The Minnesota GreenStep Cities Stormwater Assessment, formerly called the Blue Star Assessment, ................
This section includes four sections that focus on ...........
Part A of the assessment includes two sections that address sprawl-limiting strategies and strategies for redevelopment, including Brownfield redevelopment.
Does your community comprehensive plan allow the following sprawl-limiting strategies? (Select all strategies that apply)
Wikipedia defines urban sprawl as "the expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density, monofunctional and usually car-dependent communities". "Low-density" is an arbitrary term typically defined in local ordinances. Housing densities lower than 1 home per acre are often considered to be low density.
Urban sprawl has many negative environmental impacts, including habitat loss and fragmentation, increased water use, and increased energy consumption. The relationship between urban sprawl and stormwater has not been extensively studied. Sprawl may reduce imperviousness on a per acre basis, but increases overall impervious acreage. High density, mixed-use development, allows for more efficient stormwater management than low density development.
Further reading
Does your community have any of the following incentives specifically targeted to ‘brownfield’ development and redevelopment sites? (Select all that apply)
A brownfield is an abandoned site with an industrial or commercial past that has left behind a legacy of contamination. The contamination is due to the release of a hazardous substance onto the land and in certain cases the groundwater. These sites are often seen as undesirable but there are many benefits of redevelopment (EPA). To stimulate development at these sites different incentives have been created to encourage reinvestment in these areas. Along with these incentives there are societal benefits as well which include: increases in local tax base, job growth, utilizes existing infrastructure, takes pressure off undeveloped land and improves the environment (EPA).
Further Reading
In your stormwater ordinance is there a definition of green infrastructure -- better management of stormwater while aiming to achieve other environmental, public health, social, and economic benefits? (Select one)
Green infrastructure is an approach to water management that keeps the water close to where it falls and mimics the natural water cycle. The benefits of green infrastructure make it a practice that can be used in an array of practices including stormwater management.
Further Reading
Does your community have a climate adaptation plan in place to address potential impacts of climate change on community water resource management? (Select one)
Climate adaption is defined as a response to global warming that seeks to reduce the vulnerability of social and biological systems to relatively sudden change and this offset the effects of global warming (Wikipedia). Climate change will affect society in multiple ways including water resources. In order to plan for future changes in water resource availability communities are developing climate adaption plans and looking at water resource management under future circumstances.
Further Reading
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Does your community comprehensive plan include an inventory of high quality natural resource areas and are land-use decisions guided by the inventory in order to protect these areas from development?
A Natural Resource Inventory is a statistical inventory of natural resources in a given area that is documented and used to assess the change in natural resources in a given area. The inventories or assessments can range from general to detailed depending on the land area that is being evaluated. They inform governmental units how to plan new buildings in their communities in order to protect those areas that are considered high quality natural resource areas. Examples of these areas are as follows: native ecosystems, habitat for endangered species, sensitive plants and animals, and scenic landscapes (Washington State Department of Natural Resources).
Further Reading
Does your community allow filling for development within the floodplain and if so, are restrictions imposed excluding storage of hazardous materials and requiring compensatory storage for fill? (Select one)
A floodplain is an area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river or stream and when a body of water exceeds capacity the flood plain will flood with the excess water. There are multiple benefits of floodplains from ecosystem services, erosion control and flood services. In some incidences the floodplain will be filled in and precautions are taken to minimize the impact on the floodplain.
Further Reading
Does your community protect high quality or sensitive wetlands through a Resource Management Plan or Wetland Management Plan? (Select one)
Wetlands are areas collecting water some are flooded seasonally and others are flooded year round. There are different types of wetlands emergent marshes, hemi-marsh, sedge meadows, wet prairie, fens, bogs and swamps (*What is a Wetland). A Resource Management Plan or Wetland Management Plan is a plan created to document the protection status of wetlands in accordance with state standards.
Further Reading
Do your buffer standards include any floodplain, steep slope, vegetation or resource quality considerations? (select all that apply)
Does your community have land use protections and/or development restrictions that preserve slopes 18% or greater in a stable, undisturbed vegetated state? (Select one)
Further Reading
Does your community encourage the establishment and sustainability of urban forests through the following strategies: (select all strategies that apply, then check appropriate score box below)
Urban forests are a strategy used in urbanized cities to bring shade, reduce air pollution, filter stormwater and add beauty to public spaces. Urban forests include parks, street trees, landscaped boulevards, gardens, river and coastal promenades, greenways, river corridors, wetlands, nature preserves, and shelter belts of trees according to USDA. In order to take advantage of the benefits urban forests provide they must be maintained and cared for. Maintenance includes insect and disease control, establishment, indigenous diversity, tree protection and replacement ordinance, maintenance standards, street reconstruction, soil compaction and shade tree programs.
