Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Ryan Daley
Westfield State University
2015
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Table of Contents
Definitions 3
Abstract
5
Chapter 1: Literature Review
1.1 Introduction 6
1.1.1 Rise of Low Impact Development
6
1.1.2 Overview of Low Impact Development
6
1.1.3 Conventional Stormwater Management and CSOs
6
1.2 The Effects of Human Activity on the Hydrologic Cycle. 8
1.2.1 Hydrology 8
1.2.2 Protecting the Watershed
8
1.3 LID as an Alternative to Storm Water Management
9
1.3.1 Three Methods of LID 9
1.3.2 LID v. Conventional Stormwater Management 10
1.4 Storm Water Best Management Practices
10
1.4.1 Best Management Practices (BMPs) 10
1.4.2 Bioretention/Rain Garden
11
1.4.3 Grass Swales
12
1.4.4 Vegetated Rood Cover 12
1.4.5 Permeable Pavements 12
1.4.6 Capture and Re-Use
13
1.4.7 Evaluating Effectiveness of Stormwater BMPs 13
1.5 Implementing Low Impact Development in East Longmeadow 15
1.5.1 Low Impact Development in Pioneer Valley
15
1.5.2 Including LID in Subdivision Rules and Regulations
16
1.5.3 Conclusions 17
Chapter 1 References 18
Chapter 2: Research
2.1 Methodology 19
2.2 Obstacles and Barriers to the Implementation of LID
20
2.2.1 Cost 20
2.2.2 Maintenance
21
2.2.3 Winter
22
2.3 Interviews
22
2.3.1 Department of Public Works 22
2.3.2 Fire Department 23
2.3.3 Police Department
24
2.4 Analysis of Subdivision Rules and Regulations
24
2.4.1 Model Bylaw
24
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25
28
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Definitions
1. Best Management Practices (BMPs)- activities, practices, facilities,
and/or procedures that when implemented will reduce or prevent
pollutants in discharges
2. Rain Water Harvesting/Capture and Re-Use- To capture and store
rainwater for later use.
3. Grass Swales- a stable turf, parabolic or trapezoidal channel used for
water quality or to convey stormwater runoff, which does not rely on
the permeability of the soil as a pollutant removal mechanism.
4. Permeable Pavement- a permeable pavement surface with a stone
reservoir underneath. The reservoir temporarily stores surface runoff
before infiltrating it into the subsoil.
5. Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO)- a type of sewer system that
collects sewage and surface runoff in a single pipe system.
6. Clean Water Act of 1972- the Federal Water Pollution Control Act
enacted in 1972, by Public Law 92-500, and amended by the Water
Quality Act of 1987. The Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of
pollutants to Waters of the United States unless the discharge is in
accordance with an NPDES permit. For East Longmeadow, this permit is
the MS4 permit.
7. Bioretention Garden/Rain Garden- a garden which takes advantage
of rainfall and stormwater runoff in its design and plant selection.
8. Vegetated Roof- a roof of a building that is partially or completely
covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a
waterproofing membrane.
9. Post-Development Curve Number (CN)- developed by the Natural
Resources Conservation Service, and is a very common tool for
estimating runoff volumes.
10.
Time of Concentration (TC)- time of concentration is the time
it takes for one for a drop of water to travel from the original site, to its
discharge point
11.
Peak Discharge Rate- the rate of discharge of a volume of
water passing a given location
12.
Infiltration- to pass into or through (a substance) by filtering or
permeating
13.
Stormwater Runoff- part of precipitation which travels across a
surface to the storm drain system or receiving waters.
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14.
Impervious Surface- any man-made or modified surface that
prevents or significantly reduces the entry of water into the underlying
soil, resulting in runoff from the surface in greater quantities and/or at
an increased rate, when compared to natural conditions prior to
development.
15.
Non-Point Source Pollutants- refers to both water and
air pollution from diffuse sources.
16.
Zero Net Increase- no net increase in the use of water from
pre-development hydrology, to post-development hydrology.
17.
Retention- the ability to hold rain water.
18.
Detention- water that is flowing on the surface, and has not
reached the channel
19.
