Cities must set good example in managing stormwater and protecting streams, says David Cameron

Fayetteville Natural Heritage founding members create new fund to support the organization's effort to protect special natural areas in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view of Margo and Pete Heinzelmann celebrating the creation of a fund to protect natural areas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Pete and Margo Heinzelmann Day, July 30, 2010, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Margo and Pete Heinzelmann create a foundation fund for preserving natural areas in Fayetteville, Arkansas: Mayor Lioneld Jordan proclaims July 30, 2010, Pete and Margo Heinzelmann Day in Fayetteville

Lincoln, Boozman Face New Candidate - Politics News Story - KHBS NW Arkansas

Lincoln, Boozman Face New Candidate - Politics News Story - KHBS NW Arkansas

UA stream study confirms the affect of paving and filling in all the natural places has on the streams that originate in our city: Other students have been studying the Town Branch at 15th Street and another stream in the White River/Beaver Lake watershed as well as a couple in the Illinois River watershed

Stream study reveals  facts that local conservationists have recognized for years. Wonderful that UA is actually studying its  hometown. Far too much research is done far away, even half-way around the world.

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THURSDAY 29 JULY 2010
9:16:12 PM  29°C/85°F

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Study Findings Have Impact Up and Down Stream

Findings have implications for managing streams

Thursday, July 29, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A University of Arkansas researcher and her colleagues examined streams in urban, agricultural and forested settings and determined that the differences they found may affect how cities try to restore urban streams.

Geosciences researcher Stephanie Shepherd, geosciences professors John C. Dixon and Ralph K. Davis, and graduate student Rose Feinstein report their findings in River Research and Applications.

Shepherd’s work examined the shape of headwater streams, as well as the materials found in them, in cities, on farmland and in forested areas in the Illinois River watershed in northwest Arkansas. She found that the material in streams shifted from gravel in the forested streams to a high percentage of bedrock in the urban streams. Scientists know that urban streams run deeper and faster than forested streams, but until now the reasons haven’t been completely clear.

“The research shows one way that change is occurring in these streams,” Shepherd said. “It also suggests that just making an urban stream look like a forested stream will probably fail.”

To arrive at this conclusion, Shepherd looked at floodplains, measured depths and counted pebbles in streams at several sites in each land use category as determined by land use surveys – urban, agricultural and forest. Forested sites had more sinuous streams than the agricultural or urban sites. The forested streams had meander bends with gravel bars, which were absent in the urban and agricultural streams. Urban streams also ran significantly wider and deeper than those found on farmland and in forests.

The biggest difference between streams occurred in the materials found in the different settings. Urban streams had a lot of exposed bedrock, while agricultural streams had less than 1 percent exposed bedrock and forested streams had no exposed bedrock.

The exposed bedrock in urban streams occurs when cities harden the banks of a stream, create drainage channels or pave and reinforce the landscape surrounding it. This decreases new input into the urban stream. It also forces water into the stream that, in a forested setting, would be absorbed into the ground. This forced water produces high-speed flow, which then moves material such as stones and pebbles through quickly, sometimes scouring the bottom of the stream all the way to the bedrock.

 “Streams are not static – materials are moving through them at different velocities all the time,” Shepherd said. “If there are not new gravel inputs in urban streams, we have to think of them as a different system.” Many of the physical characteristics surrounding forested streams, such as large areas of undisturbed soil, cannot be reproduced in an urban setting, she said, so scientists should explore new ways besides simple restoration to mitigate urban streams.

Shepherd and her colleagues work in the department of geosciences in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Keywords: Research & Innovation Science Sustainability & Environment

Contacts:

Stephenie Shephard, researcher, geosciences
J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences
479-575-3355, slsheph@uark.edu

Melissa Blouin, director of science and research communication
University Relations
479-575-3033, blouin@uark.edu

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Friday morning promises to be most interesting part of Green Infrastructure conferance

Please click on schedule to ENLARGE image for easy reading of tomorrow's agenda.

