Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Promoting and Adopting Low Impact Development in Local Communities
EPA Grant Number: SU834769Title: Promoting and Adopting Low Impact Development in Local Communities
Investigators: Engel, Bernard A. , Murphy, Christina , Gall, Heather , Galloza, Magda
Institution: Purdue University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2010 through August 14, 2011
Project Amount: $9,989
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2010) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The reduction of excess nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, are of particular importance in the Midwestern states, such as Indiana, that are part of the Mississippi River Water Basin. The EPA has created a plan with the goal of shrinking the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico to 5,000 km2 by 2015 and by reducing 45% of the nitrogen and phosphorus that are currently entering the Gulf (Engelhaupt, 2008). This project aimed to increase the adoption rate of Low Impact Development (LID) Best Management Practices in the Greater Lafayette Community (the cities of West Lafayette and Lafayette) in Indiana. The specific research objectives were to relate the importance of water conservation and storm water runoff mitigation to individuals throughout a community, study the adoption of Low Impact Development (LID) Best Management Practices (BMPs) and potential barriers of LID in a local community and include the impacts of LID BMPS in a user friendly web based hydrologic model.
The team evaluated how communities adopt LID Best Management Practices and the barriers that communities need to overcome to successfully adopt these practices. Examples of LIDs include rain gardens, green roofs, porous pavement, tree preservation, and rain barrels (EPA, 2000). For phase I of the project, the focus was on rain barrels, as they are easy to build and install, very visible and achievable within the timeframe and scope of this project. Phase II will concentrate on larger scale projects such as for example, rain gardens and green roofs.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The team chose the St. Lawrence McAllister neighborhood in Lafayette, Indiana which has combined sewers and has an active neighborhood association allowing the team to utilize an existing social network to promote education of Low Impact Development Best Management Practices, and in particular for Phase I, rain barrels. A multidisciplinary team of graduate students and students from the Engineering Project in Community Service (EPICS) Water Resources Class were able to apply for additional funding in the amount of $1196.01 to help provide wood stands for the rain barrels. Two workshops and one neighborhood association meeting were held to promote the project. Attendance was lower than expected, and the team expanded the project to include all combined sewer neighborhoods in the Greater Lafayette area.
Surveys were completed in order for participants to receive a rain barrel. Out of the 72 surveyed, about 88% of the respondents knew about rain barrels, however, only about 50% of the respondents knew about rain gardens, green roofs, and permeable paving. Less than 20% of the respondents knew about bioswales and infiltration trenches. Interestingly, only one third of respondents thought that they could reduce storm water runoff and improve its quality by installing a LID BMP at their residence. Over 90% of respondents believed they could reduce stormwater runoff and improve its quality by just reducing the amount they water their lawn. Over three quarters of participants cited ‘Reducing their environmental footprint’ as their main reason for installing a rain barrel. Half of participants also cited making a positive improvement on their local neighborhood and lowering or mitigating stormwater fees as an additional reason for installing rain barrels.
In order to quantitatively evaluate the effect of the installation of 100 rain barrels, the team used the Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment (L-THIA) tool. The L-THIA model computes pollutant load and runoff based on daily rainfall, curve number values, land-use coefficients, soil types, and event mean concentrations values (L-THIA 2005). L-THIA calculated a difference of 0.12 acre-ft (39,098 gallons) of water annually (0.2% of daily treated flow in Lafayette). To achieve a reduction of 1 million gallons of water annually, over 2500 residents would need to install rain barrels.
Conclusions:
The highest ranking reason why people chose to participate in installing a rain barrel was to lower their environmental footprint. This is done two ways with rain barrels: the first is keeping runoff from entering combined sewers and contributing to an overflow event allowing untreated wastewater from entering the Wabash River, the second, is this captured water can be used to water plants and vegetables in their yard or garden reducing the amount of potable water used for this purpose and the resources necessary to treat water to potable standards. These benefits directly impact our planet, starting at the local level with our streams and rivers and ultimately contributing to the health of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico
Using workshops and speaking at the local neighborhood association meeting, the team was able to relate the importance of water conservation and storm water runoff mitigation to individuals throughout a community. Based on survey data, the amount of knowledge of the use of LID BMPs to mitigate stormwater runoff greatly improved from prior to the workshop to after the workshop. Participants were asked if they were interested in installing additional LID BMPs and 87% of them said yes. Additional BMPs allow local vendors to prosper more and possibly even create new markets in the local area given these types of practices are not common in the area. Some of the major hurdles were just a knowledge level of the LID BMPs beyond rain barrels and the cost and maintenance associated with their installation. The survey data also tells the team that participants seem to have a disconnect of how they as individuals can help mitigate stormwater runoff and quality. The team hypothesizes it is just a lack of education in this area because participants seem to have grasped the concept after the workshops. This lack of education is where the team hopes to continue its focus through Phase II.
The third project objective was to look at the impacts of LIDs using the L-THIA hydrologic model. Installation and use of the 100 rain barrels is expected to reduce the annual stormwater runoff by 39,000 gallons.
This particular research is a combination of existing knowledge and practices with innovative approaches. Rain barrel technology is not a new technology but in an area such as the Midwest where source water is abundant and recent economic hardships make it difficult to get the average resident vested in conservation, the team had to take hands on approach to get the message across. While not high tech, the team learned a valuable lesson that even a small amount of face time and education can make a difference.
Supplemental Keywords:
water quantity, water quality, water conservation, low impact development, best management practices, rain barrels, community, technology adoptionRelevant Websites:
Water Resource Management Exit
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.