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Abstract
Located in Hampden County, East Longmeadow is a community 13.4 square
miles in size with a population of about 15,800 people since 2013. East
Longmeadow currently does not implement Low Impact Development in the
Towns subdivision rules and regulations, but they wish to do so in the near
future. This paper will explore the possibility of implementing Low Impact
Development in the Town as a means of controlling storm water runoff
volumes, and discharge rates. Low Impact Development is in no way a
means of replacing current storm water management practices, but instead
offers a more environmentally friendly way of managing storm water. Many
traditional storm water management practices work to carry storm water
away from where water hits the ground; this method is successful at doing
so, but also carries many pollutants in the water. Low Impact Development
works to keep storm water onsite through a wide range of Best Management
Practices (BMPs) that are discussed in this paper. Keeping storm water on
site allows for fewer pollutants in the water, and uses natural methods to
manage storm water. This paper will discuss the use of each method, and
how effective each method is at managing storm water at the source.
Planners and Government Agencies are promoting Low Impact Development
across the country since the emergence of this fairly new practice in the
1990s. All across the country cities and towns are adopting Low Impact
Development practices, and cities and towns surrounding East Longmeadow
have adopted Low Impact Development as well. This paper will look at other
cities and towns near East Longmeadow, who are leaders of this new
approach.
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1 Literature Review
Introduction
The Rise of Low Impact Development
In the United States, the term Low Impact Development has been
around for a little over 20 years. Even though this practice is still fairly new,
it has surely made an impact across the country. We first heard of Low
Impact Development from Prince Georges County, Maryland in the early
1990s. At the time, a few Low Impact Development projects were taking
place here. Shortly after, we began to see Low Impact Development Projects
sprouting across the country.
Overview of Low Impact Development
Low Impact Development (LID) can be defined as a land development
strategy for managing storm water at the source with decentralized microscale control measures (Ahiablame et al. 2012). Or it may be defined as;
integration of green space, native landscaping, natural hydrologic functions,
and various other techniques to generate less runoff from developed
land(NRDC 1999). I would personally define Low Impact Development as an
alternative solution to reducing runoff volume and non-point source (NPS)
pollution through on-site, natural, storm water management practices.
LID has goals that should be considered when implementing any LID
practices. Not all goals can by achieve, and not all goals may be quantifiable.
The goals are to serve as an outline or guideline for a successful LID practice.
The first goal is zero net increase; to build on a parcel of land without any net
increase in water use beyond the natural hydrologic cycle (Cahill 2012). This
idea of zero net increase is nearly impossible, and unrealistic with Americas
current ecological footprint. Much of LID is about the thought of reducing the
impact on our local watersheds. Zero net increase is a utopian view of this
thought; where we do not impact our watersheds at all.
A second goal of LID is to minimize the need for paving, curb, gutter,
pipe system, and inlet structures in subdivisions. Instead, LID can be used to
reduce construction and maintenance costs (Ahiablame et al. 2012). The
impervious surfaces that are constructed add to the total runoff that LID
seeks to decrease. A third goal of LID is to reduce runoff volume by
infiltration to groundwater, evapotranspiration, and finding beneficial uses
for water rather than exporting it as waste (NRDC 1999). This paper will
discuss this goal in more depth later on.
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more development and more impervious cover. What we can do is use LID to
minimize harmful effects on the watershed, and work to reverse the trends of
urbanization. LID mimics natural processes that will not harm the watershed
and result in clean water, green neighborhoods, and a better quality of life
(NRDC 1999).
In our driveways we like to wash our cars, wash our patios and houses.
In the city gas, oil, and other fluids from our cars drip onto the pavement. On
the sidewalks people litter, dump out unwanted beverages, and leave
cigarette butts on the ground. Where do all of these things end up? They are
washed away into underground storm water systems, and eventually
discharge into our waterways. Runoff collects all of these NPS pollutants, and
washes them away. These are the reasons why LID works to reduce runoff
and NPS pollutants. Now more than ever, we need to protect our watersheds
from harmful effects. Many of our river, ponds, and lakes are sources of
drinking water. Protecting these sources should be a top priority.
