Projects such as Austin’s library are on the forefront of a nationwide push by innovative, growing cities to better use their own urban environment as a source of water. Yet, as forward-thinking cities become increasingly adept at capture and reuse, they also confront a related problem—capturing too much water can deprive rivers and streams of critical flow levels. It’s a classic dilemma of urban management in the climate-change era. Creative efforts to save water in one sector can lead to unintended consequences elsewhere.

In the particular case of reduced river flow, the scale of the potential consequences is staggering. River systems with a healthy flow of water have a portfolio of benefits that touch on nearly every level of human, animal, and plant life.

In a healthy system, seasonal flow patterns help drive the lifecycle of everything from aquatic bacteria to large fish to terrestrial wildlife species that range far from the main river channel. Robust river systems also amplify biodiversity (see the Amazon basin as the ultimate example of this dynamic) and provide much-needed seasonal wetting of soils and floodplain areas that support trees and birds. In addition, flowing water plays a critical role in diluting and assimilating contaminants that would otherwise accumulate and severely harm local ecosystems. At the subterranean level, healthy flows recharge the groundwater systems which enable life further afield. 

Of course, human communities are deeply entangled in all the ecosystems sustained by healthy waterways. We depend on the same groundwater, we harvest countless riparian-dependent animal and plant populations, and we recharge our souls on and around these waterscapes.

Perhaps most critically, all these benefits are spread across, and dependent upon, a healthy, functioning watershed. Like a twist in a water hose, a permanent reduction in flow at any point on a waterway leads to considerable ripple effects on downstream communities.

City water planners are increasingly sensitive to these broader dynamics but have long lacked practical, informed guidance as to how to better incorporate healthy flow targets into established planning processes. Given the lack of guidance and the prospect of pandemic-induced budget constraints, the temptation for planners is to simply emphasize maximizing use of local water sources as the primary “eco-friendly” dimension of new projects. Yet, as we’ve seen, a string of thirsty cities attempting to capture as much water as possible will inevitably degrade the broader watershed.

Fortunately, a new report from the National Wildlife Federation, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, and the Pacific Institute aims to address this growing quandary. The report provides water utilities and decision-makers a planning framework for integrating analysis and support of healthy waterways into city programs and projects. We offer planners both a step-by-step template and a best-practice toolkit—all intended to provide practical, actionable guidance culled from the experience of cities at the forefront of planning for healthy waterways.

Despite their presence in nearly every urban environment on earth, individual waterways are notoriously difficult for planners to define and quantify. Like water itself, waterways constantly shift, slide, merge, and change character. Precisely for this reason, we recommend water utilities seriously engage with a broad spectrum of people who live near and with their rivers—community members who walk alongside, boat, fish, and swim in local waters; advocates who want livable neighborhoods and a reliable water supply; area environmental scientists who have studied local flow levels and the specific ecosystems that depend on them. A sustained public engagement process that captures both lived experience and localized expertise can help produce water plans that better understand and prioritize the healthy flow of water through a community.

Of course, community-driven visioning is just the beginning of planning for healthy waterways. Water utilities also need practical guidance on which specific technologies in their expanding array of options can positively affect local flows while also contributing to bottom-line concerns over water supply and budget constraints.

Stormwater capture technology is one such versatile tool our report highlights for planners. As concrete and asphalt continues to spread across urban landscapes, stormwater that used to seep into local underground flows can’t penetrate the surface and is instead whisked away by artificial drainage channels. All this unabsorbed water causes a main river channel to momentarily surge with flood water in a manner out of sync with historic flood patterns. A creatively designed stormwater capture program can serve multiple beneficial purposes in such a situation. Not only can it help prevent flood surges by capturing elevated run-off, the water it captures can be used to boost local water supply, recharge groundwater, and replenish waterways during increasingly-frequent dry periods.

It is this kind of practical, mutually-beneficial approach our report seeks to emphasize. We want to offer cities a pathway to reconcile their growing ability to capture and reuse water with their continued need to maintain healthy, flowing waterways. Back here in Austin, our not-so-little library is remarkable not only for the circulation of recycled water inside its walls, but for the sparkling, languid gleam of the Colorado River just outside its windows. A vibrant, resilient world needs both kinds of flow.

To learn more about how cities can better plan for healthy waterways, check out the new report from the National Wildlife Federation, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, and the Pacific Institute: Ensuring One Water Delivers for Healthy Waterways: A Framework for Incorporating Healthy Waterways into One Water Plans and Projects

For more on the innovative water capture and re-use system at the Austin Central Library, check out this helpful explainer.

Flash Flood Alley

But our creeks are not always tranquil. Austin sits in what is known as “Flash Flood Alley” and throughout our history the creeks have gone from gentle trickles to rampaging torrents in the blink of an eye. As a result, it seems that for most of our city’s history the creeks were feared by city planners and engineers more than they were cherished, and were treated as little more than ditches or drains to quickly remove water away from people and property.

