LID and Policy May 2010 (final)

LID and Policy:
Sustainable
Development Practices

What is Stopping Us?
Jon Barsanti Jr
Masters in City and Regional Planning
BA Interdisciplinary Study in Biology and Chemistry
jbarsanti@alumni.unc.edu
919.943.1915.

Developers

Policy Makers
Who Designers

Decision Makers
(Municipal/County)

Competitive Advantage
(Others are not Doing it)

It is good for the
economy, Others are
good for the
community,
and good for the
Why Doing It; Can
do It Better
environment

Others are doing it and if
I/We don’t adopt/adapt I/We
will lose out to other
communities/developers

Don’t want to learn new way
of doing business

Want to do it;
Have designers to
do it;
Have planners on
Why Want to do it;
Don’t have a
board;
Meeting resistance
from elected
Not designer to
show how

officials

Want to do it;
Have a designer who knows how to do it;
Having a difficult time getting approved

All Development Occurs in a
Watershed

All Land Uses have a Water
Profile

LID can improve Water Quality
and Quantity

Need to view Run-off as a
Resource

All Development Occurs
in a Watershed
Three Parts of a Watershed
Watershed Critical Areas
Watershed Protected Areas
Remainder of the Watershed
Barriers:
• “Highest and Best Use of the Land;”
• One person’s/community’s out-flow is another’s
intake

in a Watershed
Wetlands are nature’s filtration
system
Wetlands manage volume and
sediment load
Wetlands are key to wildlife
habitat preservation
Barrier: Wetland is undevelopable; Can fill and replace,
although manufactured is not as good as natural

in a Watershed
Stream Buffers protect
encroachment on ecosystem by
development
Stream Buffers Protect
development from
encroachment by ecosystem
(e.g. floods.)
Barriers: Inconsistent setbacks between communities; Vertical versus
Horizontal Setbacks

All Land Uses have a
Water Profile
Volume of water flow
Nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus,
Suspended Solids)
Temperature of water flowing off the land
Toxins (Oil, antifreeze, other chemicals)
Bacteria (Pet Waste, etc.)
From Kimberly Brewer’s Presentation to the TJCOG Smart Growth Committee
ftp://ftp.tjcog.org/pub/tjcog/regplan/smrtgrow/devwq.pdf

Water Profile
Sources Land-Use Contribution Contribution
to N Load to P Load
Residential (SF) 14%
29% 12%
Residential (MF) 1%

Agriculture 20% 36% 51%
Forest 56% 19% 15%
Commercial/ 3% 9% 6%
Industrial
Other 6% 7% 16%

Data from A Nutrient Credit Trading Framework for the Jordan Lake Watershed: Using Market-Based Mechanisms to Make Watershed Restoration
More Cost-Effective
http://www.cfra-nc.org/documents/FinalReport-FullReport_000.pdf

All BMPs have a
Volume/Pollutant Profile

Volume of water flow
Suspended Solids
Nitrogen
Phosphorus

STORMWATER FLOW AND QUALITY, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NON-PROPRIETARY STORMWATER TREATMENT MEASURES — A REVIEW
AND GAP ANALYSIS (2004) Monash University (Australia) http://www.catchment.crc.org.au/pdfs/technical200408.pdf

Table 1: Comparison of Bulk Density for undisturbed
Soils and Common Urban Conditions (Compiled from
various sources)
Undisturbed Soil Type or Urban Surface Bulk
Condition Density (g/cc)
Peat 0.2 to 0.3
Compost 1.0
Sandy Soil 1.1 to 1.3
Silty sands 1.4
Silt 1.3 to 1.4
Silt Loams 1.2 to 1.5
Organic Silts/Clays 1.0 to 1.2
Glacial Till 1.6 to 2.0
Urban Lawns 1.5 to 1.9
Crushed Rock Parking Lot 1.5 to 2.0
Urban Fill Soils 1.8 to 2.0
Athletic Fields 1.8 to 2.0
ROW and Building Pads 1.5 to 1.8
(85% Compaction)
ROW and Building Pads 1.6 to 2.1
(95% Compaction)
Concrete Pavement 2.2
Quartzite 2.65 http://www.cwp.org/Resource_Library/Center_Docs/PWP/ELC_PWP36.pdf

Reversing of Compacted
Soils

• Soil Amendments
• Compost Amendments
• Reforestation
http://www.cwp.org/Resource_Library/Center_Docs/PWP/ELC_PWP37.pdf
• Time

