BREE Municipal Survey Dr. Richard Clark PTAC Meeting Burlington, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

BREE Municipal Survey

• Dr. Richard Clark

PTAC Meeting Burlington, Vermont May 24, 2018

Su Survey Desig ign. . BREE Vermont Municipal Survey on Stormwater Management

WHAT: NSF-EPSCoR Basin Resilience to Extreme Events (BREE) survey on stormwater management (first of two surveys), Online LimeSurvey, 63 questions WHERE: State of Vermont municipalities WHO: All municipal officials in Vermont (including, but not limited to, mayor, town manager, town clerk, select board chair/member, town/city council chair/member, public works director/employee, wastewater treatment director, town planner, town zoning administrator, city/town stormwater manager, town planning commission chair/member, and conservation commission chair) WHEN: Disseminated Summer 2017 via Castleton Polling Institute, Data collection ends by November 2017, Data Analysis Winter 2017-2018

Su Survey Questio ions and In Intended Use se

• Cap

apacit ity & Con

• nnectiv

ivit ity  feeding into the Governance Network Model

• Dec

ecis isio ion-making pr proc

• cesses (who decides within local government)
• Town

n pr prep eparedness (adoption of SMP, ordinances, & flood hazard mitigation plans)

• Ind

Indiv ivid idual l kno nowle ledge/awareness

• Town

n Reso esources

• Funding – sought and received
• Practices in use to address stormwater in town
• Practices that may be adopted
• Ass

ssessment of

• f dr

drain inage infr frastru ructure de designs (aesthetics & maintainability)

• An

n inventory ry of

• f gen

eneral main aintenance pr practic ices – whether performed in- house or contracted out

Final Valid Response

Count Percent Number of total all respondents

240 25% of sample frame

Number of valid respondents

198 21% of sample frame

Number of municipalities covered

136 55% of VT municipalities

Number of counties covered

14 100% of VT counties

Number of municipalities in Champlain basin

74 64%

• f municipalities in the basin

Representativeness of the data, regions

COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES IN COUNTY INDIVIDUAL RESPONDENTS MUNICIPALITIES REPRESENTED IN SURVEY PERCENT REPRESENTED ADDISON 23 24 14 61% BENNINGTON 16 7 7 44% CALEDONIA 17 13 8 47% CHITTENDEN 18 21 11 61% ESSEX 13 3 3 23% FRANKLIN 16 16 10 63% GRAND ISLE 5 3 2 40% LAMOILLE 11 11 6 55% ORANGE 17 12 8 47% ORLEANS 20 16 11 55% RUTLAND 28 20 16 57% WASHINGTON 20 16 13 65% WINDHAM 21 18 12 57% WINDSOR 24 18 15 63% TOTAL 249 198 136 55%

Representativeness of the data, size

MUNICIPALITY SIZE PERCENT OF MUNICIPALITIES IN VERMONT PERCENT REPRESENTED IN SURVEY LESS THAN 2,500 71% 63% 2,500 TO 10,000 26% 34% GREATER THAN 10,000 3% 4%

Representativeness of the data, stormwater characteristics

MUNICIPALITY CHARACTERISTICS PERCENT OF MUNICIPALITIES IN VERMONT PERCENT REPRESENTED IN SURVEY STORMWATER MASTER PLAN 22% 23% BYLAWS/ORDINANCES ADDRESSING STORMWATER 25% 21% MS4 DESIGNATION 5% (12) 7% (9)

Awareness of ANR’s Tactical Basin Planning Process

3% 11% 18%

14% 36% 36% 38% 18% 14% 46% 34% 32%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Town Clerks Elected officials and policy makers Managers & implementors Percent of responses

Not aware at all Not too aware Somewhat aware Very aware

6% 5% 20% 22% 42% 39% 28% 25% 25% 44% 28% 16% 0% 20% 40% 60%

Town Clerks Elected officials and policy makers Managers & implementors

Very familiar Somewhat familiar Not too familiar Not at all familiar

Familiarity with the Clean Water Fund

Respondents’ views of barriers to data and/or data modeling

The Select Board members are volunteers so it is difficult for them to spend more time than they already do to examine data. The Highway crew does not have access to a computer at work. The major challenges are that the technical expertise to generate models and compile data are expensive and require high degree of

• expertise. We often don't have that available

within our city employees. Opportunities to use state and regional planning data and models is very helpful.