Many creek beds were stripped of their native vegetation in an effort to speed the flow of water while others were channelized and boxed in by concrete culverts – both adding to the impervious cover that fuels flooding, and dismantling urban wildlife habitat.

Re-imagining the Urban Environment

Today, all of that is changing. Austin and cities across the country have awoken to the treasures flowing through their communities. Some cities have gone big and are removing old concrete infrastructure and restoring wildlife habitats by reintroducing permeable stream beds, planting trees and shrubs and incorporating human-friendly elements like pathways, seating, rain gardens and more. Once again, these places are coming alive with egrets, herons, crayfish and raccoons. 

Here in Austin, similar work is being done along the banks of Waller Creek and Shoal Creek which run through downtown. Elsewhere, the city has established “Grow Zones” along the banks of creeks that enliven neighborhoods by restoring the plant communities along the stream banks. This work provides a host of environmental benefits including:

• Filtering stormwater runoff and removing pollutants before they reach the stream;
• Preventing stream bank erosion;
• “Slowing the flow” and reducing downstream flooding;
• Creating “sponge-like” soil conditions that absorb water and then slowly release it, providing more consistent stream flows between storm events;
• Shading the streams and reducing water temperatures to make them more wildlife friendly;
• Providing habitat for birds and other wildlife within urban areas;
• Reducing the need for city maintenance crews to mow adjacent park land;
• Mitigating the “heat island” effect of the city and reducing our carbon footprint.

The Grow Zone concept came about, in part, because of the enthusiasm of Austin’s citizens, along with help from nonprofit partner Keep Austin Beautiful. Matt Hollon, the Division Manager of the City’s Watershed Planning Department, said that “concerned neighbors were coming out of the woodwork wanting to protect and ‘adopt’ their creeks. We had huge numbers of people volunteering to help plant trees and more.”

The Value of Restoration

Hollon said that for most of the folks who got involved, the motivation was simple: “They wanted to add some beauty to their neighborhoods and provide a place of solace that was close at-hand.”

The process of transitioning these spaces from swaths of non-native turf grass to woodlands took time, but Hollon said that everyone seems to realize the wait was worth it.

“It takes time for nature to restore itself, so it was great that everyone pitched in to help get things moving. This is a very inspiring story,” Hollon said.

Restoring stream banks in urban settings is an idea whose time has come – it’s the kind of green infrastructure that can unite a community, reduce runoff pollution, mitigate flooding, provide wildlife refuge and help preserve our life-giving creeks. Sounds like a stream come true.

Support South Central Region Programs

The stormwater and sewage infrastructure of many communities can’t meet the demand.  When rain or snow is not absorbed into the ground, the water that remains becomes stormwater runoff.  When it rains, this runoff travels over impervious surfaces, like sidewalks, streets, and even lawns, and travels towards water bodies. This stormwater carries pollutants, like motor oil, fertilizers, and pesticides, as well as trash, which all make their way into our streams and harbors. Intense rain storms, which are becoming more frequent, can trigger combined sewer overflows, which occur when stormwater mixes with wastewater and floods basements, city streets, and is even discharged into our streams, rivers, and lakes.

Make Your Yard A Wildlife-Friendly Stormwater Sponge

The way we design and manage our yards can actually help us be part of the solution, and not the problem.  You have the tools to re-imagine your yard to include plants more suited for a changing climate, such as native species that are more drought-tolerant, while also creating suitable habitats for wildlife.  For example, National Wildlife Federation’s Certified Wildlife Habitat ® program for backyards, schoolyards, businesses and public spaces is based on the four essential needs of wildlife: food; water sources; cover; and places to raise young. While the basic requirements are not stringent, many institutions go beyond the minimum standards.  Landowners can design a Certified Wildlife Habitat® in a way that not only provides habitat for wildlife, but also helps reduce the impacts that climate change has on people and wildlife.

Networks of Certified Wildlife Habitats®  can help restore wildlife in cities and suburbs, capture carbon, reduce harmful temperatures, and help manage flooding and drought.

Backyard Practices To Prepare for Climate Change

• Landscape with native plants. Natural landscaping requires less maintenance and water, as well as provides homes for local wildlife.
• Install vegetative buffer zones to prevent runoff from carrying excess nutrients and reduces erosion. Vegetation in urban areas also provides cooling effects.Removing impermeable surfaces, such as pavement or asphalt, allows water to filter into the ground and reduces flooding.
• Install a drip hose to help reduce water waste and even erosion, while also saving you money on your water bills because you will use less water.
• Use a rainbarrel to capture water that can be used for re-used for watering your yard.
• Include a bioswale or raingarden into your backyard to help filter pollutants and reduce runoff by allowing water to slowly infiltrate into the ground.
• Plant and protect trees in your backyard and in your neighborhood will not only help absorb stormwater, but will also provide shade and cooling benefits which is important as temperatures rise.

