2013, 4-State Bi-Annual Watershed Academy
"MS-4 Green Tools for Your Toolbox"
Tuesday, June 11th, Branson, MO Hilton Convention Center
The 2013, 4-State Watershed Academy is a collaborative effort between Ozarks Water Watch, the City of Branson, MO, and the Illinois River Watershed Partnership.
Many cities and communities are addressing urban water quality issues from wastewater treatment overflows to stormwater runoff. This year's conference "MS-4 Green Tools for Your Toolbox" will bring together professionals to share their research, implementation, and education strategies to build and restore cities while protecting our environment. This conference will offer usable information to a wide cross-section of stakeholders from the professional developer or engineer, municipal environmental specialist, water quality professional, elected official and regulator or urban property owner. Each will find a tool for developing sustainable cities and ensuring environmental integrity within urban contexts.
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Conference Schedule
(Click HERE for Speaker Bios) (Click HERE for Printer Friendly Schedule)
| 8:30 am |
Registration (Coffee, tea, fruit juice, sweet breads, fruit) |
| 9:00 am |
Welcome by David Casaletto of Ozarks Water Watch and Mayor of Branson, Raeanne Presley |
| 9:15 am | Ruth Wallace: Municipal Stormwater Program Coordinator Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Water Protection Program |
Carrie Schulte: Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Specialist IV
"Introducing the Missouri Guide to Green Infrastructure: Integrating Water Quality into Municipal Stormwater Management"
Communities seeking to grow green as a way to protect their urban streams and lakes, their economy and the social fabric of their towns can use green infrastructure (vegetation, soils and natural processes) to manage water and create healthier urban environments. In this low impact development approach, the integration of green infrastructure with grey can address numerous stormwater management needs from water quality to flashflood prevention. And, as a tool for tough economic times, green infrastructure can be integrated into landscape features, reduce capital costs and debt service for developers, and reduce operation and maintenance budgets for municipalities. Information will be presented on items in the guide such as green infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development concepts, strategies, site designs, ordinance/code considerations, municipal leadership points, GI technologies, case studies, numerous grow-green benefits and how to get started.
| 10:00 am |
Break (Coffee, tea, soft drinks,) Browse sponsor tables |
| 10:15 am | Eric Dove: PE, LEED AP, CFM, Water Resources Team Leader, Olsson Associates Jane Earnhart: RLA, LEED Green Associate |
“Optimization of Rain garden planting using 50’ tall natives”
The new State of Missouri general permit requires stormwater runoff treatment from our urban areas (MS4 Phase II). Historically, rain gardens have been used as one of the main tools to meet this requirement. EPA has further suggested we should address the increase in runoff volume from urban areas. This presentation will discuss the value of adding trees to the typical rain garden design to not only improve treatment efficiency but also address elusive urban stormwater volume mitigation. This presentation will cover both the stormwater engineering and landscape architecture elements for suitability within the urban environment.
| 11:00 am | Jeffrey Erwin Huber: AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Assistant Director at the University of Arkansas Community Design Center (UACDC), and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture |
“Low Impact Development: A Design Manual for Urban Areas”
Environmental planning typically enjoys success in natural settings, but the real challenge for developing sustainable cities is ensuring ecosystem integrity within urban contexts. Naturally-determined ecosystems have been irrevocably altered by human activity. Indeed, the greatest ongoing problem in planning involves designing within human-dominated ecosystems. 80% of the US population now lives in urban areas. Low Impact Development: A Design Manual for Urban Areas introduces general audiences to designing landscapes for urban stormwater runoff; a primary source of watershed pollution. The goal is to motivate awareness and implementation of LID in a wide cross-section of stakeholders, from property owners to municipal governments that regulate infrastructure development. Though not exhaustive in its coverage of LID techniques this manual does provide a holistic framework in which a novice homeowner and an experienced developer can each find an equally transformative role to enact.
| 11:45 am | Lunch: Assorted Deluxe Sandwiches, Mixed Greens, Potato Salad, Smoked Corn Chowder) |
| 12:30 pm |
Awards & other items |
| 1:00 pm | Jason Hainline: Assoc. AIA, LEED AP+BD&C, Senior Project Manager and Director of Sustainable Design at Dake Wells Architecture |
“Nature as Model for Development”
Jordan Creek runs through the heart of Springfield MO, and the founding of the town itself is credited to John Polk Campbell who chose to homestead along its bank because of the “natural well of wonderful depth” and springs that flowed to the creek. A series of floods in the early 1900’s stimulated the community’s effort to control the creek and its encapsulation in concrete was considered one of the greatest public works accomplishments of the time. But problems like flooding, crime, aging infrastructure, and polluted water have persisted.
We can reengineer the stream, using the genius of nature rather than control over nature, to provide cost effective solutions that become a model in the heart of the City.
| 1:45 pm | Mike Breezhold: Senior Planner and Project Manager at CDM Smith Andy Sauer: P.E., Senior Project Manager, CDM Smith |
“Lessons from Lenexa, Kansas: Green Infrastructure and Emerging Green Solutions Innovations”
Lenexa’s Rain to Recreation program is a progressive and proactive watershed management program that views stormwater as an amenity rather than a liability. The threefold mission of the Program is to reduce flooding, improve water quality while providing for recreation and educations opportunities. Green infrastructure is a primary component of addressing stormwater quality needs of the community. Lenexa’s has over a decade of experience in construction and operation and maintenance of green infrastructure projects both public and private. Lenexa’s successes and lessons learned on design criteria, design review, implementation, and monitoring will be shared by the presenters. This presentation will also share an updated bioretention design criteria that is based on collected performance data from constructed systems and considerations for the water needs of the vegetation over a growing season which will provide more sustainable bioretention design.
| 2:30 pm | Break (Ice Cream Sundae bar, soft drinks, iced tea) Browse sponsor tables |
| 3:00 pm | Mona Menezes: Environmental Specialist, City of Branson |
“Becoming an MS4 City: Branson Embraces the Challenge”
Becoming a target for additional state and federal rules is not something that citizens or municipalities relish. However, when Branson MO crossed the population threshold of 10,000 residents in 2010, the city became subject to regulations requiring an extensive stormwater management plan. City officials, staff and local community leaders stepped up to the challenge and created a plan that will change how our community understands and manages stormwater runoff. By embracing the required (and unfunded) change, Branson continues a strong legacy of water quality protection and education.
| 3:45 pm | Door prizes, wrap up and adjourn |