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WATERSHED IMPERVIOUS SURFACE STORM WATER ASSESSMENT Abstract:

The Sustainable Development and Next Generation Buildings class worked with Arlington County Virginia to assess impacts and alternatives for a sensitive storm water project in the county. This was a real world application of the subjects and technologies used in the class room for storm water management and planning. Within Arlington County there is an enhanced awareness of the potential to restore urban watersheds through the application of low impact development (LID) and best management practices (BMP). Some of these options include localized use of small-scale bioretention systems, rain barrels, permeable paving, rainwater collection, and vegetated roofs and incremental impervious cover reduction. To understand the potential for LID and BMP applications current condition and location of impervious surfaces in a watershed is necessary. This study collected imagery and conducted data analysis on the Little Pimmit Run watershed as part of a flood control project. High resolution airborne photography was collected during the spring of 2007. The photographic data was converted to digital imagery, geo-rectified, boundary corrected and translated into polygon data for entry into a Geographic Information System (GIS) data management system. Seven impervious surface land use characteristics were selected for evaluation. They included roofs, alleys, handicap ramps, driveways, paved medians, road ways, sidewalks and parking lots. The total impervious surface area in the watershed was determined to be 36.11% of total area. These findings are being used for exploring LID and BMP options that will have the best potential for application in this watershed.

Key Words: GIS system, map data sharing, GIS analysis tools, impervious surface analysis, and information sharing

Course Description

The course introduces the concepts, applications and tools for analysis and decision making in support of sustainable environmental development and next generation communities and building design. Students are introduced to a variety of challenges related to environmental protection, stewardship and management of air, soil, and water. The underlying principals of ecological protection, stewardship, reduced environmental footprint, ecosystem capital, sustainable economic development and globalization impacts are reviewed. The integration of actions that are ecologically viable, economically feasible and socially desirable to achieve sustainable solutions is evaluated. Within this context sustainable building concepts are explored that are intended to provide though out their lifetime a beneficial impact on their occupants and their surrounding environment. Such buildings are optimally integrated on all parameters-initial affordability, timeliness of completion, net life-cycle cost, durability, functionality for programs and persons, health, safety, accessibility, aesthetic and urban design, maintainability, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The principles of LEED building design and certification are introduced and example projects reviewed. Integrated design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants are assessed in the broad areas of: 1) sustainable site planning, 2)

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Roper, W. (2010, June), Watershed Impervious Surface Storm Water Assessment Paper presented at 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition, Louisville, Kentucky. 10.18260/1-2--16945