Green & Affordable Stormwater Management Strategies

Held in conjunction with the 10th Annual Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference

Speakers

Michele Adams,
Michele Adams is a Principal Engineer and founder of Meliora Environmental Design. For more than 23 years, her work has encompassed environmentally sensitive site design and sustainable water resources engineering. Building on a multi-disciplinary approach, her work includes both master planning and design for campuses, urban restoration projects, commercial and residential installations, public facilities, and environmental education centers. In all her work, Michele seeks to combine sound engineering science with an understanding of natural systems. She is a frequent lecturer and educator on the topics of water and sustainability, and has provided technical expertise to clients ranging from watershed advocacy organizations to corporations.

Judith Stern Goldstein
Judith Stern Goldstein, ASLA, R.L.A. is the Director of Landscape Architecture and Planning Services at Boucher & James, Inc. and represents many municipalities as their Planner and Landscape Architect. She has been involved with all aspects of site design including plan review, site design and planning of commercial, residential, industrial and institutional land developments, design of park and open space systems and the detailed design and construction documentation of landscape architectural elements. Ms. Goldstein has also prepared Zoning Ordinances and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances, and has provided expert witness testimony. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Design of the Environment from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania.

Philip Getty
B.S. Geology Penn State University M.S. Geology West Virginia University Mr. Getty has worked in the Environmental Field within Pennsylvania for 30 years. Mr. Getty has been associated with many land conservation organizations. In the 1980′s, he assisted Heritage Conservancy with their “Significant Natural Areas Preservation” program which involved prehistoric as well as standard preservation targets. He is also involved with Native American issues, being a long-time member of the Native American Alliance of Bucks County. This provides him with a cultural sensitivity to the issues surrounding Native American artifacts and structures.

This seminar may count toward PDHs for Pennsylvania Professional Engineers and Professional Land Surveyors.

Description

Control of stormwater in Pennsylvania is constantly improving as higher standards are set to protect stream quality and minimize flooding. These higher standards are being driven by the need to meet in-stream water quality and pollutant reduction goals, such as those imposed in the Chesapeake Bay drainage area and MS4 areas with impaired streams. With a national volume-based stormwater policy pending from the US EPA in 2012, better stormwater management is not optional.

This seminar will provide an overview of the various methods available to not only maintain but also improve stormwater design and in-stream water quality. Discussions will address two general audiences 1) Those who wish to obtain open space and improve it to correct for development pressures in other areas of the watershed and 2) Those who consult others, such as municipalities, to better manage and improve their existing stormwater facilities.

A team of stormwater engineers, hydrogeologists and landscape architects will introduce you to the basic concepts and current regulations regarding stormwater control. You will be presented with methods to evaluate properties and existing stormwater facilities; specifically, existing detention basins. A diverse variety of stormwater control measures will be provided; ranging from improving infiltration in mature forests to creating green roofs within cities.

While much attention is often placed on “built” stormwater measures, such as porous pavement and bioretention, the water quality benefits of “non-structural” measures, such as riparian buffers, restored woodlands and lawn-to-meadow conversion are considerable. The session will discuss the importance of approaching stormwater by first reducing the problem, through the use of landscape-based ecological measures, and the role these measures can provide in “eco-system services”.

Stormwater management is another level of value added to a property being considered for preservation. You will be taught how to evaluate the potential of a property for improvement of its stormwater control via installation of stream buffers, runoff retainment and stormwater infiltration. The ability of a preserved property to be improved from its existing condition can provide positive compensation to the surrounding watershed. Improvement of stream quality may increase your ability to obtain funding to preserve the property and pay for the remedial work.

For those who consult or own lands, methods will be offered on how to revegetate basins, restore natural drainage pathways, swales, stream buffers and rooftops to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. You will be presented with a multitude of infiltration system examples that allow stormwater to enter the aquifer instead of contribute to flooding. Approaches to evaluate soils and improve soils for permeability potential will provide you with tools to rank properties, based upon their ability to improve stormwater infiltration.

Download registration materials at http://conserveland.org/conferences/12/register.