Foley a model city for low impact developments

By Jessica Vaughn / jessica@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 7/26/17

FOLEY - The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program has teamed with leaders across Alabama to develop a new program that will seek to bring low impact developments to cities and towns throughout the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Subscribe to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Get the gift of local news. All subscriptions 50% off for a limited time!

You can cancel anytime.
 

Please log in to continue

Log in

Foley a model city for low impact developments

Posted

FOLEY - The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program has teamed with leaders across Alabama to develop a new program that will seek to bring low impact developments to cities and towns throughout the state. Along with multiple leaders throughout the state, the Program has created a presentation that will be shown to various city councils during the upcoming months, and Foley was the first city to view the film during the July 17 council meeting.

With the film, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program hopes to spread the importance of low impact developments, as well as describing how they work and what they are. Foley was a huge player in the development of the presentation, which Leslie Gahagan, Foley’s Environmental Manager, believes is an important factor in the city being chosen as a model city.

“Foley is really standing out statewide as a leader in low impact development, even though our ordinance isn’t even there yet,” said Gahagan.

According to the presentation, entitled “Low Impact Development: Stormwater Doesn’t Have to be a Headache,” using low impact development methods is one way to respect the connect. As stated in the film: “Low impact development involves planning and engineering designs that mimic natural processes to manage storm water runoff and protect water bowling.”

Research shows that natural areas produce only 10% of rainwater that converts to runoff into streams and rivers, and much is infiltrated into the ground. With areas with non-porous surfaces, roofs, parking lots, roads and manicured lawns, storm water runoff is increased by up to 500%. This causes increased flooding as well as head cuts and significant stream bank erosion that threatens buildings, roads, and sanitation systems. Because of the suspended sediments, downstream rivers, lakes and bays can become polluted.

By implementing low impact development methods into cities and towns, such as bioretention ponds, constructed storm water wetlands, bioswales, permeable pavement, rain gardens and restored stream reach, developments will be both sufficient players in preventing big problems downstream, as well as being more physically attractive.

Foley’s very own councilman Ralph Hellmich participated in the making of the presentation, in which he had this to say about implementing low impact developments into the community: “From a city perspective, it makes good business sense. We have found over the years that traditional practices cost municipalities more money and they cause problems with flooding.”

Also in the presentation was Mayor Bill Ham, Jr. of Auburn. “The big picture is what happens downstream,” said Ham. “So going forward, particularly in a community that is growing fast and has lots of development, it’s absolutely a necessity. Lots of projects create lots of storm water potential and issues. I think it’s so important for mayors across Alabama and across the country to understand the expenditure of the tax dollars does have incredible payback from the community.”

Neighborhoods that have assigned low impact development practices are more desirable and demand a higher asking price, according to research done for the presentation. Since you can incorporate greenspace and natural looking areas that are popular with the city planning commissions, low impact developments are a natural choice to eliminate runoff and bring beauty to the city. Another factor that has become desirable to cities is the cost savings that are associated with low impact developments. While heavy equipment and maintenance are required to upkeep traditional methods, low impact developments are maintained by landscape crews.

“We just wanted to present this first,” Gahagan said. “Foley’s actually the first city getting to view this, Auburn is going to be showing it soon, as well as cities all up and down the state, because this has been a huge request statewide to come up with ideas. We’re going to be used more as a model to see how it works once the development starts using this.”

“We wanted higher standards, and we’re pushing it through,” Hellmich agreed.

You can visit the ClearWater Solutions website for ways to improve water quality in communities here: ClearWaterSol.com.