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RESTORING SUBURBAN WATERSHEDS USING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
Citation:
ROY, A., M. CLAGETT, M. A. MORRISON, W. D. SHUSTER, H. W. THURSTON, AND H. CABEZAS. RESTORING SUBURBAN WATERSHEDS USING A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT. Presented at Joint Meeting of the Ecological Society of America and the Society for Ecological Restoration, San Jose, CA, August 05 - 10, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
to inform the public
Description:
In mixed-use, suburban watersheds, stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces on both public and private property impairs stream ecosystems. Decentralized stormwater management, which distributes stormwater infiltration and retention devices throughout watersheds, is more effective than centralized options at mimicking the natural hydrologic cycle and, therefore, restoring flow patterns, water quality, and biotic integrity in suburban streams. However, decentralized stormwater management poses legal, social, and economic challenges and constraints, and requires extensive coordination between landowners and municipal authorities. By addressing these multidisciplinary challenges from the onset, we have created an approach which should be applicable to watersheds where stormwater runoff is a primary source of stream impairment. This approach was tested in the Shepherd Creek watershed, a 1.8 km2 residential and forested watershed in Cincinnati, OH (USA). In this watershed, a higher proportion of total impervious area (TIA) was on private land compared to public land (70.5% private vs. 29.5% public), with buildings and driveways comprising a combined 52.2% TIA; therefore, private land was initially targeted for stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in the form of rain gardens and rain barrels. After evaluating multiple incentive mechanisms, we decided to use a reverse auction to allocate BMPs. This voluntary, market-based approach is expected to ensure economic efficiency while avoiding potential legal constraints regarding landowners’ private property rights. The results of the auction (conducted March 2007) will allow us to evaluate homeowners’ willingness-to-accept BMPs on their property in exchange for financial compensation, and assess the viability of this approach for restoring stream ecosystem health.