Progress Report

CICEET Progress Report for the period 9/02/07 Through 3/01/08

Project Title: Improving Land Use in the Lake Erie Basin through Better Planning, Improved Regulations, and Stormwater Modeling
Principal Investigator(s): Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells
Project Start Date: September 1, 2007

Project Objectives for This Reporting Period
During this reporting period CRWP started working with Auburn Township on updates to their comprehensive plan and met with 3 member communities on updating their comprehensive plans. CRWP has also assisted 9 communities with updates and adoption of the stormwater management, riparian setback, and conservation development model ordinances. Over the next reporting period CRWP will continue to meet with communities to discuss and incorporate local natural resource data into their comprehensive plans and work with them to do comprehensive plan and code adoption. The Ohio NEMO contract was finalized in November and work began to acquire data for the various modeling programs and develop development scenarios to model that will related to development scenarios seen in CRWP member communities. The modeling team will continue into the next reporting period with data acquisition, and will refine modeling scenarios based on CRWP and member community feedback.
Objectives
Objective 1: Develop methodology for integrating best available natural resource data into local comprehensive plans.
Work with interested member communities to incorporate sophisticated mapping and technically sound natural resource data into local comprehensive planning, document this process, and actively share this with interested watershed planning organizations and communities basinwide. Through this Objective, CRWP will assist members in updating their plans and will document the process to provide a methodology for other interested Lake Erie watersheds to complete similar updates.

Objective 2: Improve land use regulations to minimize the water quality and quantity impacts of development and document the steps necessary to achieve these improvements.
Build on the work accomplished under Objective 1 and work with interested members to adopt and implement model regulations for riparian and wetland setbacks, conservation development, and comprehensive stormwater management for water quality and quantity. Adoption of these regulations provides local governments tools to maintain stream and wetland functions as land is developed, ensures site features and water quality issues are considered early in the development process, and stormwater management practices minimize water quality impacts. These regulations are the most cost effective and far reaching tools available to watershed planning organizations to improve land use because once adopted, they apply uniformly to all lands in a community.

Objective 3: Use computer simulation models to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative and traditional stormwater management strategies at the development site scale.
Ohio NEMO will work with CRWP to identify representative sites, select appropriate models, develop input data sets, execute model simulations, and summarize results. Model selection will be driven by several factors including the physical characteristics of the study site, management scenarios that are to be modeled, and capabilities and limitations of the modeling tool. Ohio NEMO expects to use an urban hydrology model that is capable of simulating the impact of various management strategies, such as gutter disconnection, bioretention, and swales, on water quantity and quality for individual developments. For example, Ohio NEMO expects to use the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) and Source Loading and Management Model (SLAMM). These computer models were developed to model both quantity and quality of stormwater runoff in urban and urbanizing environments.

Objective 4: Examine the viability of using rehabilitation of entrenched streams as an alternative approach to accomplish comprehensive stormwater management objectives.
Ohio NEMO will develop watershed-scale scenarios to evaluate the potential of stream rehabilitation and other stormwater management practices to meet comprehensive stormwater management goals. This approach will incorporate results from Objective 3 and use HEC-GeoRAS (or equivalent) to model impacts at a watershed scale. HEC-GeoRAS will also be used to evaluate the stormwater management benefits of floodplain detention associated with stream rehabilitation.

Objective 5: Work with the OLEC, Ohio NEMO, and Ohio’s Watershed Coordinator Program to disseminate this information throughout the Lake Erie basin.
Through Objective 5, CRWP will coordinate with Ohio NEMO, the other Ohio Lake Erie Commission Balance Growth Project pilot watersheds, and the watershed coordinators in Ohio to disseminate the results and lessons learned from Objectives 1 to 4 this Project.

Tasks to meet objectives
Objective 1:
1. Prepare and distribute memorandum to member trustees, mayors, and county commissioners:

  • In anticipation of the grant award, CRWP prepared the attached memorandum and distributed it in July 2007. See Comp Plan Funding Member Memo.pdf
  • Presented the information in the Memorandum to CRWP members at the September 18, 2007 Board of Trustees meeting. See September 18, 2007 Board Meeting.pdf
  • Discuss individually with Auburn Township and City of Solon.