In 1972 an important act was passed to do just this, protect our
watersheds and waterways. We rely on much of our waterways for drinking
water, and pollution is resulting in lower quality of water. The Clean Water
Act of 1972 is a federal act that establishes structure for regulating discharge
of pollutants. The CWA makes it unlawful to discharge any pollutants from a
point source, into navigable waters (EPA 2015). The CWA is a major piece of
legislation that has changed much of how we handle storm water and sewer
water today. The CWA is the reason why many cities are working to eliminate
combined sewer overflow (CSO) pipe systems.
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almost always very effective and managing rainwater. Infiltration may not be
as effective during large storms where flooding occurs. In the case of
flooding, runoff occurs and water travels elsewhere above ground
(Ahiablame et al. 2012).
Capture and re-use of rainwater is an effective method that includes
collecting the rainwater from rooftops, and using the rainwater instead of
washing it down the drain. This method can also be referred to as rain water
harvesting. Rain water can be re-used and recycled over and over again. We
can use rainwater to water our plants, to flush our toilets, and many other
uses. Capturing rainwater can be very effective at eliminating runoff from
rooftops. This method can be less effective when the barrel or cistern is full.
Evapotranspiration is a method that involves vegetation. Our trees and
gardens absorb the rainwater through their roots, and then over time the
water is sent back into the atmosphere. This method can be effective during
small rain storms. Much like infiltration, the method will be less effective
during large rain storms (Cahill 2012).
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remove pollutants unless the water is treated. If you refer to Table-1, the
advantage and disadvantages of each are listed.
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Advanta
Natural
discharge into
ges
watersheds.
Removal of NPS
pollutants
Reduces runoff
Green solution to storm
Low Impact
water management.
Development
Recharge groundwater
Infiltration and
evapotranspiration
Less costly to construct
or maintain.
Prevents flooding
Can handle large
capacities of rain water
Efficient at managing rain
Conventional
Management
Disadvantag
Not es
always 100%
effective
Some practices are more
effective than others
Many practices cannot
handle large quantities
May require more work to
maintain
Can be difficult to
implement
Peak discharge rate in
much higher of a natural
landscape
Not infiltration,
groundwater recharge, or
removal of pollutants.
Routes rain water offsite
High costs to construct
Harms watershed
Grass Buffer Strips- reduce runoff velocity and filter particulate matter.
Sand Bed- provides aeration and drainage of the planting soil and
assists in the flushing of pollutants from the soil materials.
Ponding Area- provides storage of excess runoff and facilitates the
settling of particulates and evaporation of excess water.
Organic Layer- Performs the function of decomposition of organic
material by providing a medium for biological growth (such as
microorganisms) to degrade petroleum-based pollutants. It also filters
pollutants and prevents soil erosion.
Planting Soil- Provides the area for storm water storage and nutrient
uptake by plants. The planting soils contain come clays which adsorb
pollutants such as hydrocarbons, heavy metals and nutrients
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The type of Bioretention media used (i.e. kinds of soils and plants) can
largely determine the performance of the Bioretention cell. One example is
sand, sand is shown to effectively remove pollutants, but over time the sand
decreases in efficiency because of the loss in retention capacity. Choosing
Bioretention media carefully will determine how effective the Bioretention
cell is. Other than media, the maintenance of the cells is a key to the
performance of the cell (Ahiablame 2012).
Grass Swales
Grass swales are generally open channel systems that reduce the
velocity of runoff and manage rain water through infiltration. Rain water is
naturally absorbed into the ground and either recharge the groundwater, or
end up discharging into the watershed. Grass swales are most efficient in
smaller drainage areas with mildly sloping topography. The channels allow
for pooling of water, much like Bioretention, and acts as storage of water for
infiltration. Grass swales are much less expensive than conventional storm
water management practices. Conventional systems cost approximately $40$50 per running foot. This is three times as expensive as the cost of
constructing grass swales (Low Impact Development Center). Grass swales
typically consist of only grass, but can be just as efficient as other infiltrating
practices.