***** Verbatim responses

Respondents’ concern about data relevance

The drawback of using models is that they don't fit all circumstances and most of the stormwater issues that affect a small community are site specific. At the State level there are multiple water quality models which all achieve different results and do not overlap. Either make one model to "rule them all", make their outputs overlap, or write up so description of each and make it as easy as possible to stumble through them all.

***** Verbatim responses

With whom does the municipality share information?

22% 22% 29% 34% 44% 47% 59% 75% 80% 82% Local environmental or natural resource conservation groups Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Tactical Basin Planners Other towns Your local conservation district Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Stormwater division Regional Planning Commission Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Vermont League of Cities and Towns

From whom does the municipality receive technical assistance?

9% 12% 15% 22% 24% 29% 61% 79% 84% 86% Other towns Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Local environmental or natural resource conservation groups Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Tactical Basin Planners Your local conservation district Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Stormwater division Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Regional Planning Commission Vermont League of Cities and Towns

With whom does the municipality share human/physical assets?

0% 0% 0% 2% 3% 4% 11% 17% 18% 31% Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Tactical Basin Planners Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) Local environmental or natural resource conservation groups Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Stormwater division Your local conservation district Vermont League of Cities and Towns Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Regional Planning Commission Other towns

From whom does the municipality receive monetary support?

1% 1% 3% 4% 4% 13% 13% 19% 23% 67% Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Tactical Basin Planners Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Your local conservation district Other towns (please specify) Local environmental or natural resource conservation groups Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Ecosystem Restoration Program (ERP) Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation -- Stormwater division Regional Planning Commission Vermont League of Cities and Towns Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)

3% 6% 27% 23% 50% 16% 29% 61% 18% 27% 25% 25% 100% 50% 0% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Lake Champlain Basin Program USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources Other Has not applied for any funding Small (<2,500) Medium (2,500-10,000) Large (>10,000)

Places to which municipalities have applied for funding, by size

42% 25% 15% 11% 10% 10% 9% 6% 4% Federal government State government Farmers or agricultral

• rganizations

Private industrial interests Municipal governments Private commercial interests Other Foresters Residential private citizens

Average perceived fair share or the costs

Respondents’ perceptions of the fair cost share for addressing “impaired waters” in Vermont

3% 5% 6% 7% 7% 10% 12% 12% 13% 13% 16% 16% 17% 17% 18% 19% 20% 47% 53% 99%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Cistern (200+ gal.) Green roof Other Tree pit/cell/box Gravel-bed wetland Pervious/porous pavers (blocks, bricks, designed for… Bioretention with an underdrain connecting to storm sewer Pervious/porous pavement (asphalt, concrete, etc.,… Rain barrel (30-55 gal.) Shallow surface wetland Dry well Gutter/downspout disconnection to vegetated area Infiltration/storage trench Infiltration/storage basin Bioretention without underdrain, or raingarden Dry detention pond/basin (surface, non-infiltration) Wet detention/retention ponds Road drainage with storm sewer/pipes Vegetated or Grass swale Road drainage such as culverts and ditches

Current town practices in effect to address stormwater

4% 5% 9% 13% 9% 14% 12% 12% 9% 10% 8% 19% 16% 23% 27% 14% 23% 33% 46% 83%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Cistern (200+ gal.) Green roof Other Tree pit/cell/box Gravel-bed wetland Pervious/porous pavers (blocks, bricks,… Bioretention with an underdrain connecting to… Pervious/porous pavement (asphalt, concrete,… Rain barrel (30-55 gal.) Shallow surface wetland Dry well Gutter/downspout disconnection to… Infiltration/storage trench Infiltration/storage basin Bioretention without underdrain, or raingarden Dry detention pond/basin (surface, non-… Wet detention/retention ponds Road drainage with storm sewer/pipes Vegetated or Grass swale Road drainage such as culverts and ditches

Practices towns are likely to implement to address stormwater

Concluding thoughts

• Town clerks and small municipalities are less aware of resources

available to address stormwater and water quality issues

• Town clerks are more likely to have been the respondent in the

smallest towns

• Small municipalities lack the resources to apply for funding or to use

data and models

• Towns are addressing stormwater issues in the best ways they know

and are limited in thinking about new ways

• Information is needed to make towns aware of federal and state

resources for addressing stormwater issues

Next steps

• Data feeds models where appropriate
• Holly Greenleaf will produce analysis for drainage infrastructure
• ptions based on both aesthetic preferences and the perception of

maintainability

• Policy brief …
• detailing the overall survey findings
• means for improving connectivity and preparedness at the local level
• ways for addressing stormwater issues at the local level with limited resources