2. Present community specific data to at least 16 interested member communities. Presentations to:

3. Work with planners, engineers, law directors, and others in at least 4 interested member communities to incorporate CRWP data into existing comprehensive plans: Auburn Township is working to incorporate CRWP data into their existing comprehensive land use plan. In assisting Auburn Township, CRWP is partnering with other technical advisors to the Township including the Geauga County Planning Commission, Soil and Water Conservation District, and Department of Water Resources.

4. Partner with 2 interested members to fund full comprehensive plan updates: Auburn Township is working with CRWP, Geauga County Planning Commission, and Kent State University Urban Design Center (UDC) to update their existing comprehensive land use plan. Funding from CICEET is being used for the Town Center component of the plan that is being completed by UDC. See Memo of Understanding Auburn Township.pdf, and Contract with UDC for Auburn Township Plan.pdf

5. Document this process and prepare methodology: CRWP will document Activities 1 to 4 and prepare a summary for other interested watershed planning organizations at the completion of the project.

Objective 2:
1. Present model regulations to at least 10 member communities:

  • Comprehensive Stormwater Management Model Regulation
    • Lake County Stormwater Department: Worked with Lake County Stormwater Management Department to finalize County Rules and Regulations based on CRWP model. Adopted by County Commissioners on December 20, 2007.
    • City of Aurora: Presented updates for the City’s current stormwater management code to require more detailed comprehensive stormwater plans for construction sites smaller than 1-acre.
    • City of Solon: Presented stormwater model regulation to the City Engineer for internal review in November 2007. Worked with the City to tailor the ordinance to their needs through a series of meetings and ordinance revisions. The ordinance is expected to be adopted by spring 2008.
    • Village of Moreland Hills: Assisted Village Engineer to tailor model regulation for the Village and present it to Council. Model is currently under review by Village Planning Commission and Council
    • Village of Bentleyville: Assisted Village Engineer to tailor model regulation for the Village and present to Council. Model adopted October 2007.
  • Riparian and Wetland Setback Model Regulation
    • Russell Township: Presented the riparian setback model resolution to the Township in October 2007. Worked through the adoption process with the Township through the end of 2007. The resolution was passed by the Township Trustees in January 2008.
    • City of Willoughby Hills: Presented the riparian and wetland model ordinance to the City. Worked with the City Engineer to expand existing Hillside Protection Ordinance to include riparian and wetland provisions and renamed it to Protected Areas Ordinance. The final revised ordinance is pending further Council review.
  • Conservation Development Districts:
    • Village of South Russell: Presented conservation development zoning districts to Village Planning and Zoning Commission. Worked with Commission to understand the unique implications of such a District for the Village and to tailor it to Village policy goals. Model is pending final Commission review before Council consideration.

2. Secure adoption of riparian and wetland setbacks in 2 communities and conservation development in 2 communities: Russell Township Trustees approved the Riparian Setback Resolution on January 23, 2008.

3. Secure adoption of comprehensive stormwater management model regulation in 5 communities:

  • Lake County ­ December 2007
  • Village of Bentleyville ­ December 2007

4. Document the process in each community whereby regulations are adopted and develop methodology:

  • Documenting the adoption process for stormwater management ordinance with the City of Solon.
  • Documenting the adoption process for the Riparian Setback Resolution with Russell Township.

Objective 3:
1. Identify representative development sites. The Modeling Team completed the following:

  • Met with CRWP on August 1, 2007. CRWP presented information on six development projects in the watershed followed by a field tour of several sites and the surrounding watershed.
  • Met with CRWP and representatives from the Cities of Aurora, Mentor, and Solon on November 19, 2007. The Team gave a presentation on the objectives of the modeling exercise, outlined the overall modeling approach, and described the modeling tools to be used. The presentation was followed by a discussion of current development projects and areas projected to be developed or redeveloped in the near future in these three communities.
  • Conducted a GIS analysis using high resolution aerial photography of several land cover types in the city of Solon, such as low density residential and commercial/industrial, to quantify percentages of impervious cover sources including roof tops, streets, driveways, and sidewalks. The analysis was performed to confirm that local classification of land cover types and development densities are consistent with the models scheme.

