Conference held on storm water management
By Danielle Williamson / Daily News Staff
Friday, January 27, 2006 - Updated: 12:50 AM EST

BLACKSTONE -- A picture of a diaper-wearing spotted dog provided comic relief to an audience of 80 Massachusetts and Rhode Island community leaders who attended a half-day conference yesterday on storm water management.

"That’s my dog. He loves it," joked Richard Claytor, a principal engineer with the consulting firm Horsley Witten Group in Sandwich. Claytor, who has 22 years of experience in several fields including storm water management design, was one of seven presenters in the conference at the library.

The picture of the dog was humorous, but illustrated one of Claytor’s key points: pet waste management is a crucial goal in the management of storm water runoff.

Inspired in part by the heavy rainfall of October, yesterday’s conference was designed to help area town officials and environmental advocates cope with storm water management issues in their Blackstone River Valley communities.

The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, the Horsley Written Group, Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District, MassAudubon, and the Massachusetts Environmental Trust & French Foundation sponsored the free seminar.

Presentations included details of how Worcester and Lincoln, R.I., handled the heavy rainfall in mid-October, strategies to create development that has a low impact on the hydrological system, and examples of design aimed to preserve open space.

It is unlikely the more than 10 inches of rain that fell on New England in October will repeat itself in this lifetime, Claytor said. The rainfall caused massive flooding across the region and strained local services.

Still, Claytor said, towns should approach development keeping in mind that a lot of impervious cover can alter the land’s hydrology, making it more difficult to control flooding.

He said "alternative site designs," which include narrower streets, roadside ditches and drainage channels, are techniques that lower the impact of development.

Still, he added, "It’s really not just about putting in a lot of plants. Considerations also include soils, topography, drainage area, land use and density. All of these practices require maintenance and oversight."

Andrea Cooper, the Smart Growth coordinator for the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and the Office of Coastal Zone Management, spoke about Open Space Residential Design, an approach to residential development that promotes open space preservation based on environmental and social priorities.

In 1950, Cooper noted, approximately 12 people lived on each Massachusetts acre. That number has since decreased to fewer than five people. She said this indicates that more land is being used by fewer people, leading to a loss of community character, a lack of housing, social isolation, and a threat to natural resources and water quality.

"(Local) boards are as much to blame as developers in causing costly delays in what too often results in an uninspired subdivision," Cooper said.

The benefits of open space residential development include reducing infrastructure and maintenance costs, and maintaining local character, she said.

Nathan Kelly, a certified planner with Horsley Witten Group, gave community leaders suggestions on how to put effective storm water control techniques into use, in the form of bylaws and ordinances.

He stressed the importance of planning boards consulting with their respective public works leaders and fire officials to ensure the bylaw they intended to enact was manageable and safe.