2021 LID Conference Agenda

Joanie Regan, Stormwater Utility Manager (retired), City of Cocoa Beach
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As communities grow and redevelop, our impervious footprint increases, leaving less open “earth” for rain to soak into. Instead of soaking into our shallow groundwater, this rain becomes runoff flowing downstream, causing polluted waterways and flooding.

Conventional stormwater management came about in the early 1980s and typically pipes stormwater to temporary detention in the lowest areas of the site. These detention systems cannot handle heavy or back-to-back rains, become clogged with fine sediments and sometimes grow nuisance vegetation that adds more nitrogen and phosphorus to the stormwater than they remove!

Low impact development/design (LID) and green infrastructure (GI) allow rain to soak into the ground as close to where it falls as possible. This sustainable stormwater design greatly reduces the volume and therefore pollutants that discharge to waterways, and lessens the flood potential to downstream properties in heavy rain events. Recent massive flooding events are both caused by heavier rain events (climate change) and increased upstream impervious surfaces. By spreading the rainfall throughout the property, the rainwater cycle is similar to pre-development with benefits being groundwater recharge, soil nourishment for nitrogen removal, and saltwater intrusion abatement.

LID/GI best management practices (BMPs) include protecting/planting tree canopy, rain gardens, elevated structures (no slabs), pervious pavements and rainwater harvesting/cisterns. Communities in Florida and worldwide are moving to LID and GI to restore waterways, abate repetitive flood losses and prepare for climate change. The IRL is the gateway to space; we should ensure that we’re protecting our precious locale here on Earth!

Jason Evans, PhD, Executive Director, Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, Stetson University
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Many coastal communities are actively looking for opportunities to implement infrastructure projects that reduce flood risk, offer water quality benefits, and beautify the local environment. There is growing evidence that climate change stressors including sea-level rise and an increased frequency of high-intensity precipitation events are already overwhelming historic drainage systems in some coastal areas, thereby creating an apparent — even urgent — demand for infrastructure upgrades that can be more resilient to changing conditions.

While greater utilization of green infrastructure and low-impact development provides one of the clearest and most cost-efficient pathways toward enhanced coastal resilience, there are also a number of institutional barriers to more widespread adoption. However, these barriers are often more a matter of unfamiliarity, inertia, and perception, all of which may be overcome through examples where green infrastructure projects have proven to be successful and cost-effective.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of these examples throughout the coastal southeast that can be showcased and built upon. This talk will focus on a few case studies in coastal Georgia and Florida (including examples within the Indian River Lagoon watershed) where green infrastructure options are being pursued and, in some cases, implemented in support of coastal resilience. The suite of cases provides some key lessons for demystifying the process of green infrastructure project identification, conceptualization, and design, while also highlighting how some common barriers might be turned into opportunities for greater learning and innovation.

Pierce Jones, PhD, Director, Program for Resource Efficient Communities, University of Florida
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University of Florida’s Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC) works with development projects to reduce demand for resources and minimize environmental impacts. In support of these objectives, the Sustainable Floridians Benchmarking and Monitoring Program (SF-BMP) was established for application in large master-planned community developments. It is conceptually based on evaluations that directly compare a development project’s resource efficiency and sustainability metrics against measured local benchmarks. For example, SF-BMP may call for daily household water use to be 30% lower on average than in similar but conventionally built local communities. Metered water data comparisons can readily determine if a project is meeting its water use goals. In addition to water supply, other key sustainability evaluation elements include water quality and biodiversity. These interrelated sustainability elements are all closely tied to soils management and landscaping practices.

The presentation will report on two projects. First, Sunbridge, a 24,000-acre Osceola County project where SF-BMP is working with the development team on landscaping standards. The collaboration is initially focused on an extensive experimental boundary planting at the project’s entrance. It will test native plant materials in soils amended with high-quality compost that are irrigated for establishment only. Second, Sustanee, a 2,000-acre project in Orange County where SF-BMP is working with the development team on an environmental masterplan that includes an array of marquee sustainability features that include, among others, an ecologically enhanced stormwater basin, irrigation-free roadway landscaping and designated pollinator planting areas.

Participants will gain a better understanding of macro-scale water use in master planned developments and acquire conceptual tools that can be used to reduce water demand and fertilizer use.