River Alert: Be a voice for rivers

July 29, 2010  View as Webpage | Forward | Subscribe Dear Aubrey, This week the House of Representatives is planning to vote on a critical bill to rein in the oil and gas industries. Please tell your Representativeto vote YES on H.R. 3534, the CLEAR Act. The CLEAR Act will help reverse the disastrous policies that resulted in the Gulf oil spill and other disasters. This bill will not only protect our oceans from future spills, but will protect our rivers, streams, land, and the communities that depend on them. Tell your Representative to protect rivers, water, and the communities that depend on them by voting YES on H.R. 3534! Sincerely, Eileen Fretz Associate Director of Government Relations

To contact American Rivers, email us at outreach@AmericanRivers.org. To update your profile or change your preferences click here.  To unsubscribe click here.  American Rivers ©2010

American basketflower, Centaurea americana, at World Peace Wetland Prairie on July 26, 2010, can thrive in wet, lowland and steep hillsides in Fayetteville, Arkansas

Please click on image to enlarge view of Centaurea Americana on World Peace Wetland Prairie on July 26, 2010.

TODAY: Registration begins at 7:45 a.m. for the Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure conference at The Fayetteville Town Center.

THE Illinois River Watershed Partnership INVITES YOU TO JOIN US FOR THIS IMPORTANT WORKSHOP ON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE ILLINOIS RIVER WATERSHED TMDL.   EARLY REGISTRATION BY JUNE 30, $35.   SPONSORED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS, IRWP, AND BEAVER WATER DISTRICT.  Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure Recent Additions | Contact Us | Print Version  Search NPDES:   EPA Home > OW Home > OWM Home > NPDES Home > Green Infrastructure >2010 Regional Water Quality and Green Infrastructure Conference  Types, Applications, & Design Approaches Case Studies News Green Infrastructure Partnership Regulatory Integration Research Models & Calculators Municipal Handbook Funding Opportunities Links Training & Conferences Contacts Green Infrastructure Home Stormwater Home Nonpoint Source Home Combined Sewer Overflows Home Smart Growth Home GreenScapes Home Brownfields Climate Change Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure Workshop Agenda   |   Registration   |   Location and Parking   |   Contact  Workshop Information Date: July 29 and 30 Location: Fayetteville Town Center, Fayetteville, AR Cost: $35.00 until July 1, and $50.00 after July 1 Agenda Contact Us EPA Region 6, the Northwest Arkansas Stormwater Education Group, the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension, the Illinois River Watershed Partnership, and the Beaver Water District are proud to announce the "Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure" Workshop to be held July 29th & 30th at the Fayetteville Town Center in beautiful downtown Fayetteville, AR. What is Green Infrastructure? Green infrastructure is an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Green Infrastructure management approaches and technologies infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrology. Additional information on EPA's green infrastructure program is available at www.epa.gov/greeninfrastructure. Why attend? Participants will leave the conference with knowledge of tools and practices needed to effectively implement GI and different approaches to linking GI to prevent/mitigate water quality impacts. This meeting will be highly informative and will benefit all participants. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) may be available. Suggested Attendees Anyone interested in improving their quality of life is welcome! Employees, managers and supervisors of organizations interested in learning about new opportunities and initiatives to "green" their communities. This includes, but is not limited to, those who work in: City, County and Regional Governments including: Environmental or Sustainability Departments Energy offices Departments of Public Works, Solid Waste, Parks and Recreation Water Departments Mayor’s Offices and Planning Departments Tribal Governments DOD Base Planning and Military Installation Administrators School Districts College and