Browsing by Subject "Taking Stock - Responsibility"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Duluth Residential Stormwater Reduction Demonstration Project for Lake Superior Tributaries
    (2011-07-30) Kleist, Chris; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Schomberg, Jesse
    We used paired 2‐block street sections in the Amity Creek watershed (Duluth, MN) to demonstrate the effectiveness of homeowner BMPs to reduce residential stormwater flow to storm sewers in an older neighborhood in a cold climate on clay and bedrock geology. Runoff from each street was measured before and after installation of stormwater BMPs. In addition, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of residents were measured before and after BMP installation. BMPs were installed on properties of willing residents of one street (“treatment”). Most residents (22 of 25 properties) willingly participated. 250 trees and shrubs were planted; 22 rain barrels were installed; 5 rain gardens, 12 rock‐sump storage basins, and 2 swales were constructed; and a stormwater ditch was re‐dug and had 5 ditch checks installed in it. The post‐project survey indicated an increase in understanding by treatment‐street residents of where stormwater flowed to and what it affected, and an increase in willingness to accept at least some responsibility for stormwater runoff. Residents who received BMPs were generally satisfied with them and would recommend them to others. Runoff reduction proved more difficult to quantify due to high and inconsistent runoff variability between the paired streets, very few pre‐BMP installation rain events, and loss of one control street due to re‐paving mid‐project. Capacity of installed BMPs is approximately 2.5% of the measured stormwater runoff. There is about a 20% greater reduction in runoff for the treatment street after BMPs were installed than for the control street for small to moderate storm events; while we would like to attribute this completely to our BMPs, we cannot prove that other factors weren’t also at work. Peak flows also appear to have been reduced for 1 inch and smaller rainstorms, but we were unable to accurately measure this reduction. The results are available on an existing stream education website and are used to educate neighborhood, city of Duluth, and regional residents on stormwater issues, individual responsibility, and BMP options.
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    Hazards of Living on the Edge of Water: The Case of Minnesota Point, Duluth, Minnesota
    (1989) Rasid, Harun; Hufferd, James
    This peer-reviewed article summarizes an opinion survey of property owners on Minnesota Point and their views about the causes of water level fluctuation in Lake Superior. The study found that residents attributed lake level fluctuation on manipulation by the International Joint Commission, rather than other limnological, hydrologic or climate-related factors. Abstract: "Based on a systematic sample among the residents of Minnesota Point, a freshwater spit/baymouth bar on the southwest shore of Lake Superior, this study tests a number of hypotheses related to the perceived causes of lake level fluctuation and shore property hazards. The study found that despite significant differences in property setting and the nature of flood and erosion hazards between the lakeside and bayside of the spit, the majority of the residents perceived that their property hazards were induced by the manipulation of lake levels by the International Joint Commission (IJC). Consequently, one in every two respondents would like to lower the lake level by amounts ranging from 30cm to more than one m. The study points out the physical limitations of controlling water levels and recommends that greater attention should be given to shoreline management, which provide guidelines for protecting existing coastal structures and for developing minimum standards for future encroachment of the remaining unused sections of the shoreline. "The popular misperception of current levels of high water levels in the Great Lakes is an example of misplaced blame for natural phenomena. The regulation of lake levels by the IJC is postulated as the main cause of lake level fluctuation and very little attention is given to more important natural causes. Such an attitude is pervasive among coastal residents on the Great Lakes who tend to absolve themselves of any responsibility for occupying the hazardous edge of water by resorting to this explanation. “To cope with flood and erosion hazards, many property owners have made use of a range of protection measures, but most of them perceived lower lake levels as a higher priority than providing shore protection measures. Consequently, very few respondents would like to bear full responsibility for shore protection measures, despite the fact that they made the choice to live on the hazardous edge of water."
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    The Lakeside Stormwater Reduction Project (LSRP): Evaluating the Impacts of a Paired Watershed Experiment on Local Residents
    (2011) Eckman, Karlyn; Brady, Valerie; Schomberg, Jesse
    Scientists, city utilities staff, and local environmental engineers teamed up with homeowners to determine the best ways to reduce stormwater runoff from the Lakeside residential neighborhood in Duluth. The Lakeside Stormwater Reduction Project (LSRP) used a paired-watershed approach to assess the results of diverse stormwater treatments in the Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth on stormwater runoff into Amity Creek. The project investigated various installations that reduce runoff and can be easily maintained by homeowners. The goal was to identify effective methods to reduce runoff contributing to problems in Amity Creek and the Lester River. To complement extensive biophysical monitoring, a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) study was done in April 2008. The purpose was to obtain baseline human dimensions data; assess residents’ willingness to participate in the project; and to identify possible barriers to adoption. Baseline information and residents’ views about stormwater issues were obtained in April 2008. The first-round KAP data was used to refine project design, and to identify possible barriers to participation. The study was repeated with the same sample in September 2010 to evaluate outcomes and impacts. Comparison of the pre and post KAP data shows a significant increase in respondent knowledge about stormwater, a positive shift in attitudes, and strong evidence of adoption of stormwater practices as a result of project efforts. The project successfully increased awareness among residents about the impacts of stormwater on Amity Creek and the Lester River, and fostered adoption of stormwater management practices by homeowners, even in the control sample.