Mike Hardin, PhD, PE, CFM, Senior Engineer, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.
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The Indian River Lagoon is facing increased water quality issues that have resulted in extensive fish kills, dead manatees, and dead dolphins. Stormwater discharges have been identified as a significant source of nutrients to the lagoon. As such, it is important to provide treatment of stormwater prior to discharge to minimize these impacts. An important tool to help achieve this is the implementation of Low Impact Development (LID) techniques. LID is the practice of mimicking natural, undeveloped conditions to maximize infiltration and treatment of stormwater in the built environment. This presentation will focus on a review of LID techniques to improve stormwater quality. This will include defining LID, discussing where it should be used, reviewing the removal mechanisms that provide a water quality benefit, and some examples of LID practices. This talk is intended to provide a necessary understanding of the principles and practices that make up LID to facilitate an understanding of the remaining presentations that are part of the conference agenda.

Chris Bogdan, Business Development Manager, Ferguson Waterworks
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Green infrastructure has become a buzz word in many cities large and small around the country — looking for opportunities to use rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable surfaces to collect and treat stormwater with the goal of protecting or improving water quality in downstream lakes, streams, and waterbodies. When designing these systems, often times the maintenance practices are not considered. Maintenance is a critical piece of the puzzle and should be considered when implementing low impact development design practices.

This presentation will provide details of Ferguson’s experience designing custom inlet protection for New York City and Philadelphia. In addition to the engineers and planners, the maintenance team had a seat and voice at the table during the design process. Their input provided details that weren’t being considered by the design team.

The presenter will also discuss the importance of using pre-treatment devices to protect green infrastructure assets. Including pre-treatment devices can simplify maintenance and prolong the life of green assets…. not to mention keep them looking beautiful. I will share some solutions that Ferguson suggests when working with designers and planners to implement green infrastructure.

Jeffrey Huber, FAIA, ASLA, NCARB, LEED AP, Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University School of Architecture
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Analyzing two case studies, The Little Rock Creative Corridor and Habitat Trails: Arkansas’ first green neighborhood development. These two projects were completed in Arkansas over the last decade and serve as potential models for Florida pathways to LID implementation within suburban neighborhoods and downtown cores. The Creative Corridor retrofits a four-block segment of an endangered historic downtown Main Street through development catalyzed by the cultural arts rather than Main Street’s traditional retail base. The goal is to structure an identity for the Creative Corridor based on a mixed-use working and living environment anchored by the arts. The challenge involves restructuring a public realm conceived for workday commercial activities to now serve 24/7 urban lifestyles with a high level of livability. The project approach employs integration of LID features as a public art form and stormwater utility. Habitat Trails is a green affordable neighborhood development consisting of 17 Habitat for Humanity single-family and duplex homes. The site is designed as a sponge to work in accord with existing hydrological drainage, catchment, and recharge patterns. Stormwater runoff is retained and treated through a contiguous network of bioswales, infiltration trenches, stormwater gardens, sediment filter strips, and a constructed wet meadow. The integration of a treatment landscape with open space substitutes an ecologically based stormwater management system for the expensive curb-gutter-pipe solution in civil infrastructure.

Kelli Hammer Levy, Director, Pinellas County Public Works
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In 2017, Pinellas County adopted a Stormwater Manual based on recommendations found in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Resource Permit Stormwater Quality Applicant’s Handbook (FDEP, 2010). While not adopted, the Handbook represents years of Florida specific stormwater research and design recommendations that were developed and vetted by a technical advisory committee. Handbook recommendations were modified to address Pinellas County specific issues including impaired waters, Total Maximum Daily Loads and the high degree of development already existing. These modifications will be presented as well as the performance standards and the suite of green infrastructure practices that help both private and public projects improve water quality in Pinellas County. Lastly, as part of an adaptive management strategy, the manual was reviewed by a stakeholder committee and a third-party engineering firm in 2021 to recommend changes primarily for small redevelopment sites where stormwater treatment practices are particularly challenging. Changes that were recommended as part of this review will also be presented as lessons learned.

Evan Shane Williams, PhD, PE, Stormwater Engineer, Environmental Protection Department, Alachua County
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This presentation will cover the goals of the Alachua County Stormwater Treatment Manual and Stormwater Treatment Code. The manual was developed and adopted along with the Stormwater Treatment Code. The water quality issues faced by Alachua County are varied and the manual must cover a range of scenarios from impaired surface waters to groundwater impacts in karst areas. The requirements of the code and the contents of the manual will be discussed. The adoption of the manual and code met with some opposition, particularly towards the requirement to use Low Impact Development stormwater practices in the Sensitive Karst Area. The reasons of the opposition specifically to the LID requirements of our manual and code will be discussed along with general barriers to implementation of LID. Some recent examples of development projects that meet code requirements will be presented along with discussion of how certain barriers to LID influenced the design. Future policy needs to encourage the use of LID will also be covered.

