Salmon Falls Collaborative October 27 Workshop

1. Salmon Falls Collaborative October 27 Workshop Paul Susca, NH DES Andy Tolman, ME CDC

2. Salmon Falls River Watershed Approx. 250 square mile coastal watershed Includes over a dozen towns in ME and NH Surface water and multiple groundwater public water systems within watershed Increasing development pressures and degraded water quality, but little watershed-wide focus to date SFWC Project Area

3. SFWC Project Overview: the Plan • One-day workshop focused on defining watershed-wide approaches and priorities for source water projection • Blueprint for action • Post-workshop priority action implementation • Timeline (18-21 months) • Workshop in Fall 2010 • 9 months lead time for workshop planning • 6-12 months to implement low-cost, high priority actions after workshop

4. Project Partners • Project lead: PREP • Core planning team: MECDC, NHDES, EPA Region 1, City of Somersworth, PREP • SWC • Multiple project partners/supporters • Workshop participants

5. Support We Requested from SWC • Financial Support ($5K): venue, facilitator, post-workshop implementation project • SWC Member Support: encourage local members/affiliates participation • Esp. GSRWA, MRWA, NHWWA • Marketing for Change assistance • Liaison to SWC • Assist project planning team • Post-workshop communication assistance

6. Project Transferability • Watershed-wide approach involving many partners • Local-regional-state partners • Bi-state collaboration • Integrating source water protection with watershed planning and land conservation efforts • New partnership opportunity: 28 coastal watershed programs across the country are part of the USEPA National Estuary Program

7. Workshop Approach • We share • Values • Concerns • Common goals • Current work • Identify actions that we can take • Set short-term priorities • Consider long-term strategies to keep our drinking water safe

9. Values

10. Concerns • What we’ve already lost • Water pollution and dams • The future – what we stand to lose • Conversion of forests to developed land • Spread of “impervious area” • Increased pollution • Increased water treatment costs • Streams drying up?

11. (impairment maps)

15. Indicators of the workshop’s success • 75 participants with diverse • Affiliation • Geography • Expertise

16. Affiliation Federal government State government Municipal/county gov’t. University/college Community/nonprofit group Concerned citizen Business /consultant Elected official Other

17. Field of Expertise Regulatory Planning/Land Use Engineering/Public Works Stewardship Education Science/Water Research Drinking Water Land Conservation Other

18. Indicators of the workshop’s success • 75 participants with diverse • Affiliation • Geography • Expertise • Engaged

20. Primary Role in protecting water

21. Top successful elements of the event • Number, diversity, and appropriateness of participants • Constructive tone; willingness of participants to engage • Christine Feurt’s role in designing the workshop • Local case studies (Acton-Wakefield, Somersworth) and empowering speakers (NEMO) gave the workshop a positive, can-do tone. More time spent on potential solutions than on describing problems. • Use of keypad polling, keeping agenda on track, moving forward, allowing everyone to be heard without bogging down the discussion

28. Preliminary ResultsWorking Across Borders in the Salmon Falls Watershed Raw data from keypad polling October 27, 2010

29. Priorities - Information Inventory Potential Contamination Sources Single ME & NH Report & Maps Water Quality Sampling Historic Sampling LID Model Ordinance Water Audit Economic Analysis List of Contact from Today

30. Priorities – Land Conservation Conservation Planning Focus Areas Municipal Funding for Land Conservation Link to Land Conservation Network Mitigation Ready Projects Fund Land Conservation w/ land use change $ Fund Land Conservation for Drinking Water Protection w/ Impact Fees Resource for Funding Opportunities

31. Conservation Priorities – Runoff PollHow to Fund Land Conservation Conservation Planning Focus Areas Municipal Funding for Land Conservation Link to Land Conservation Network Mitigation Ready Projects Fund Land Conservation w/ land use change $ Fund Land Conservation for Drinking Water Protection w/ Impact Fees Resource for Funding Opportunities

32. Priorities - Planning Drinking Water Source Protection Plans Natural Resource Inventory Water Resource Chapter in Municipal Conservation Plans Identify & Define Erosion Hazard Area Build-out Analysis Gap Analysis of Ordinances Stormwater Utility Feasibility Study

33. Priorities - Regulation Required Conservation Subdivision Shoreland Zoning Conservation Focus Area Overlay District Low Impact Development Ordinance Local Stormwater Management Regulation Local Drinking Water Protection Ordinance ‘High Quality Water’ Designation – CWA

34. Priorities - Education ‘Library’ of Electronic Maps Multi Media Outreach Toolbox Training for Municipal Officials UNH Stormwater Center Tour Road Sand/Salt Training for Municipal Staff LID Demonstration Project Engage Youth & Families Advocacy for BMP/Legis. School Based Programs

35. What Made This Workshop Different • Focused on the resource (watershed) rather than statewide • Intense collaborative effort planning the workshop; no dominant leader • Process employed in workshop • Not primarily data-driven • Designed around social-sciences model of “collaborative learning for ecosystem management” brought to the project by Chris Feurt.

36. Role of Source Water Collaborativein Workshop’s Success • Concept was dormant for years – cross-border barriers to watershed thinking • EoI process was catalyst; to get project off the ground. • Getting the right people on the planning team and participating in the workshop. • SWC covered cost of meeting facility

37. Next Steps • Planning team meets 11/16 • LID education & outreach? • Funding guide? • Road show? • PREP applying for grant from NHDES • Communication plan – maintain momentum • Need to start ASAP – help from Salter>Mitchell?