Development of incentives for use of GI

(4)Development of a comprehensive set of design standards and criteria (including training) for local designers

AMEC is teamed with The LID Center, Third Rock Consultants and Hawkins Partners on this effort.


Discussion Partners: landscape architecture firms,

planners, public works Ordinances, plans and code Successes through quantifying benefits Are you a resource, involved and attached

to their issues? What’s your message?


Contact InformationIan HanouSenior Project Manager


355 S Teller St, Suite #300,

Denver, CO 80226

(303) 742-5320 (office)

(303) 503-4846 (mobile)

[email protected]

Documents

Keys to Communication with Water Resource Managers to Increase Community Liveability & Sustainability