Become a Wildlife Gardener with National Wildlife Federation. It’s free and you’ll get great wildlife gardening tips and learn how to certify your garden as an official habitat.

The Climate-Smart Communities website has more information about working with nature to prepare for the impacts of climate change, and read more about creating wildlife habitats in cities.

Check out these examples of community programs

The Rainscapes Progam in Montgomery County, MD, offers rebates to residential and commercial properties that implement eligible rainscaping techniques to reduce stormwater pollution. Techniques include rain gardens, planting a tree canopy, using green roofs and rain barrels, and others.

King County, WA, is encouraging citizens to use rain barrels to store water to be used in landscaping and gardening during droughts

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the first priorities for federal, state, and local governments are to prevent additional loss of life, assist those in need with all resources possible, and begin the difficult recovery process.  But once the recovery process begins my family and friends, along with countless others up and down the eastern seaboard, will begin to consider how to repair, rebuild and strengthen their homes and business properties.

As we move towards the repair and recovery phase, NWF has identified a 10 ways to better prepare for extreme hurricanes: five national policy changes that can be made right now to make all us safer, and five activities that must be stopped to avoid and minimize future storm-related catastrophes.  These recommendations all have one thing in common – they promote protection and restoration of natural defenses that are critical for safe, affordable, and sustainable protection from storms and floods.

Five Actions to Protect People, Property and Wildlife from Storm and Flood Damages

1. Promote Climate Readiness. Many federal, state, and municipal agencies have taken steps to develop climate-adaptation plans, which chart a path toward preparing for and coping with extreme weather events and other climate impacts. Most of these plans have yet to be implemented, though, and will require political will and adequate funding to truly create more climate-resilient communities. And Readiness is the key word here—the best time to protect against and plan for natural catastrophe is long before it happens. We can start by implementing the recommendations of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force.
2. Make Flood Insurance Reform Real. Hurricane Sandy destroyed countless properties across the Northeast, including many that belonged to people who had no idea their property was located within a floodplain and therefore did not have flood insurance. Thankfully, the just passed Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act made great strides towards updating how we map flood zones by taking into account increased storm frequency and intensity. By updating our maps and requiring more people to purchase flood insurance we’ll protect more properties, and also send a market signal that there are smarter, safer and better places to develop than in the middle of a floodplain. We can do this if we fully fund and implement the Flood Insurance Reform Act. 
3. Protect Our Natural Defenses. Natural features like wetlands reduce storm intensity and protect nearby properties from flooding. In fact, a single acre of wetland can store 1–1.5 million gallons of flood water. We must capitalize on these benefits and ensure that government helps protect these beneficial and cost-effective flood control features. The Obama Administration took several new steps to meet this goal. It has created new guidance and intends to pursue rulemaking to reinstate crucial Clean Water Act protections for wetlands and streams, and is also poised to release new water resources planning guidelines.
   
4. Encourage Better Stormwater Management. During major rain events, like Hurricane Sandy, stormwater and sewer systems are often inundated.  New storm water rules and guidance allow us to address these serious storm water concerns for communities across the country—especially those with aging infrastructure. We must update stormwater regulations to require that major sewer system upgrades in urban areas account for projected increases in rainfall and provide adequate holding basins to protect towns and communities from flooding, while protecting water quality at the same time.
5. Reduce Carbon Pollution. To avoid increased damage from super storms and other severe weather events, Americans must begin taking steps to reduce carbon pollution. The administration must follow through on its efforts to use the Clean Air Act to limit carbon pollution from power plants and other sources. And it must accelerate development and deployment of innovative clean energy solutions. Until we solve the problem at this level, we’ll be playing catch up after every storm. See my colleague Joe’s Mendelson’s recent piece for more details.

Five Actions that put People, Property and Wildlife at Risk from Storm and Flood Damages

