Environment

The regional nature of environmental projects and programs have shaped the focus of these projects on areas such as watershed planning, water resource protection, water quality management, brownfields redevelopment, transportation impacts and habitat management. Many have used GIS to develop these projects.

The PRIDE (Personal Responsibility In a Desirable Environment) Initiative cleans waterways, eradicates illegal dumps and promotes environmental education in southern and eastern Kentucky. Eastern Kentucky PRIDE, Inc., coordinates the initiative and operates grant programs funded with $66 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The initiative partners local, state and federal agencies with volunteers, students and civic organizations. Area Development Districts’ contributions include administering septic system grants for low-income homeowners. Measurable results include 103,862 volunteers participating in cleanup events and 20,560 homes receiving sanitary sewer service.

Arrowhead Regional Development Commission in Minnesota put together the Citizen Based Data Collection for Vermilion Lake Management project to guide future shoreland development, land use analysis, zoning to protect water quality and preserve lake character. A GIS-based Web site was developed to coordinate shore land section assignments, allowing volunteers to register online for section assignments. The volunteers printed customized base maps, collected data and then returned the maps/data for GIS input. Project funding came from the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources and the county planning department.

Mid-Minnesota Development Commission instituted a Four County Comprehensive Local Water Plan Collaborative (Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker and Renville Counties) to fulfill each county’s eligibility requirements for Natural Resource Block Grant funds from the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources. The four counties’ Mid-Minnesota Joint Powers Board contracted with the Development Commission for a fee to update each county’s water plan, addressing such issues as drainage, shoreland management and groundwater protection. The regional collaboration and the Development Commission’s use of GIS database saved the four counties approximately $120,000.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and North Carolina Department of Administration undertook developing a policy and associated Guidance Manual for Assessing Indirect and Cumulative Impacts of Transportation Projects via a formalized Memorandum of Understanding. The document includes sections on water quality, coastal wetlands and protected species. It provides methods and procedures for assessing potential indirect and cumulative impacts on environmental resources under federal and state mandated regulation. In addition, the partner agencies have developed one- and three-day training seminars.

In partnership with the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the US Army Corps of Engineers – Wilmington District, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is working to deliver needed transportation infrastructure improvements while protecting environmentally sensitive resources through increased avoidance, minimization and an Impacts of Transportation Projects Environmental Permit Process Improvement Initiative. The increased efficiency of the process coupled with the protection of high quality resources will result in transportation projects being implemented sooner that meet the needs of the customers without negatively impacting communities.

Through the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments’ Development of Impervious Surface Coefficients project, the amount of impervious surface associated with different land use categories will be estimated, thus allowing this South Carolina region’s decision-makers to visualize the possible impacts that various developments have on water quality. To accomplish this, impervious surface and land use data will be digitized for GIS usage. The creation of the first impervious surface coefficients will be specifically useful for watershed planning throughout the Southeastern states. Funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant College Program.

The Land-of-Sky Regional Council and numerous partners are implementing a “Regional Brownfields Initiative (RBI).” This long-term economic redevelopment project helps revitalize potentially contaminated or underused properties. Blighted properties are identified, researched, prioritized and adopted into the program for environmental assessment, clean-up and redevelopment. The project received initial funding through EPA Brownfields programs, EDA and Advantage West. Regional partners include local governments, state agencies, banks, developers, commercial realtors, environmental groups, consultants and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).

Developed by Mid-Carolina Council of Governments and the Cape Fear River Assembly, including the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Water Resources, the Cape Fear River Basin Hydrologic Modeling Project’s hydrologic model (1998) of the Cape Fear River Basin is intended to support analysis of potential impacts from inter-basin transfers proposed by the neighboring communities. During 2002, it was also used successfully to analyze the potential impacts of the severe drought on ground water supply.

In central North Carolina, the MidCarolina Council of Governments and Cape Fear River Assembly Partners’ watershed planning, known as the Morgan and Little Creeks Local Watershed Planning Initiative, identifies and evaluates potential opportunities to restore and enhance local stream and wetland functions. The watershed plans are cooperatively developed with representatives of local governments, nonprofit organizations and communities. The plans outline watershed issues, set priorities, develop strategies, secure funding and implement protection and restoration projects. The plan provides a blueprint for locally solving issues like water quality and flooding.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council Triploid Grass Carp Project in South Texas facilitated the introduction of Triploid (Sterile) Grass Carp into the lower Rio Grande River to control the invasive aquatic weeds. Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council provided the coordination of a Bi-National Aquatic Weed Task Force, which developed an “Integrated Pest Management Plan.” The plan implementation is underway and the Carp have been introduced as the primary biological control method. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation awarded the development council $150,000 for the project.

Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission and community partners in rural Virginia formed the Regional Water Resources Policy Committee to cultivate a comprehensive action-oriented plan for Shenandoah Valley watersheds management. In response to the drought, elected region’s officials began working together after a Regional Water Relationships Forum in 1999. Their committee work progressed from simply looking at water supply to the greater issues of water resources protection. Now, the committee has expanded to include jurisdictions upstream in Virginia and downstream in West Virginia.

The Salt Rock Regional Sewer Project in the West Virginia Region II Planning and Development Council’s region is a $28.9 million project, aimed at two goals: 1) Ensure compliance of two local governments with the state Department of Environmental Protection, eliminating any National Pollution Discharge Elimination System violations; and 2) Allow three local governments to expand and upgrade sewer services. This project is the first step in developing a regional sewer project, a planned countywide sewer system and is the first effort of its kind in the state.

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