Vegetated Roof Cover
Vegetated roof cover, also commonly referred to as green roofs, are an
effective way of reducing runoff from rooftops. Not only are green roofs
effective at reducing runoff, but green roofs can also extend the life of a
rooftop. The thickness of the vegetated roof will largely determine the
efficiency and performance of the rooftop. A rooftop with 6 inches of soil may
perform better than a rooftop with 3 inches of soil. Green roofs require flat
rooftops in order to be efficient. A sloped rooftop may not be easy to
maintain. Green roofs are made up of different layers. These layer are; a
waterproofing membrane, a protection layer, a coarse-grained drainage
medium, a root-permeable nonwoven separation geotextile, a fin-grained
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Table-2 will look at LID practices, and the performance of each in the
four hydrological functions. There are more LID practices listed in this table
that may not be listed above. Many of the practices fall under the practices
that are discussed above.
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post development runoff, is most favorable in any LID practice. Many of the
LID practice have higher time of concentration (Tc) because of the natural
infiltration and discharge, as opposed to conventional systems. This is
something that we should look for in an LID practice. Increased time of
concentration is best for a natural discharge. With the conventional practices
we see very high discharge rates after a storm, but with LID practices we see
lower and gradual discharge rate, mimicking the natural hydrology. About
half of the practices result is retention after a rain storm. Retention is not a
bad thing is LID, retention means that the ground is holding the water, and
that it will either infiltrate, or will be absorbed by vegetation, and be sent
back to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. Detention is another
value to look for when evaluating LID practices. Detention leads to increased
runoff. In Table-2 we can see three x marks under detention, two of them
are for water storage. Storing water does not lead to runoff. The third x is
next to Flatten slopes on swale; there is nowhere for water to pool for
infiltration, this leads to increased runoff.
Low Impact Development practices offer water quality treatment
through runoff volume control. LID practices can be very efficient at
removing pollutants through infiltration. With increased time of concentration
(TC) and decreased flow velocity, LID practices can best remove pollutants
from rain water runoff (Low Impact Development Center 2000). Each LID
practice is going to perform differently, and some are better or worse than
others.
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(PVPC 2014). The communities are working to follow the regulations of the
NPDES permit. Table-3 below displays each of the 22 communities, and how
they comply with the regulations. The table also shows if the community has
LID practices implemented, or have plans to implement LID practices.
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Longmeadow subdivision rules and regulations also require the same nine
standards that Belchertown does. Comparing Belchertown and Longmeadow
subdivision rules and regulations, the standards read exactly the same word
for word. Why is this? Will East Longmeadow adopt the same standards as
Longmeadow and Belchertown?
East Longmeadow storm water rules and regulations require that no
natural waterway shall be altered or obstructed in such a way as to reduce or
increase the natural run-off capacity, unless substitute means of run-off are
provided. The rules and regulations do not have any standards or regulations
that must be met for LID storm water management. But rather suggests that
the natural hydrology is left undisturbed.
The goal of this paper is to ignite change to subdivision rules and
regulations for adoption of LID practices. Municipalities in Massachusetts are
required to comply with a number of state and federal laws that require
municipalities to address the impacts of post-development storm water
runoff quality and NPS pollutants (MACP). It will take time for East
Longmeadow to adopt these changes, and to see the positive effect on our
watershed.
Conclusions
We have many choices between different LID practices, and each is
efficient in their own way. All of the LID practices mentioned in this paper will
help to reverse urbanization, and mimic pre-development hydrology. LID can
make a significant difference on our watershed in East Longmeadow. By
implementing storm water standards we can begin to control runoff rates
and volumes, and also begin to reduce NPS pollutants from contaminating
our watershed.
The Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1972 was a major piece of legislation
that has changed the way we think of storm water management. Without
CWA we would not have the LID practices that are implemented nation-wide
today. East Longmeadow had met all of the standards of the NPDES permit;
all that is left to do is implement Low Impact Development BMPs.
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Chapter 1 References
Ahiablame, Laurent M., Bernard A. Engel, and Indrajeet Chaubey. Effectiveness of
Low Impact
Development Practices: Literature Review and Suggestions for Future Research.
Springer Science and
Business Media. 2012.
Cahill, Thomas H. Low Impact Development and Sustainable Storm water
Management, First Edition.
Published John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2012.
Dietz, Michael E. Low Impact Development Practices: A Review of Current Research
and
Recommendations for Future Directions. Springer Science and Business Media.