Eban Z. Bean, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida
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Several states and municipalities from around the US and within Florida have developed their own stormwater or LID manuals. These manuals vary widely, ranging in depth and breadth based on the unique context and their intended applications. The objectives of manuals also vary from generalized conceptual guidance to prescriptive detailed design plans. While some are specifically tailored to their local contexts, others are more flexible and include broadly transferable content. Assessing the body of literature that is stormwater manuals can help inform future manual development. UF IFAS faculty and staff conducted an inventory and review of 20+ manuals from across Florida and around the US to highlight the strengths and limitations, with the overarching goal of distilling characteristics of quality manuals. Authors of manuals range from consulting firms to universities, to non-profits, and others. Manuals can range widely in their visualizations, with some being exceptional in the way they communicate complex concepts. The types of GSI included in each manual were inventoried to identify the most common practices. Manuals include a wide range of GSI practices, with some being limited to traditional practices and others incorporating more innovative practices. Some include tools and references for the design and modeling process, while others omit this content. The presentation will summarize how various manuals are organized, their breadth and depth of content, and identify some of the best examples and practices for developing LID stormwater manuals.

Eric H. Livingston, Watershed Manager, Watershed Management Services, LLC
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The presentation will provide an historical review of stormwater impacts and management in Florida. The evolution of stormwater in Florida begins with “ditch and drain it” and gradually evolves to view stormwater as a freshwater asset that needs better management to augment water supply and reduce pollution of our water bodies. We will review the major impacts of urbanization on watersheds as we change the stormwater characteristics and impacts on our citizens, our properties, and our water bodies. These include changes in:

• Watershed hydrology
• Ground water infiltration
• Stream hydrology
• Stream morphology
• Riparian zone habitat
• Surface water quality
• Ground water quality
• Aquatic habitat
• Aquatic ecosystems

We will review the evolution of stormwater management goals and of Florida’s programs to control stormwater. This will include the evolution of Florida’s once model stormwater treatment regulations and how they need updating. The evolution of Best Management Practices (BMPs) used to manage and treat stormwater will be reviewed. This will include an introduction to Low Impact Design principles and BMPs, their use in Florida, and how local governments need to amend their Comprehensive Plans and Land Development Codes to allow and encourage their use.

Cammie Dewey, PE, Environmental Resource Program Manager, St. Johns River Water Management District
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This presentation will provide an update of the progress of the Statewide Stormwater Rule and provide an overview of the technical sections the rule will be addressing, such as treatment requirements and operation and maintenance. This will also touch on the role that LID can provide for project designs.

Donald D. Carpenter, PhD, PE, LEED AP, Vice President, Drummond Carpenter, PLLC
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Coastal communities present unique challenges when it comes to retrofitting waterside public spaces with low impact development (LID) stormwater management techniques. Challenges include variable surface and groundwater levels, space constraints, competing land uses, public perceptions, and impacts of construction on tourism. This presentation will discuss how multiple coastal communities in the Great Lakes retrofit their downtowns, waterfront parks, and marinas with LID to improve water quality and how lessons learned in those communities can be applied to successfully retrofitting Florida communities.

Daniel Parsons, Division Manager & Chris Zambito, Senior Project Manager, Atkins
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The City of Tampa is committed to improving its impaired water body, Tampa Bay, just as the Space Coast is committed to restoring the Indian River Lagoon. The Upper Peninsula Watershed Drainage Improvements design-build project illustrates how the City of Tampa used Green Infrastructure (GI)/Low Impact Development (LID) elements to achieve its primary objective of alleviating neighborhood flooding. But it did so with a commitment to GI that also improves water quality.

As part of this effort, ATKINS completed a cost benefit analysis for multiple green infrastructure applications compared to traditional approaches. This project has also been a springboard for other communities that are just beginning to integrate Green Infrastructure (GI)/Low Impact Development (LID) into their capital projects and CIPs. Come hear about this culture shift. Learn how Atkins is helping communities evaluate traditional vs. GI infrastructure when considering how to design new stormwater management investments. Communities want GI elements in their local codes and manuals. Without these regulatory tools in place, GI is often an afterthought. Scalable tools and design templates, as well as recommendations to improve existing codes that promote GI is what we are talking about!

Chris Bogdan, Business Development Manager, Ferguson Waterworks
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Implementing low impact development (LID) projects comes with its own unique series of challenges like working in tight spaces, dealing with existing utility infrastructure, poor soils /geotechnical challenges, and potential short-term impact on adjacent businesses. Let’s not forget the need for these systems to be both functional and aesthetically pleasing, all while having reasonable maintenance costs. These challenges must be considered when designing and constructing LID projects.