2. Model selection:

  • The Modeling Team evaluated site-scale hydrology models for their capability to simulate traditional and innovative stormwater best management practices. A suite of models is required to simulate the range of management practices that may be considered under Objective 3. The Team selected the WinSLAMM model as the primary modeling tool because of its capability to simulate the most practices and many development types.
    WinSLAMM can simulate flow through a detention pond, but cannot be used to design detention ponds and size outlet orifices to meet State of Ohio and local detention requirements. The HydroCAD tool is being used to meet these design regulations. Important design characteristics such as detention volumes and orifice sizes and locations are determined using the HydroCAD software and will be used in the WinSLAMM for flow routing.
  • The Modeling Team will also use the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) as needed to simulate flows through storm sewer systems. Some SWMM modeling has been completed by consultants on previous projects in the watershed and may be used for this Objective as well.

3. Data collection and preparation. The Modeling Team completed the following:

  • Met with CRWP and the City of Solon GIS Director and Planning Director on February 8, 2008. Obtained GIS data layers and discussed current development in the City that represent stereotypical zoning regulations.
  • Multiple interactions with CRWP to obtain documents outlining local regulations and other sources of data.
  • Collected WinSLAMM input data at 20 locations in and around the City of Solon covering many development types.
  • Obtained precipitation datasets from the Midwest Regional Climate Center.

4. Develop management scenarios: The Modeling Team discussed management scenarios with CRWP and selected member communities during the August 1st and November 19th meetings. ODNR members of the Modeling Team are well aware of any criteria and practices that may be important to stormwater managers around the State because they provide technical support to the primary regulatory agency, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. Many of the management scenarios selected under Objective 3 will be based on this knowledge.

5. Execute model simulations and summarize results: The Team has modeled 10 combinations of land cover types and management scenarios using WinSLAMM and HydroCAD. Output results are organized in a spreadsheet and described in a modeling log book. A formal summary document has not yet been developed.

Objective 4:
1. Identify representative subwatersheds:

  • The Modeling Team conducted a GIS analysis to characterize watershed and stream attributes of the Chagrin drainage network. Attributes evaluated included the length, slope, and drainage area of each order stream segment; and bifurcation ratios of each order stream to the preceding stream order. The bifurcation ratios is the ratio of the number of 4th order streams to the number of 3rd order streams.
  • The Team used regional curve relationships to describe channel form to create a representative stream network for the watershed. Regional curves are power functions that represent the relationships between channel bankfull width, mean depth, and cross sectional area to the contributing drainage area. These relationships were established during a previous study in Northeast Ohio that included the Chagrin River watershed.

2. Model selection: The Team used the HEC-RAS model to route flows through the stream network. HEC-RAS is the industry standard for this type of work and is freely available. CRWP member communities are generally familiar with the model capabilities. This level of familiarity among local professional advisors is important for building credibility in the results.

3. Data collection and preparation.

  • CRWP provided the Modeling Team with detailed hydrography data layers and digital elevation models (DEM’s) of the watershed from the CRWP GIS database. This data was used to characterize streams/watersheds under Task 1 of this Objective. The ArcHydro model was used to process the hydrography and DEM data layers and extract attribute information.
  • Once the stream and watershed characterization was completed, a spreadsheet was developed to automatically create a HEC-RAS geometry files based on the stream and watershed attributes. The HEC-RAS geometry file is the physical representation of the stream network in the HEC-RAS model. Ten flow files for 10 development scenarios have been created. The flow files, or the outputs from Objective 3, are needed to run the HEC-RAS model.

4. Execute model simulations and summarize results: Ten model simulations have been executed. Approaches to summarize and present the results to CRWP and member communities are being evaluated.

Work on Objective 5 has not yet started. Work on this Objective will begin once CRWP and Ohio NEMO complete Objectives 1 and 4.

Progress on Tasks
Objective 1:
Task 1: Completed.
Task 2: 19% Completed. CRWP will continue to present this information to an additional 13 communities.
Task 3: 10% completed. Natural resource data will be incorporated into Auburn Township’s comprehensive plan. CRWP will work with 3 additional communities to incorporate CRWP data into comprehensive plan.
Task 4: 15% Completed. Auburn comprehensive plan update is underway. One additional community’s comprehensive plan update will be funded through this task.
Task 5: 0% Completed. Documentation is being tracked and methodology will be completed at the close of this Objective.

Objective 2:
Task 1: 80% Completed. CRWP has worked with 8 member communities on updates and adoption of the model regulations.
Task 2: 50% Completed. CRWP assisted Russell Township in the adoption of a township riparian setback resolution.
Task 3: 40% Completed. CRWP secured adoption of stormwater management ordinance in 2 communities.
Task 4: 20% Completed. Documentation is being tracked and methodology will be completed at the close of this Objective.