2007.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Summary of the Clean Water Act. 2015.
<http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-water-act>
Farr, Douglas. Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature. Wiley. 2007. 108.
Low Impact Development Center.Low Impact Development (LID): A Literature
Review. United
States Environmental Protection Agency. 2000
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). Model Low Impact Development (LID)
Bylaw.
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Storm water Strategies: Community
Responses to Runoff Pollution. Chapter 12. 1999.
<http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/storm/chap12.asp>
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Pioneer Valley Green Infrastructure Plan. 2014.
Roseen, Robert M., Thomas P. Ballestero, James J. Houle, Pedro Avelleneda, Robert
Wildey, and Joshua
Briggs. Storm Water Low-Impact Development, Conventional Structural, and
Manufactured Treatment
Strategies for Parking Lot Runoff: Performance Evaluations Under Varied Mass
Loading Conditions.
P a g e | 21
Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2006.
More Runoff
Volume
Lower and
Less Rapid
Discharge
2 Research
Methodology
In order to better understand the general thoughts, beliefs, and
concerns of the stakeholders involved, I have conducted interviews with key
employees of the town and others. In the interviews I asked generalized,
unbiased questions, in hope to lead a conversation where I can learn the
most about how the person feels about Low Impact Development. For my
research I have also conducted an analysis of the current subdivision rules
and regulations for East Longmeadow against a model LID bylaw. This
analysis is to better visualize where the East Longmeadow Planning Board
can improve, or add to the current subdivision rules and regulations.
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From Table-4 we can see that there is a dramatic cost savings with
LID. I would like to point out that there is minimal savings with stormwater
management. Stormwater management is the construction of the individual
practices. The total cost saving with LID is $461,510, almost half of one
million dollars. From this table we can conclude that there is dramatic saving
with LID.
In many other cases we can see even larger cost savings. The EPA has
also gathered information for about 12 other construction projects where
there was a cost comparison of conventional development versus LID. The
graph I have created below is gathered from the data the EPA has provided
about other cases of cost saving with LID. In this graph we can see the
difference between the cost of conventional development, shown in blue,
and the cost of LID, shown in red. For almost all cases, LID was less costly
than conventional development. Only one case in this graph show LID as
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Maintenance
Stormwater BMPs such as bioretention gardens, grass swales, and
Graph-1- to
Data
collected by
vegetated roofs require maintenance in order for the practice
continue
EPA
being effective. The maintenance can be labor intensive, and require lots of
manual work. To keep up with the appearance, and the effectiveness of a
stormwater BMP, there needs to be regular maintenance.
When considering the construction of a stormwater BMP, many people
may have concerns regarding the maintenance. When there is no regular
maintenance, the garden will begin to lose its effectiveness. Overgrowth,
erosion, loss of valued vegetation, growth of unwanted weeds; these are just
some of the things that can begin to happen to a garden when it is not
maintained. Homeowners may have concerns for the aesthetics of their
neighborhood if the gardens are not well kept.
Winter
In New England we can experience problems with infiltration during the
winter months. When the ground is frozen, there is less infiltration occurring.
Studies have shown that BMPs such as rain gardens or grass swales will still
P a g e | 25
allow for infiltration, but infiltration will not be at the best performance. We
should also expect trouble with permeable pavements during the winter
months. Permeable pavements rely on the pores of the pavement for
infiltration, and when these pores are frozen with ice, the infiltration
decreases. Sanding and plowing permeable pavements also present another
concern; these pavements cannot be sanded because the sand will become
stuck in the pores, further decreasing the infiltration.
Interviews
To address the barriers and obstacle to LID, I needed to understand
more about the thoughts and beliefs of the stakeholders involved with the
implementation of LID in East Longmeadow. The Department of Public Works,
Fire Department, and Police Department are the stakeholders involved; I was
able to interview a key employee from each department to hear their
thoughts.
Department of Public Works
When I first mentioned Low Impact Development to the Superintendent
of Public Works, He continued to listen while he pulled out a very thick print
out of a slideshow presentation that talked about LID and stormwater BMPs.
He knew a lot about LID and began to tell me about what he knew, and how
it works.