To meet these challenges, we need products that are high performance, space efficient, versatile, cost appropriate, and easy to maintain. The presentation will explore several projects where LID practices were used to meet site specific stormwater challenges. In many instances, the LID options were more cost effective than implementing conventional stormwater management practices.

Tara McCue, AICP, Director of Planning and Community Development, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council
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Learn about the importance of and how some local communities are including mechanisms in comprehensive plans for implementing LID.

Kevin Albrecht, PE, Principal Engineer, Albrecht Engineering Group LLC
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The water supply and stormwater drainage systems in Winter Haven, Florida were designed and built based on criteria appropriate to the time they were created. Back then, the lakes were healthy, ground water supplies were abundant, and water treatment and distribution networks were simply extended to follow growth in the community. Today, however, limits on the availability of new sources of water and impacts to ground and lake water levels and lake water quality required the City to evaluate new approaches to meeting the City’s future water needs.

The greatest opportunity for meeting Winter Haven’s water resource needs is to manage the more than 50 inches of rain (35.2 billion gallons per year or 6.5 million gallons per day) that fall on the community each year as a valuable resource to be preserved and protected. With the Gray to Green Enhanced Stormwater Permit Design Manual, the City is implementing a new stormwater permitting strategy that promotes the use of “green” low impact development (LID) best management practices (BMPs) by requiring developments to match the pre-development total discharge volume in addition to the peak discharge rate.

This presentation outlines the enhanced design approach that helps facilitate design of distributed stormwater management systems using ICPR v4 (a hydrologic and hydraulic [H&H] software); using the Green-Ampt hydrologic method and incorporation of percolation links. The process helps designers to more accurately account for and get credit for infiltration from stormwater systems.

Jeffrey Huber, FAIA, ASLA, NCARB, LEED AP, Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University School of Architecture
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In an inevitable future of sea level rise (SLR), coastal communities will be faced with increased vulnerability to flooding. The infrastructure that is designed to manage flooding will be obsolete within the next few decades as sea levels exceed capacity, and landscapes transition to wetter, hotter and increasingly salty environments. The outcome will place tremendous pressure on infrastructure and urban development based on a paradigm of minimizing flood risk. These challenges will surely require new transitional landscapes coupled with urban development capable of adapting to increased flooding, saltwater intrusion, and the deleterious effects of an increasingly toxic and contaminated urban environment. With no significant ability to implement new infrastructure based on outdated “command and control” paradigms to solve for flooding issues in Florida, the looming permanent flooding caused by rising seas only has three potential responses that can serve as viable strategies; 1) retreat from vulnerable low-lying areas, 2) raise land, or 3) inundate and allow it to flood. These solutions assume the main stressor on current infrastructure — SLR and climate change — will continue. Retreat provides a suitable solution but assumes great loses in wealth and land value through abandonment. Raising land has limitations and assumes extensive reinvestment in urban development and infrastructure that will become vulnerable again over time. Only inundation provides a long-term solution that can be modified under extensive investment for a future built environment designed to flood. More and more, residents and governmental agencies are beginning to see inundation — design to flood — as a viable solution. Salty Urbanism provides a methodology and design framework to address the issues of living on, with and over water by enhancing ecosystem services within urban development through adaptation of LID and green infrastructure technologies.

Kelli McGee, J.D., Executive Director, Riverside Conservancy
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Throughout Florida, local governments and nonprofit organizations have been striving to incorporate Low Impact Development techniques in new and re-development projects to reduce the impacts of built environments and neighborhoods on water quality. This presentation will share how Volusia County’s Green Volusia program set out to engage the development community in its LID public awareness campaign. In 2021, Volusia County and community partners hosted a series of online workshops with developers, policy makers, scientists, engineers, and the public. Thanks to cooperation and participation from many nonprofit organizations, universities, the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District, and Volusia County Association for Responsible Development, a dialogue emerged that addressed how LID principles could create functional and appealing site drainage that treats stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product. By having representatives from the various stakeholders act as moderators for the discussions, the groups dove into topics that ranged from regulatory, financial, and technical barriers to low impact development to the importance of aesthetics and best management practices of green building.

Donald D. Carpenter, PhD, PE, LEED AP, Vice President, Drummond Carpenter, PLLC

Cammie Dewey, PE, Environmental Resource Program Manager, St. Johns River Water Management District

Wyatt Hoover, Mayor, City of Melbourne Beach

Jeffrey Huber, FAIA, ASLA, NCARB, LEED AP, Associate Professor, Florida Atlantic University School of Architecture