Objective 3:
Task 1: 50% Completed. Additional development sites will be identified.
Task 2: Completed. Additional models will be considered if current tools are deficient.
Task 3: 50% Completed.
Task 4: 30% Completed. After some results are generated, the Modeling Team will reconvene with selected CRWP member communities to provide an update and further discuss scenarios they would like to see modeled. Additional management scenarios and BMP combinations will be modeled.
Task 5: 25% Completed. Additional simulations will be conducted and summarized in a report.

Objective 4:
Task 1: 100% Completed.
Task 2: 100% Completed. The HEC-RAS model was selected for use.
Task 3: 50% completed. The Modeling Team will model additional development scenarios based on feedback from CRWP and member communities on the initial modeling results.
Task 4: 55% Completed. Several model simulations have been run. The Team will summarize the results once the modeling is completed.

Difficulties
Objective 1:
No difficulties were encountered during this reporting period.

Objective 2:
No difficulties were encountered during this reporting period while working on this objective.

Objective 3:
No difficulties were encountered during this reporting period.

Objective 4:
Ohio NEMO would have liked to present output from an example study to Solon, Aurora, and Mentor. However, no model results were available at the time because watershed data for the models was still in the process of being collected. To address this issue the Modeling Team identified several management issues that CRWP member communities were interested in and will return to present the results of Objectives 3 and 4 to them. The Team anticipates that providing the results to the member communities will improve their understanding of the goals of Objectives 3 and 4 and generate further modeling scenarios to run.

Data Generated to date
Objective 1: The files generated for Objective 1 are included with this report as follows:

No reportable data was generated for Objectives 2, 3, 4, and 5 during this reporting period. The results from Objectives 3 and 4 will be reported and summarized once the modeling is completed.

Project Objectives for Next Reporting Period

Objectives
Objective 1: CRWP will continue to work on Tasks 2, 3, and 4 during the next reporting period. Work for each Task includes:

  • Task 2: Present community specific data to 13 interested member communities.
  • Task 3: Work with staff in at least 1 additional member community to incorporate CRWP data into existing comprehensive plans.
  • Task 4: Partner with 1 additional interested member to fund full comprehensive plan updates.
  • Task 5: Document completed tasks in Objective 1.

Objective 2: CRWP will continue to work with member communities to introduce and work through the regulation adoption process for the model regulations.

  • Task 1: During this reporting period CRWP has presented or worked with 9 communities to adopt or update their codes with CRWP models. CRWP will continue working with member communities on the adoption process.
  • Task 2: Begin work with another community to adopt the riparian or wetlands setback regulation.
  • Task 3: Begin to work with or identify at least 3 member communities to adopt the stormwater management ordinance.
  • Task 4: Continue to document adoption process in member communities.

Objective 3: CRWP will work with Ohio NEMO to complete the Tasks 1-5 in the next reporting period. Work for each task includes:

  • Task 1: Identify additional development sites.
  • Task 3: CRWP will provide necessary data to the Team to complete the modeling exercise.
  • Task 4: Finalize list of management scenarios.
  • Task 5: Complete remaining model simulations and begin summary report.

Objective 4: With Tasks 1 and 2 completed, CRWP and Ohio NEMO will focus on Tasks 3 and 4 during the next reporting period. Work for these Tasks includes:

  • Task 3: The Modeling Team will work with CRWP and member communities to identify land cover types and management practices to be modeled.
  • Task 4: Complete remaining model simulations and begin summary report.

Objective 5: Work on this Objective will begin as Objectives 1 through 4 come to a close and the data is available to present in workshop format.

Work Plan to Meet Objectives
Objective 1: CRWP will continue to contact member communities and meet to review the available local natural resource data and how CRWP can assist them to incorporate the information into their comprehensive plans.

Objective 2: Through Objective 1, CRWP will continue to detail for member communities the benefits of updating codes and offer to assist with updates and the adoption process.

Objectives 3 and 4: CRWP and the Modeling Team will review the modeling results and tailor the next round of model scenarios to ensure that the scenarios represent relevant development types and best management practices in use in CRWP member communities.

Objective 5: Work for this objective will begin when Objectives 1-4 have been completed.

Expenditures
Expenditures for this project are on target for work that has been completed. Subcontract expenditures for the Ohio NEMO contract were low for this reporting period because of delays in contract processing, and CRWP has not yet received an invoice for work in January and February 2008.