When he was asked about his thoughts on LID, his initial response was
that LID is a certainly a trending topic in communities. His general thoughts
about Low Impact Development are positive, and he believes that it is overall
a good concept. Low impact development looks good, but comes with some
concerns.
The main concerns from Public Works are Maintenance, Feasibility, and
Cost. In the previous section I mentioned maintenance as an obstacle of LID,
there is a lot of manual labor needed to maintain many of the stormwater
BMPs. Maintenance is a concern because public works may not have the time
to take care of all gardens and swales that are constructed. Time is money,
and this brings us to the next concern.
The cost to maintain the gardens and swales is another concern. The
cost of employing the workers to keep up with the maintenance, and the cost
for other needs can become costly to the Public Works. The cost of
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My next question to the Chief was regarding the paved street width as
listed in the subdivision rules and regulations, and how he would feel about a
reduction to the paved width. I asked this question because a decrease in the
paved width of a street would mean less impervious surfaces and less
stormwater runoff. Not only would a decreased road width mean less
impervious surfaces, but a decreased road width allows for a better and
more attractive neighborhood. Decreased road width means larger front
yards, and a more pleasing aesthetic. See Table-5 that displays the table
that is found in the subdivision rules and regulations.
Table-5: Paved road width as found in
the subdivision rules and regulations.
Police Department
The first question I asked the police officer was how much did he know about
LID? He replied with not much. I then began to explain what LID is in a brief
summary. After hearing about LID, the general thoughts about LID were positive,
and also believed that LID is a great concept. I mentioned grass swales as
depressional channels that are typically found along roads and in parking lots, this
caught the attention of the officer.
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The only concern was about the grass swales. If grass swales were to be
constructed along the sides of roads, there would need to be sidewalks. The general
concern is the safety of pedestrians near the grass swales. If the grass swales were
to be constructed without sidewalks; pedestrians would have to either walk in the
road, or in the swale. Having sidewalks would increase the safety because
pedestrians would have a designated place to walk.
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Table-6 Comparison of
Performance Standards For East
Longmeadow
It may be interesting to know how many of these standards are listed in the
subdivision rules and regulations of a town that has already implemented LID. The
town that I have decided to look at is Longmeadow, MA. Longmeadow is similar in
many ways; one of the more obvious ways is because Longmeadow is the
neighboring town to East Longmeadow. Longmeadow is also similar to East
Longmeadow in size, and population. As of 2010, the population in Longmeadow
was 15,784. The population of East Longmeadow was 15,720 in 2010. Longmeadow
had only 64 more residents than East Longmeadow in 2010. Again I have looked at
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performance standards that are found in the subdivision rules and regulations for
Longmeadow.
Table-7 Comparison of
Performance standards For
Longmeadow.
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regulations. To me, this shows that East Longmeadow is not far from a town that has
implemented LID.
Recommendations
Street Widths
I recommend to the East Longmeadow Planning Board to decrease the paved
road width of any new road in a subdivision. Through a decrease in road width, East
Longmeadow can achieve one of the goals of LID, which is to decrease the amount
of impervious surfaces. Furthermore, the decrease in road width will dramatically
decrease the amount of stormwater runoff.
Decreased road width will not only decrease impervious surfaces and
stormwater runoff, but will create many more opportunities in East Longmeadow.
For example; regarding the construction of sidewalks in new subdivisions, a
decreased road width will allow for a wider grass buffer between the sidewalk and
the road, increasing the safety of pedestrians. Another example; regarding the
aesthetics of the neighborhood, a decreased road with will positively affect the
aesthetics of the neighborhood because of an increase in green spaces.
After the interview with the Chief of Fire, I do not believe the town will run
into any major issues concerning a decrease in road with. I predict that residents
will be pleased with a decreased road width because the residents of that
neighborhood will have gained extra space to their front yard. Few residents will be
unhappy with a decreased road width due to either; the road is too narrow, or
possibly due to parking concerns.
I recommend the following changes be made to the section of Street Widths
found in the East Longmeadow Subdivision Rules and Regulations:
1. For minor Streets, cul-de-sacs, and dead ends; I propose that the paved
width be changed from 30 feet to 24 feet.
