Transcript Slide 1

A New Approach to Protecting
Water Quality in
Gallatin County through
Better Site Design
Tammy Crone, Water Quality Specialist
Why A Watershed Group?
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Work with community
Understand local needs, issues
Bring diverse interests together to find solutions
Collaborative environment
Greater Gallatin Watershed
Council
Mission:
Promote conservation and enhancement of our water resources
while supporting the traditions of community, agriculture and
recreation.
Strategic Plan Goal for Habitat & Water Quality:
Facilitate Collaborative water resource projects
Action:
Identify stormwater management &
development recommendations for
municipalities & county
SO….WHY GET INVOLVED IN
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT?
A Changing Landscape…
• Gallatin Co population rate increase = 28.8%
• An increase of 67% since 1990.
– (U.S. Census 2000)
people =
development =
impervious surfaces
= water quality without prevention & mitigation
Impacts to Aquatic Resources
Due to Impervious Cover
• Higher peak discharge
rates & greater flooding
• Lower stream flow
during dry weather
• Greater streambank
erosion
• Decline in streambed
quality (sedimentation)
• Warmer stream
temperatures
• Greater loading of
stormwater runoff
pollutants to streams
• Aquatic species
diversity declines
• And more…
Gallatin Valley Impaired Streams
• 16 streams/stream
segments
• Not meeting beneficial
uses for recreation,
irrigation, fisheries, etc.
• Stormwater runoff can be
a factor
• Numerous small streams
in our urban area…feed
into East Gallatin River
Good Intentions…Unintended
Consequences?
• Some development rules may be creating
needless impervious cover
– Subdivision codes
– Parking & street standards
– Zoning regulations
• Leads to wide streets, expansive parking lots,
large-lot subdivisions that crowd out natural
areas.
• A development containing 1-acre lots, where each lot has 1020% impervious surface, could expect runoff to double from
pre-development status. (EPA 1993)
Ready, Set,…Need Funding!
• Received Gallatin Assistance Planning Grant
from Sonoran Institute and Montana Smart
Growth.
– Contract with Montana Watercourse to facilitate
– Create a work group to look at stormwater and
development issues…
– Then make recommendations to decision-makers.
• Work begins…
GGWC Stormwater Work Group
Jennifer Boyer, Sonoran Institute
Tammy Crone, Gallatin Water Quality
District & GGWC
Debbie Earl, Montana Watercourse
Jackie Flikkema, JTL Group
Candace Hamlin, GGWC
Randy Johnson, Gallatin County
Planning
Bart Manion, GGWC
Tom Rogers, Gallatin County Planning
Simon Trautman, Moonlight Basin
Karin Boyd, GGWC
Buddy Drake, Drake & Associates
Andy Epple, City of Bozeman
Sharlyn Gunderson-Izurieta, GGWC
Stuart Jennings, Reclamation Research
Group
Al Lien, Association of Gallatin Agricultural
Irrigators
Tom Milesnick, GGWC
William Pond, Montana State University
Joe Skinner, Gallatin County Commissioner
Bob Zimmer, Oasis Environmental, Inc.
Focus and Goals
• Minimize negative impact of development on local
surface- and ground-water resources.
– Encourage “hydrologically functioning lots”
• Explore feasibility of implementing LID designs
locally.
– Cold weather climate
Desired Project Outcomes
• Development of water
quality BMP guidelines
for new development.
• Provide the guidelines
to planning boards with
information on
innovative development
that can be utilized to
mitigate impacts to
water resources locally.
The Process
• Met several times over the course of a year.
• Focus on new construction vs. retrofit
• Focus on final site design…not construction
stormwater BMPs
• Researched various BMPs currently out there.
• Identified those best suited to Montana
climate.
• Based on:
• Created a guideline document
– Background info on basic hydrology & LID concepts
– General LID Strategy Checklist
• Planning Boards can use to provide a quick overview of
what to look for in a design using LID
– Focus on 7 LID Designs:
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Constructed Wetlands
Parking Lot Design
Bio-retention
On-lot Infiltration
Infiltration Systems
Filter Strips
– Diagrams for 7 different LID designs
• BMP Background
• Advantages & Limitations of each BMP design
• Specific BMP Design Guidelines/Considerations checklist
– Reference to online resources for LID
Getting the Word Out
• Presentations made:
– Gallatin County Planning Department’s
“Contractors/Developers Luncheon”
– Gallatin County Planning Board
• Response has been positive
• Bozeman Creek Watershed
Tour
Next Steps
• Continue public presentations of the Guidelines
– City Planning Boards
– City & County Commissions
• Encourage adoption of GGWC LID Development
Guidelines .
• Host a Stormwater Tour
– MT Stormwater Conf.
THANK YOU
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