An Urban Stormwater Success Story in the Making
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It’s been said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but sometimes that grease can also get the wheel turning faster, as was the case in Omaha, Nebraska. Like many urban areas, the city had experienced adverse impacts from stormwater runoff, including one event when stormwater caused soil erosion that removed soils from a church property and deposited it downstream on another property.
But it took just one property owner to get the wheel turning when he voiced concerns about stormwater runoff on his own property and contacted a local engineering firm for help. The firm worked with the city to evaluate the property’s conditions, which led to a partnership between the firm, the city, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), ultimately resulting in a watershed-wide evaluation and subsequent stormwater management tools. In 2012, the UNL received a $59,876 grant from EPA’s Urban Waters Small Grant program to address Omaha’s stormwater problems by engaging the community and developing new technologies.
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To date, the UNL has developed partnerships with three Omaha neighborhoods, as well as with church congregations, to educate residents about stormwater, green infrastructure options, and behaviors that benefit the watershed, and to also develop three mobile educational applications to reduce stormwater impacts. The UNL will also use feedback surveys to measure the impact of the community education efforts and will track the number of educational materials developed and the number of community workshops, tours, and education programs related to green infrastructure.
To assess stormwater runoff, data from two water quality monitors with water flow meters and automatic samplers will be analyzed and will serve as a baseline to evaluate the effectiveness of future green infrastructures installed. The total number of surfaces contributing to runoff were calculated and used to estimate the total amount of water flowing through the watershed. Future efforts will include selecting the best sites to capture stormwater before entering storm sewers and working with property owners on building green infrastructure.
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The new mobile applications developed under the grant specifically promote community participation in reducing stormwater runoff. The “Green Infrastructure Report” mobile app collects information about the location and number of green infrastructure projects nationwide. These projects are listed on a national map and include green parking lots and roofs, as well as planters and rain gardens, and the app also provides green infrastructure measurements and pictures as well as links to additional information and to social media.
The other two mobile apps are called “My Rain Barrel” and “My Rain Garden” and are designed to collect information and promote public awareness about green infrastructure activities in Omaha. To further promote grassroots participation, in 2013, UNL’s Community and Regional Planning Program created the “Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) Lab, a platform promoting use of the mobile apps and helping to communicate and share best practices for watershed protection. The number of users communicating information via the project’s mobile applications will be measured to determine success.
Through the projects, the UNL has cultivated partnerships with the city of Omaha Stormwater Programand the Clean Solutions for Omaha (CSO) Program, the Nebraska Forest Service, and the University of Nebraska stormwater team. On the academic side, more than 50 UNL undergraduate and graduate students have been involved by assisting with public meetings and developing educational materials for residents. Looking forward, UNL’s educational outreach plans include hands-on green infrastructure workshops and tours of local stormwater management projects.