1. Government Subsidization of Development in High Risk Areas. Earlier this year, the Congress passed and the President signed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 which made significant steps towards ensuring that property owners pay actuarial- or market-based rates for flood insurance. This is important as it helps people understand their risk and lessens floodplain development via the free market. But the bill didn’t go far enough. There are still countless properties that receive federal subsidies for flood insurance, including home owners living behind decertified and failing levees. Until we ensure everybody pays according to risk, we should continue to expect dangerous coastal development.
2. Failure to Prioritize & Harmonize Civil Works Projects. While some improvements have been made to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planning process, the Corps continues to plan and operate projects that increase flood risks and destroy natural features that protect communities from flooding. Moving forward, Congress must consider the flooding impacts of all projects regardless of their primary purpose. For instance, we must consider the flooding impacts of navigation projects and have the political courage to veto them if these projects put people and property at risk.
3. Destruction of wetlands and streams.  Actions by the Supreme Court, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency over the last decade undermine the Clean Water Act’s ability to prevent destruction of many wetlands and small streams by developers and others. Similarly, lax enforcement of the Farm Bill’s Swampbuster restrictions has exacerbated wetlands loss.  Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri have each lost 85-90 percent of their wetlands and countless headwater streams. Between 1998 and 2004, coastal watersheds in the eastern United States lost almost 1 percent of their freshwater wetlands. Just a 1–percent loss of a watershed’s wetlands can increase total flood volume by almost 7 percent.
4. Backstop State and Federal Insurance Programs: Subsidized government insurance—like the National Flood Insurance Program of Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp—mask risk and encourage unsafe development. And still legislators across the country continue to call for an expansion of these subsidies by creating federal backstops or bailouts for these poorly run programs. We must not move towards this type of dangerous policy.
5. Build with Concrete instead of Mud and Grass: The WRDA 2007 national water policy proposed to “protect the environment” by “protecting and restoring the functions of natural systems and mitigating any unavoidable damage to natural systems,” and by “seeking to avoid the unwise use of floodplains.” The Corps is ignoring these requirements by continuing to promote environmentally destructive and costly structural projects even where less costly and environmentally protective nonstructural and restoration measures would provide better solutions. We need a major change of course to stop building structures that protect those directly behind them and exacerbate downstream flooding and instead use natural, open floodplains to allow rivers room to expand and cover their banks without impacting property.

How You Can Help

By going to the polls this Tuesday, we can show Big Polluters their money is no match for millions of Americans who have the power to elect leaders that will stand up to protect wildlife and fight climate change. Get ready to vote by locating your polling place today, deciding now what time you will vote and making sure that your friends and family have rides to the polls. Let’s Pack the Polls for Wildlife.

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day…

Look at all the puddles forming, and the water rushing down the street to the storm drain. Hmm, looks silty. And I wonder what types of pollution are in the water that we can’t see?

Stormwater runoff can carry a host of unwelcome and potentially harmful materials into surface waters, such as nutrients from pesticides and fertilizers, hazardous chemicals from household cleaning supplies, and even pet waste. Thus, managing stormwater is important for maintaining our surface water quality.

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water has opened registration for their first annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a competition for college and university students to manage stormwater on their campuses using green infrastructure techniques–vegetation, soil and other natural methods.

What’s involved in the RainWorks Challenge? Well, first you need a team of students, and a faculty advisor. Next, register for the competition before Friday, October 5th. Once the EPA deems your team eligible to compete, it’s time to get designing! You can read the guidelines and requirementson the EPA’s webpage. Good luck!

Stumped on how to get started? Campus Ecology Case Studies to the rescue! Villanova University in Pennsylvania has been home to a stormwater wetlands for almost a decade, involving departments across campus with research and monitoring. An Oberlin College student successfully initiated the building of two rain gardens on campus as well as riparian zone repair.

And if you think you’ve got the endurance to compete for the planet all year, register for Campus Conservation Nationals!

In fact, toxic stormwater runoff is the number one source of pollution to Puget Sound. Compounding the problem, climate change is projected to bring more intense rainstorms and even more floods to the region, increasing the risk to residents.

So how is Seattle handling the problem? Green Infrastructure.

Green infrastructure is a loose term that can refer to wide range of landscape sizes and settings. Essentially, it encourages restoring natural areas to cleanse stormwater, improve water quality, and control floodwaters. In doing this, communities are also creating wildlife habitat and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

For the home gardener, green infrastructure could mean simple things such as planting trees and tree boxes; or getting a little more complex with methods such as:

• Permeable paving
• Roof gardens
• Rain water collection systems
• Rain gardens
• Green walls

In Seattle, green infrastructure is popping up everywhere; in part, because there are many programs to support the local green gardener.

Seattle Public Utilities has created RainWise, a program for managing rainwater at home. The website offers solutions and step-by-step processes for controlling stormwater, links to other local projects, a vendor directory of certified RainWise contractors, and information on receiving rebates if you live in a targeted sewer overflow basin.

Washington State University and Stewardship Partners have teamed up to create the 12,000 Rain Gardens campaign.  The goal of this program is to filter 160 million gallons of polluted runoff by helping install 12,000 rain gardens in Puget Sound by 2016. You can find everything you need on their website — including a rain garden handbook, YouTube videos, and local workshops.

Incorporating these green infrastructure techniques in your garden is a great first step in certifying your yard as a wildlife habitat. As a small incentive, May is Garden for Wildlife Month and as a special offer, when you certify your yard any time this month, NWF will plant a tree on your behalf.

So get out there. You have nothing to lose — beautify your garden, improve the environment, and create habitat for wildlife simultaneously!