2. For Secondary (Collector) Streets, I propose a decrease from 40 feet to 35
feet wide.
3. For Major (Arterial) Streets, I propose a decrease from 44 feet or two 30
foot wide lanes. I propose a decrease from 44 feet to 35 or 40 feet, and
from 30 foot wide lanes, to 25 foot wide lanes.
If these changes were to take effect, the table found in the subdivision rules
and regulations should match Table-8.
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Table-8: Street
Widths.
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a. Performance Standard Example: Stormwater discharges to critical
areas must use certain stormwater management BMPs approved for
critical areas. Critical areas are Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs),
shellfish beds, swimming beaches, cold water fisheries, and recharge
areas for public water supplies (Longmeadow Subdivision Rules and
Regulations)
5. Hotspots: land uses or activities with higher potential pollutant loadings
a. Performance Standard Example: Stormwater discharges from areas
with higher potential pollutant loads require the use of specific
stormwater management BMPs. The use of infiltration practices
without pretreatment is prohibited. (Longmeadow Subdivision Rules
and Regulations)
6. Manage Water, Prevent Erosion and Control Sediment During
Construction: Erosion and sediment controls implemented during
construction.
7. Reduce Impervious Surfaces: Surfaces where water cannot infiltrate.
a. Performance Standard Example: Stormwater shall be managed through
land development strategies that emphasize the reduction of
impervious surface areas such as streets, sidewalks, driveway and
parking areas and roofs. (VLCT)
Encouraging these standards will make East Longmeadow a more sustainable
community. Low Impact Development seeks to implement natural storm water
management, and that is just what these standards will allow for. Although the
subdivision rules and regulations may not specifically mention Low Impact
Development, aspects of LID will still be found.
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Board should specifically mention and encourage the use of rain gardens and grass
swales in the subdivision rules and regulations.
Permeable pavements are not an effective stormwater BMP only in the New
England States because of the complications that come along with permeable
pavements during the winter months.
Maintenance Plan
I recommend to the East Longmeadow Planning Board to require a
maintenance plan from applicants. Developers who apply to create a new
subdivision should be required to provide a plan for the maintenance of stormwater
BMPs such as rain gardens and grass swales. The developer should be expected to
follow the maintenance plan accordingly.
I have made this recommendation because of the concern of maintenance
from Public Works. If a garden or swale is not maintained, it becomes less effective,
less attractive, and less wanted by residents. This is why each developer should
formulate, and commit to a maintenance plan for rain gardens and grass swales.
The maintenance plan may include:
1. Frequency of maintenance
a. how many times per week/biweekly/monthly
2. What is to be maintained, such as:
a. Weed control
b. Trimming
c. Mulching
d. Lawn Mowing
3. Who will be maintaining, such as:
a. Developer
b. Outside company
c. Residents
4. Required resources for maintenance, such as:
a. Power tools
b. Electricity
c. Fertilizers
I envision that with a maintenance plan in place, the concern of maintenance should
decrease. Rain gardens and grass swales can add beauty to a neighborhood, as well
as treat storm water.
Conclusions
Low Impact Development in East Longmeadow would further move the town
towards more sustainable practices. I believe that LID can be very effective in East
P a g e | 35
Longmeadow considering its small size, but yet rapidly growing community. I hope
that my research will have a positive impact on planning in East Longmeadow, and I
hope to begin seeing rain gardens and grass swales appear throughout East
Longmeadow as time goes on. A Special Thank you to the East Longmeadow
Planning Board for helping me succeed in my research for this project.
P a g e | 36
Chapter 2 References
Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). Smart Growth/Smart Energy Toolkit Bylaw.
<http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/>
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Costs of Low Impact Development: LID
Saves Money and Protects Your Communitys Resources. 2012.
<http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/green/factsheet.cfm#cost>
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). Massachusetts Low Impact
Development ToolkitFact Sheet #6 Permeable Paving.
<http://www.mapc.org/sites/default/files/LID_Fact_Sheet_-_Permeable_Paving.pdf>
Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VLCT). Model Low Impact Development
Stormwater Management Bylaw. 2008. <www.vlct.org>