Nature's scorecard: how Puget Sound municipalities are incorporating low impact development
Presentation Abstract
A new requirement was included in the 2012 Municipal Stormwater Permit mandating that municipalities make low impact development (LID) the "preferred and commonly used approach to new and re-development." Municipalities were required to undergo a full review and revision of their municipal codes in order to comply with this permit requirement. In a first of its kind study Soundkeeper and Washington Environmental Council (WEC) reviewed all 81 Puget Sound municipalities to determine how each had complied with the process of incorporating LID into their codes. The organizations looked at not only code, but the process that they went through, transparency with the public as well as other documents with LID impacts. Puget Soundkeeper and WEC selected five indicators from the Department of Ecology’s guidebook that we deemed vital for a sustainable future. The report includes an extensive checklist with all 81 Puget Sound municipalities and whether they had met each checklist item. The report outlines this work as well as attempting to discuss LID and the permit requirements in a way that connects both policy makers and community members in order to drive change. The results of our research were telling, while several municipalities went above and beyond permit requirements and emerged as “green star leaders.” Over half of Puget Sound cities and counties covered by the permit did not comply. The report created a stir in the municipal stormwater world with municipalities wanting to improve and coordinate with WEC and Soundkeeper on outreach and other cooperative efforts. By the time the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference comes around we hope to have improvements and success stories to present along with the report.
Session Title
Enforcing Ecological Protections: Challenges and Opportunities
Conference Track
SSE8: Policy, Management, and Regulations
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE8-577
Start Date
6-4-2018 9:00 AM
End Date
6-4-2018 9:15 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Urban runoff--Washington (State)--Puget Sound--Management; Building permits--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; City planning--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Nature's scorecard: how Puget Sound municipalities are incorporating low impact development
A new requirement was included in the 2012 Municipal Stormwater Permit mandating that municipalities make low impact development (LID) the "preferred and commonly used approach to new and re-development." Municipalities were required to undergo a full review and revision of their municipal codes in order to comply with this permit requirement. In a first of its kind study Soundkeeper and Washington Environmental Council (WEC) reviewed all 81 Puget Sound municipalities to determine how each had complied with the process of incorporating LID into their codes. The organizations looked at not only code, but the process that they went through, transparency with the public as well as other documents with LID impacts. Puget Soundkeeper and WEC selected five indicators from the Department of Ecology’s guidebook that we deemed vital for a sustainable future. The report includes an extensive checklist with all 81 Puget Sound municipalities and whether they had met each checklist item. The report outlines this work as well as attempting to discuss LID and the permit requirements in a way that connects both policy makers and community members in order to drive change. The results of our research were telling, while several municipalities went above and beyond permit requirements and emerged as “green star leaders.” Over half of Puget Sound cities and counties covered by the permit did not comply. The report created a stir in the municipal stormwater world with municipalities wanting to improve and coordinate with WEC and Soundkeeper on outreach and other cooperative efforts. By the time the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference comes around we hope to have improvements and success stories to present along with the report.
