Storm Water Management and the Potomac

Remarks by Glenn Eugster, River Navigator, Potomac American Heritage River at the Meeting on Stormwater Management on Federal Lands in the Anacostia and Rock Creek Watersheds, White House Conference Center, Washington, DC. June 30, 1999

I. AMERICAN HERITAGE RIVERS INITIATIVE

EXECUTIVE ORDER #13061—INTENDED TO SUPPORT

COMMUNITIES IN THEIR EFFORTS TO RESTORE AND PROTECT

AMERICA’S RIVERS WITHIN EXISTING LAWS AND

REGULATIONS, BY PROVIDING THEM WITH BETTER ACCESS

TO INFORMATION, TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND ENCOURAGING

PRIVATE FUNDING OF LOCAL EFFORTS DESERVING SPECIAL

RECOGNITION.

14 RIVERS WERE RECOGNIZED IN JULY 1998. THE POTOMAC

RIVER, INCLUDING ITS ENTIRE WATERSHED, MINUS HARDY

COUNTY, WV. WAS ONE OF THE SELECTIONS.

EACH OF THE RIVERS HAS: 1) A LEAD LOCAL

ORGANIZATION—THE POTOMAC’S IS THE FRIENDS OF THE

POTOMAC—A NON-PROFIT WATERSHED COALITION; 2) A LEAD

FEDERAL AGENCY—THE POTOMAC’S IS THE NATIONAL PARK

SERVICE; 3) A RIVER NAVIGATOR—I AM THE POTOMAC’S.

I WORKED FOR EPA’S OFFICE OF WATER AND AM ON DETAIL

TO NPS AND A 4) A TEAM OF FEDERAL AGENCIES WORKING

TO IMPLEMENT THE EXECUTIVE ORDER;

THE POTOMAC AHR IS GUIDED BY THE PROPOSAL WHICH THE

RECOGNITION WAS BASED ON. THE PURPOSE OF THE

POTOMAC AHR EFFORT IS:

TO SUPPORT LOCAL INITIATIVES THAT FOSTER

APPRECIATION FOR AND THE CONSERVATION OF THE

POTOMAC RIVER BASIN THROUGH IMPROVED COOPERATION

AND CORRIDNATION AMONG FEDERAL AGENCIES AND

PROGRAMS. THE PROPOSAL RECOGNIZES THE NEED TO

SUPPORT THE WORK OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM,

THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED RESTORATION COMMITTEE AND

THE INTERSTATE COMMISSION ON THE POTOMAC RIVER

BASIN AND HAS IDENTIFIED STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AS

A WAY TO DO SO.

WE WERE APPROACHED BY THE CHESAPEAKE BAY PROGRAM

AND REQUESTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FORUM TO LOOK

AT WHAT FEDERAL AGENCIES HAVE DONE TO MANAGE

STORMWATER IN THESE TWO WATERSHEDS IN THE PAST, AS

A WAY TO IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES. THE FORUM IS

ALSO AIMED AT LOOKING AT CURRENT AND FUTURE PLANS

FOR STORMWATER MANAGEMENT.

IN ADDITION, WE AGREED THAT THIS DISCUSSION WOULD

INCLUDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT

ISSUES, PROBLEMS AND IMPEDIMENTS THAT THEY ARE

ENCOUNTERING AS THEY TRY TO IMPROVE THEIR

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS

DISCUSSION CAN ADD VALUE TO THE OTHER DISCUSSIONS

THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERWAY ON THIS SUBJECT AND HOPE

THAT TODAY LEADS TO MORE INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION

AND ASSISTANCE; DISCUSSIONS WITH LOCAL INTERESTS

INCLUDING THE ANACOSTIA WATERSHED COALITION; AND

EXPLORATION OF ALTERNATIVES THAT ALLOW STORMWATER

MANAGEMENT TO BE ACCOMPLISHED SIMULTANESOULSY WITH

OTHER BENEFICIAL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE OBJECTIVES

WITHOUT DESTROYING THE IMPORTANT NATURAL, CULTURAL,

ECONOMIC AND RECREATIONAL RESOURCES OF THESE

WATERSHEDS.

WE ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL TO CEQ, ESPECIALLY TO

ROGER, FRAN AND BRAD, FOR HELPING TO ORGANIZE THIS

MEETING AND FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE USE OF THE

EXPERTISE THAT CEQ HAS FOR LOOKING AT NEW SOLUTIONS

TO THIS LONG-STANDING PROBLEM.

OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO

WORK WITH VARIOUS PCSD SPONSORED EFFORTS RELATED TO

STRATEGIES FOR METROPOLITAN AND RURAL AREAS. THE

WORK EXPOSED ME TO INNOVATIVE APPROACHES BEING USED

IN THE US AND OTHER COUNTRIES SUCH AS:

TORONTO, CANADA, WHERE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

STRATEGIES ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED WITHIN A MULTI-

OBJECTIVE AND WATERSHED CONTEXT. THE TORONTO

WATERFRONT REGENERATION TRUST’S WORK FOCUSES ON

PROTECTIING AND RESTORING NATURAL VALUES AND

FUNCTIONS AS A TYPE OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT

CAN EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS STORMWATER MANAGEMENT NEEDS

WHILE MEETING OTHER IMPORTANT PUBLIC OBJECTIVES.

TIM BEATLEY’S GREEN URBANISM RESEARCH, FOR THE UVA

AND THE LINCOLN LAND INSTITUTE, WHICH DOCUMENTS

SUCCESSFUL APPROACHES BEING USED AROUND THE WORLD

TO MANAGE STORMWATER ON-SITE USING GREEN ROOFS AND

ECOLOGICAL DESIGN TO CAPTURE AND TREAT RUNOFF

BEFORE IT GETS INTO OUR STREAMS AND SEWERS.

ANDY LIPKIS’S WORK IN METRO LOS ANGELES, CA WHICH

USES A COOPERATIVE APPROACH TO DESIGNING AND RE-

DESIGNING URBAN LANDSCAPES AS FUNCITIONING MINI-

WATERSHEDS TO LINK WATER CONSERVATION TO STORMWATER

MANAGEMENT AND REDDUCE WATER USE, CAPTURE RAINFALL

ON SITE, HELP TREAT TOXIC SUBSTANCES AND CREATE

LOCAL JOBS.

THESE AND OTHER APPROACHES, SUCH AS TOM SCHUELER’S

MODEL DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES TO PROTECT STREAMS,

LAKES AND WETLANDS APPEAR TO OFFER SOLUTIONS THAT

GET AT THE PROBLEM OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACES AND TREAT

STORMWATER AS A RESOURCE TO BE MANAGED, RATHER THAN

SOMETHING TO BE GOTTEN RID OF QUICKLY.

AS WE BEGAN THE POTOMAC AHR EFFORT NPS DIRECTOR BOB

STANTON INDICATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT FEDERAL LAND

MANAGING AGENCIES SHOULD LEAD THIS EFFORT BY

EXAMPLE. HE SAID, FEDEERAL LAND MANAGERS SHOULD

EXEMPLIFY WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LAND STEWARD WITHIN

THE POTOMAC BASIN. ON BEHALF OF THE FRIENDS OF THE

POTOMAC AND THE AHR INTIATIVE WE WELCOME THE

OPPORTUNITY TO FIND CONSENSUS-BASED COOPERATIVE

SOLUTIONS TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT WITHIN THIS

PORTION OF THE WATERSHED.

THANKS FOR INVITING US AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR

REPORTS AND IDEAS.