Benefits and Consequences
of Compost Amendments
Compost Amendments Can:
• Increase Porosity
• Reduce Peak Flows
• Produce Thicker lawns
• Reduce Fertilizer Applications
and Watering Needs
• Create better lawns, faster
http://www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/publications/reports/epa600r00016/epa600r00016.pdf EPA/600/R-00/016

Benefits and Consequences
of Compost Amendments
Compost Amendments May:
• Increase Concentrations of N and P
(Decrease Total Amounts)
• May lose benefits over time

• Amendments can be tilled or applied
directly and reseeded.
• 2:1 ratio soil to compost tilled to at
least 12 inches
• Construction compaction can reach
24 inches

http://www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/publications/reports/epa600r00016/epa600r00016.pdf EPA/600/R-00/016

Water Profile

Barriers: It takes time and money to
measure predevelopment conditions and
post-development conditions
Cost to amend soil decreases, per lot, as
area amended increases

LID Can Improve Water
Quality & Water Quantity

How we develop
Where we develop
(and where we do not)
What we do with the Run-off
(Pipe or Percolate)


http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/water_resource.htm http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/water_density.htm

• Impacts on Land Start At the
Grading Stage
• Fertilizers can have an impact
on water quality, even in LID
Neighborhoods
• Volume and Peak Flows were
kept at predevelopment levels.
• Need to Control Compaction,
Minimize Soil Disturbance, and
have on-site supervision.
http://www.jordancove.uconn.edu/jordan_cove/publications/final_report.pdf

Development Impacts Water Quality
• Alters Stormwater and Wastewater Flows
• Negatively Impacts water-related
ecosystems
• Impacts water Quality through
• Creation of Impervious Surfaces
• Spatial Position of Development
relative to natural features
• Introduction of Contaminants
• Impacts Wastewater through consumption
of water and the Stormwater it generates

http://www.nahb.org/fileUpload_details.aspx?contentID=112936

National Association of Home-Builders has
a large amount of information regarding
costs and benefits of Low Impact
Development

Perceived Barrier: It costs more and
does not provide a benefit to the builder

Actual Barrier: Educating the entire
community to the value versus costs of
LID (Lower Stormwater Costs, more land
can be developed; cost savings to the
community, etc.)

http://www.nahb.org/fileUpload_details.aspx?contentID=112936

… (In) the vast majority of cases,
significant savings were realized due to:

• reduced costs for site grading and
preparation,

• stormwater infrastructure, site paving, and
landscaping.

• Total capital cost savings ranged from 15
to 80 percent when LID methods were
used...

http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/documents/reducingstormwatercosts.pdf


http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/documents/reducingstormwatercosts.pdf

• Site Design was 103 Lots on 24 Acres
• Conventional Site Design required 270,000 Cu Ft of
Stormwater Facilities
• LID Required 55,000 cu ft of stormwater facilities
• 62% of land was saved as open space
• Cost Savings of 20% to the Developer
• 10% More units were able to be built than
conventional design would have allowed.
Managing stormwater in Pierce County: Kensington Estates case study sheds light on low impact development
http://www.djc.com/news/en/11135654.html

Type of Residential Disturbed Open Space Conserved Space
Development Space

Low Density Could be entire Yes – may be No
(e.g. 1 unit/2a) site yard

Cluster Could Be entire Fragmented No
site

Open Space 50% or less 50% or More Open Space can
be undevelopable

Conservation Less than 50% More than 50% Undevelopable
area excluded

Barrier(s): How each is defined varies by community/county

Need to change thinking from
stormwater as waste to
stormwater as resource.
Barrier: Need
to change the
way we think
about water

http://waterparadigm.org/indexen.php?web=./home/homeen.html http://www.onthecommons.org/media/pdf/original/OurWaterC
omonsOctober2008English.pdf

Need to Change thinking from
Barrier: We cannot
solve our problems
at the same level of
thinking that
created them

We need a new
way of looking at
our water quality
and water quantity
problems

http://www.clemson.edu/restoration/events/past_events/sc_water_re http://www.coe.neu.edu/environment/DOCUM
sources/t4_proceedings_presentations/t4_zip/zimmer.pdf ENTS/Wingspread%20Final%20Report.pdf