Universities Places of Worship Engineering and Architectural Firms Landscape Architecture Landscape Design Real Estate Development Construction Vehicle Fleet Maintenance and Operations Energy Service Companies Renewable Energy Technology Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) working with local cities Homeowners’ Associations Top of page Agenda Day 1 7:45 - 8:30 Registration 8:30 - 8:45       Welcome, Introductions, Purpose 8:45 - 9:15       Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure       Overview of stormwater dynamics and defining the concepts of Green Infrastructure/LID       Nelly Smith, EPA Region 6 9:15 - 10:00       Benefits of Green Infrastructure and Retrofit Opportunities       Dan Christian, Tetra Tech 10:00 - 10:15       Break 10:15 - 11:00       Prevention, Listing, and De-listing of 303(d) Impaired Waterways       Jim Wise, ADEQ 11:00 - 12:00       TMDLs - What does it mean for the Illinois River Watershed?       Phillip Massierer, FTN Associates       Claudia Hosch, Associate Director, Water Quality Division, EPA Region 6 12:00 - 1:00       Catered Lunch 1:00 - 1:45       Local Codes and Ordinances       Dan Christian, Tetra Tech 1:45 - 2:30       Construction Site BMPs, Inspections, and Effluent Limitation Guidelines       Jamal Solaimanian, ADEQ 2:30 - 2:45       Break 2:45 - 3:15       MS4 Reporting and Program Audits       Nick Willis, ADEQ 3:15 - 3:45       Managing Nutrient Runoff through Arkansas' Nutrient Regulations       Patrick Fisk, AR Natural Resources Commission 3:45 - 4:30       Fayetteville's 5-Year Nutrient Management Plan       Bob Morgan, Beaver Water District       Sarah, Wrede, City of Fayetteville 4:30 - 6:00       Green Infrastructure Reception - sponsored by the Illinois River Watershed Partnership Top of page Day 2 8:00 - 8:15 Welcome 8:15 - 9:30       Panel Discussion: Building a Case for Green Infrastructure - Clear Creek Stormwater Management and Flooding       Mayor Lioneld Jordan, City of Fayetteville (moderator)       Mayor Doug Sprouse, City of Springdale       Jerry Davison, Clear Creek property owner       Charles Rhodes, Clear Creek property owner       Beth Breed, FTN Associates, Ltd. 9:30 - 9:45       Break 9:45 - 12:00       Incorporating Green Infrastructure in Northwest Arkansas:       Bioretention (bioswales, rain gardens and green roofs)       Kyle Engler, Sam's Club       Brandon Nikolish, Wal-Mart       Eco-Vista Landfill       Kirby Thompson, Waste Management       Green Infrastructure Planning Project       Bob Caulk, Fayetteville Natural Heritage Commission       Bob Morgan, Beaver Water District       Patti Erwin, AR Forestry Commission       Sager Creek Project       David Cameron, City of Siloam Springs Registration To register for the workshop, please download the registration form here (PDF) (1 pp, 92K). Top of page Location and Parking For more information and directions to the Fayetteville Town Center, visit http://www.twncenter.com . A parking deck is available below the building. There are many hotels in area but the closest hotel (a one block walk) is The Cosmopolitan Hotel 70 Northeast Avenue Fayetteville, AR 72701 (479) 442-5555 Top of page Contact Us If you have questions about the workshop or would like more information, please contact: Nelly Smith Environmental Engineer Permits & Technical Assistance Section (6WQ-PP) NPDES Permits & TMDLs Branch Water Quality Protection Division US EPA Region 6 1445 Ross Ave. Dallas TX 75202 Phone: (214) 665-7109 Fax: (214) 665-2191 This workshop is offered to all persons regardless of race, sex, marital status, age, or any other legally protected status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (large print, audiotapes, etc.) should notify the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service office as soon as possible prior to the program at (479) 444-1755. Top of page Hot Topics Green Jobs Training Catalog (PDF) Green Infrastructure Training New Bulletins!  The documents on this site are best viewed with Acrobat 8.0 Office of Water | Office of Wastewater Management | Disclaimer | Search EPA EPA Home | Privacy and Security Notice | Contact Us Last updated on June 14, 2010 1:29 PM URL:http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/greeninfrastructure/giconference.cfm