Hayle Clark

Environmental Seminars

April 8, 2015

The Jordan Cove Project

Michael Dietz

            Michael Dietz got his Master’s Degree and PhD at the University of Connecticut. Michael Dietz is an Associate Professor in Sustainable Living at Utah State University. He worked as a part of Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) from 2005-2007. He is also part of the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR). He works in the field of human impacts on water resources which led him to the Jordan Cove Project. The Jordan Cove Project implements storm water runoff and low impact designs. The main goal for the Jordan Cove Project is going to reduce 180,000 gallons of storm water runoff into tributaries which will go into the Long Island Sound. Michael Dietz also helps teach local schools and community groups about how to reduce their storm water runoff and then he helps them actually reduce the storm water runoff.

            Michael Dietz worked with the Naugatuck Valley Community College to work on their rain gardens which he helped them complete. The rain garden is 400 square foot meadow. This project will help to produce a biodiversity of the native plants and it will be able to maintain a relatively low care work. Three rivers is the next on the list to have a rain garden installed at their school. The rain garden at three rivers will be a 900 square foot rain garden. The rain gardens have many low impact development techniques for handling storm water runoff and it will prevent nonpoint source pollution. This will help out the environment.

            One of the number one problems with the quality of water is due to nonpoint source pollution. This number is given out by the EPA. Storm water comes in contact with undisturbed lands it levels out after flow increase and then all of it gets back into the system. The storm water usually comes from parking lots, and impervious surfaces which are all considered as run off. This run off will not go back into the system. All of this run off will get collect and then end up in the Long Island Sound. At Three Rivers there are many impervious surfaces. Many of the impervious surfaces are parking lots which can produce many gallons of run off. All of the run off from the parking lots will go into the wetlands and the tributaries. Run off in Connecticut leaves many of the Connecticut water ways unable to contain aquatic wildlife.

            The site planning and design concepts can be used to help preserve the water ways. The more people who understand about the run off and how it effects the water quality can help to control what goes into the water ways. Rain gardens are very helpful to collect some of the run off from storm water. Another form of reducing run off is a vegetated roof cover and permeable paving roof. All of these concepts are beneficial and will work well at any location.