Further Reading
This section includes questions about stormwater management funding and incentives.
Does your community have any of the following stable, ongoing, yearly stormwater management funding mechanisms? (Select one)
Stormwater programs need funding to install BMPs when necessary, distribute educational materials and staff time. Communities tend to have a stormwater utility fee charged to a resident's bill each month, yearly or otherwise determined by the City. The monetary amount charged to residents varies from City to City.
Further Reading
Does your community provide incentives (e.g., a variable stormwater utility fee) for retrofitting stormwater best management practices in previously developed sites? (Select one)
Has your community adopted a stable funding mechanism for land acquisition of high quality natural resource and/or riparian buffer areas? (Select one)
This section includes three sections that focus on ...........
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Does your community allow proof-of-parking or shared driveways to minimize impervious surface? (Select one)
Does your community utilize any of the following parking lot area restrictions (Select all that apply)
What is your minimum required office building parking ratio (per 1000 ft2 of gross floor area)? (Select one)
What are your standard parking space dimensions (Select one)
For new residential lots, does your community require or encourage impervious surfaces like roofs and drive ways to drain to vegetated areas? (Select one)
Does your community require or encourage parking area landscaping with vegetated practices (e.g. bioretention, curb-cuts, ribbon curb, tree trenches, or swales) for stormwater volume and/or water quality management? (Select one)
Does your community allow & encourage pervious/permeable surfaces on residential/commercial area sidewalks, and residential/commercial parking lots? (select all that apply)
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For new development, does the permitting agency apply community stormwater management standards to all new impervious surfaces, or is a minimum threshold (de minimis) included? (Select one)
For new development, does the permitting authority apply community stormwater standards requiring rate control based on the difference between a baseline-condition and post-development runoff condition? (Select one)
Does your community require best management practices (BMPs) for all new development that will result in at least 90% reduction in total-suspended-solids (TSS) and/or at least 60% reduction in total phosphorous (TP)? (Select one)
Are post-construction sediment and nutrient loading requirements customized to downstream water resources, such as critical habitat, impaired waters, ORVW? (Select one)
Are there post-construction runoff volume requirements for downstream river erosion protection? (Select one)
(for non-MS4s only) Has your community adopted an erosion and sediment control ordinance that align with MS4 permit requirements? (Select one)
Do your community stormwater management standards specify pretreatment sizing standards for stormwater prior to discharge into all permanent structural best management practices (BMPs)? (Select one)
Do your community stormwater management standards apply to all redevelopment and reconstruction of linear projects? (Select one)
Does your community encourage or require any of the following water conservation strategies: (select all that apply)
Does your community require & enforce maintenance agreements for privately maintained stormwater facilities? (Select one)
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For public, residential access and sub-collector streets (with fewer than 500 average daily trips) what is the minimum roadway pavement width allowed in your community? (Select one)
Does your community encourage curb-cuts, ribbon curb, roundabouts, or right of way swales for infiltration and conveyance of stormwater runoff in lieu of curb-and-gutter along residential roadways? (Select one)
This section includes three sections that focus on ...........
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Does your community participate in stormwater pollution prevention education & outreach programs such as: (select all that apply)
Does your community have residential and business education programs such as: (select all that apply)
Does your community promote and/or provide financial assistance for the implementation of stormwater pollution prevention & treatment practices and projects for residents or local businesses? (Select one)
Which of the following certification and training opportunities does your community make available to municipal staff on a regular basis? (select all that apply)
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(for non-MS4s only) Is your community’s stormwater system mapped? (Select one) Yes (1 pt) No (0 pts) I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) Not applicable in my community (am an MS4) (N/A)
[for non-MS4sonly] Does your community have an inspection & maintenance schedule for stormwater management practices - including catch basin sumps & stormwater ponds? (Select one) Yes (2 pts) No (0 pts) I don’t know / not specified (0 pts) Not applicable in my community (am an MS4) (N/A)
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Which of the following certification and training opportunities does your community make available to municipal staff on a regular basis? (Select one)
Which of the following salt management strategies does your community use? (Select one)
Does your community street sweeping program include the following? (Select one)
Does your community prioritize street sweeping in areas that are directly tributary to lakes, streams, wetlands and Wellhead Protection Areas? (Select one)
Does your community prioritize inspections of permitted businesses storing/using hazardous and/or toxic chemicals that are directly tributary to lakes, streams and wetlands, and to any Wellhead Protection Areas? (Select one)
What type of residential yard waste collection program does your community have? (Select one)
How does your community address native vegetation and turf alternatives on residential and commercial sites? (Select one)