“An urban area is an ecological system
wherein humans, habitat,
transportation and water infrastructure,
and terrestrial and aquatic flora and
fauna exist in symbiosis and
interdependence. Urban fresh waters
are the lifeline for ecological and
economical sustainability, yet the fresh
water resources are being impaired to
a point that the integrity of urban
waters has been damaged by excessive
development and overuse….”

http://www.coe.neu.edu/environment/DOCUM
ENTS/Wingspread%20Final%20Report.pdf

The concept of the Cities of the Future,
the fifth paradigm of urbanization… is a
paradigm of integration
• Future, and existing, urban
developments will accommodate
landscape, drainage, transportation
and habitat infrastructure systems
• Cities will be resilient to extreme
hydrological events and pollution
• There will be adequate amounts of
clean water for sustaining healthy
human, terrestrial and aquatic lives
• There will be an optimal balance
between recreation, navigation and
other economic uses of water.
http://www.coe.neu.edu/environment/DOCUM
ENTS/Wingspread%20Final%20Report.pdf

SESSION LAW 2009-243
HOUSE BILL 749

“The Code may include rules pertaining to the construction or renovation of
residential or commercial buildings and structures that permit the use of
cisterns to provide water for flushing toilets and for outdoor irrigation. No
State, county, or local building code or regulation shall prohibit the use of
cisterns to provide water for flushing toilets and for outdoor irrigation. As
used in this subsection, 'cistern' means a storage tank that is watertight; has
smooth interior surfaces and enclosed lids; is fabricated from nonreactive
materials such as reinforced concrete, galvanized steel, or plastic; is designed
to collect rainfall from a catchment area; may be installed indoors or outdoors;
and is located underground, at ground level, or on elevated stands.”

Barriers to Implementing
LID Across the Region
• All Development Impacts Water Quality (Discharge,
Consumption, Compaction of Soil) (Includes 10%
Impervious Surface and above – as well as 10%
Compacted Surfaces and above.
• Highest Use of the land versus the Best Use of the land
• Need to Change the way we think (Paradigm Shift)
• Water is Water
• Wetlands and streams are undervalued
• One Community’s Outflow is another Community’s
Intake

LEED Across the Region
•
“Everybody
knows….” it
costs more.

http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2908

•
Sometimes,
its is not
about the
costs (price,)
rather it is
really playing
up the
benefits


Cost premiums
ranging from ZERO%
to 6.27%

Energy Savings from
23% to 50%

Water Savings from
Zero to 78%


Case Study: Residential
Development
• 73 Projects
• Range Under 5 Acres to Over
100 Acres
• Utilization of LEED techniques
depend on points awarded and
cost to develop
• Gold and Platinum Certified
Utilize Green Technologies and
Green Construction
• Platinum tend to include
affordable housing and
http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/316990__914017852.pdf
Habitat/wetland restoration

Halted construction fills
N.C. waterways with silt
BY PAGE IVEY - The Associated Press

Photograph: Chuck Burton AP May 5, 2010 News and Observer

Our Floating Future?
• Research by NC State
University and Bill Hunt
• Being Tested in City of
Durham – Hillendale Golf
Course and Museum of Life
and Science
• Originated in Montana
(2000)
• Costs: $30/sq ft
"When all the plants have grown up, you
don't actually see any of the green plastic. • Benefit: “natural”
It's just a lush green environment on top of removal of Phosphorus and
the pond, so in theory there's a habitat for Nitrogen using
fish, frogs, wildlife as well." Ryan Winston wetland/bog plants
News and Observer – 4/14/2010

LID Across the Region
• Need to look at Decentralized solution for a Decentralized
problem
• Our ordinances hold us back (e.g. State law now requires
communities to allow the use of cisterns and to not prohibit
their use; Definitions of Conservation Subdivisions; Transfer
of Development Rights)
• “Everybody knows….”

Post Construction
Maintenance
• Fertilizer
• Animal Waste
• Drought Tolerant Plants
• Native Plants
• Over-watering

Conclusion
We have a new resource
We can ‘sing from the same
songbook.’
We can customize our solutions
to meet the requirements of our
communities and our region.
We can have a Win-Win-Win for
the consumer, the developer,
and the community.
If we ‘only’ apply to new
construction, existing conditions
will ‘only’ not get worse.

Jon Barsanti Jr.
jbarsanti@alumni.unc.edu
919.943.1915

Presentation available at
http://www.slideshare.net/JonBarsantiJr

LID and Policy May 2010 (final)

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