Ahead of the Curve – Implementing Green Infrastructure in Rural and Growing Communities
Green infrastructure is often framed as an approach to improving communities and addressing water quality in large urban areas, where high concentrations of impervious surfaces can result in large volumes of stormwater runoff. However, green infrastructure can also provide multiple benefits for small, growing communities and communities in rural areas. This webcast will showcase two such communities, Monona, Iowa and Clarkesville, Georgia, that are ahead of the curve in using green infrastructure to address some of their stormwater management challenges. Rural communities and small MS4s in particular will want to tune in to learn how to replicate these projects at home.
Details
Session 1 – Effective Stormwater Management With Permeable Pavers
Dan Canton, City Administrator, Monona, Iowa
Jon Biederman, Civil Engineer/Branch Manager, Fehr Graham
This session will discuss how a small, rural Midwestern city solved a water quality and quantity problem and poor functionality of a public parking lot by reconstructing with permeable pavers while having over 90% of the cost covered by an outside funding source. The presentation will discuss how this project can be replicated anywhere and achieve similar benefits.
Session 2 – Green Infrastructure Implementation in a Small Unregulated Community: The Evolution of Better Stormwater Management in Clarkesville, Georgia
Duncan Hughes, Executive Director, Soque River Watershed Association
The City of Clarkesville is a small, unregulated MS4 located northeast of Atlanta, GA. The Soque River, the drinking water supply for the City, has documented water quality impairments attributed to non-point source pollution and urban runoff. The Soque is a major tributary to the Chattahoochee River, the primary drinking water supply for millions who live downstream in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. In an effort to address the known impairments and prepare for anticipated growth, the City has taken incremental steps over the past decade to improve stormwater management. This session will focus on the recognition of stormwater as a major pollutant contributor and the evolution of local efforts to better manage polluted runoff.
Speakers
Dan Canton
Dan Canton is the City Administrator of Monona, Iowa. He is a board member on the Turkey River Watershed Management Authority in Northeast Iowa and is currently in the process of developing a Storm Water Management Ordinance for Monona. Dan is a 1976 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
Jon Biederman
Jon Biederman is a Civil Engineer/Branch Manager of Fehr Graham’s West Union, Iowa office. Jon graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1991 from the University of Iowa and has extensive experience with permeable pavers and stormwater management.
Duncan Hughes
Duncan Hughes is the Executive Director of the Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA). SRWA’s mission is to work together with individuals and organizations to protect and restore the Soque River, its tributaries, and watershed. Duncan has worked with SRWA since 2004 on projects and programs to reduce or eliminate non-point source pollution. His primary goals are to educate citizens about threats and challenges to our waters and to engage them in the practice of watershed protection.