Making the Connection Between Water and Land Use

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Making the Connection Between Water and Land Use

Smart Growth gets Water-wise

• Judy Corbett, Executive Director
• Local Government Commission

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Why Should City and County Officials Be
Concerned About Water?
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Water and the Local Economy

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New Water Quality Regulations
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Flood Risks
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Where do our precious water resources come
from?
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Healthy Watersheds
A watershed is the area of land that drains into
a river, lake, or estuary and/or flows into the
groundwater basin.
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All land, developed or not, is in a watershed.
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The biggest influence on future water supplies
and quality in California is local land use
planning.Celeste Cantu, Executive Director
California State Water Resources Control Board

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Where and How We Grow are Key
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DONT grow in important natural areas in the
watershed.
When more that 40 of a watershed is covered in
pavement, the costs of making water fit to drink
with a water treatment system increases by a
factor of 5.
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We have been growing to accommodate the car
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U.S. Population Growth and Transportation
1970-1996
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Without realizing the consequences, we have
been covering over watersheds at a rapid rate!
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Development Patterns in the San Francisco Bay
region 1850Green Wetlands Red Urban Area
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Development Patterns in the San Francisco Bay
region 1900Green Wetlands Red Urban Area
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Development Patterns in the San Francisco Bay
region 1950Green Wetlands Red Urban Area
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Development Patterns in the San Francisco Bay
region 1990Green Wetlands Red Urban Area
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According to the US EPA, sprawl is one of the
greatest threats to our water resources.
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We need to grow in ways that pave less land.
To reduce flood risks, ensure clean and reliable
water supplies, and comply with permits and
regulations
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How We Should Grow
Growing in the form of compact walkable
communities takes up less land, reduces the
amount of impervious surfaces.
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Downtown instead of a mall
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Narrow streets instead of wide ones
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Parking structures instead of large surface lots
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Mixed use instead of single use
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Walking transit instead of car
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Sprawling large lot residential versus townhouses
or small lot houses
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How to fix what we have
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How to fix what we have
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How to fix what we have
Photo Simulation by Steve Price, Urban Advantage
(www.urban-advantage.com)
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Getting Water-wiseon a Site Level
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Daylight creeks and restore wetlands
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Direct runoff from pavement and buildings to
permeable surfaces.
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Use Permeable Materials for Paving
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Design parks and recreation areas to hold excess
runoff
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Plant and protect trees - they reduce runoff and
encourage infiltration.
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Getting Water-wisein Homes, Businesses,and
Public Buildings
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Implement water conservation by making efficient
water use a goal in local land use.

• Every time water is wasted, money and a precious
  resource go down the drain.
• California Department of Water Resources

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Credit goes to programs that have encouraged
the use of conservation technologies -such as
low flow toilets- in homes and businesses.
Despite significant population growth,
residential water use for the city of Los Angeles
is the same today as it was 30 years ago.
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Water recycling and reuse are widely utilized as
cost-effective and reliable sources of water for
many appropriate uses.
In California alone, communities are using
recycled water at over 4,800 sites.
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The Ahwahnee Water Principles

• An integrated set of nine community planning
  principles and five implementation measures that
  address water in land use.
• Developed by the Local Government Commission
  with leading experts in water resources, land
  use, and community design.
• Address concerns about storm water runoff, flood
  risks, efficient use, and the reliability of
  local water supplies.
• Cost-saving planning and design guidelines that
  can be implemented by cities and counties to
  protect water resources.

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Fact Sheets

• Five illustrated fact sheets addressing critical
  links between
• local land use and the sustainability of water
  resources.
• They provide solutions to critical water resource
  issues and
• include case studies, policy language, and
  additional
• resources.

1) Land Use and Watersheds 2) Livable Communities
and Water 3) Water Conservation 4) Water
Recycling and Reuse 5) Urban Stormwater Management
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First Stop Shop for Water Resources

• The newest of the Local Government Commissions
• award winning websites.
• Puts the most relevant, up-to-date, and useful
  information
• in one place. The site is easy to navigate so
  you can find
• what you need fast.
• Go to water.lgc.org

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Your community will enjoyA clean and
sustainable water supply Reduced
floodingHealthier watershedsReduced runoff and
water pollutionAnd no penalties from the EPA!
The Ahwahnee Water Principles -Put them in your
General Plan!
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For more information and resources

• Web water.lgc.org
• Phone [phone]
• e-mail center_at_lgc.org