Blog Archives - Page 3 of 11 - Center for Watershed Protection

Building Tree-Friendly Policies in the City of Charlotte

The City of Charlotte, North Carolina has adopted a “50% in 2050” city-wide tree canopy goal in recognition that trees and other green and open spaces are central elements to connect urban places and create access to the natural environment in Charlotte; and that the urban forest generates resiliency, sustainability, and supports a livable and healthy Charlotte. In 2020, the City’s Department of Planning, Design & Development led a study to better define policies that preserve, restore and enhance tree canopy in the context of the City’s anticipated growth. The City contracted with the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) and [...]

admin2021-03-26T16:06:49-04:00March 25th, 2021|

Stop The Drip! Water Conservation Around The Home

It's our most precious resource, yet millions of us think nothing of wasting water, and throwing money down the drain. Protecting our watershed starts with water conservation around the home- both inside and out. Here are some easy ways to start conserving water around your home -- and cut down on the pollution flowing into our rivers and streams. Low Flow Low flow toilet Photo credit: Flickr Low flow toilets and showers weren't popular with consumers at first, because low flow also meant less water pressure. That meant some unpleasant surprises got left behind and showers took longer. [...]

admin2021-02-26T12:39:12-05:00February 25th, 2021|

2020 Coastal & Island Specialty Conference Highlights

On November 16th and 17th, the Center for Watershed Protection hosted its very first Specialty Conference—an event with technical content, industry sponsors, and themed activities that were specifically designed around a focus area under the watershed and stormwater umbrella. We intend to hold an annual Specialty Conference each Fall to complement the National Watershed & Stormwater Conference we offer each Spring, which provides a forum for sharing all kinds of fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. The 2020 Coastal & Island Specialty Conference was held virtually to keep our attendees, presenters, sponsors, and staff safe in [...]

admin2020-12-02T12:29:58-05:00November 24th, 2020|

Pennsylvania Communities to Gain Stormwater Expert

September 3, 2020 Lancaster, PA – The Center for Watershed Protection, a national leader in stormwater management and watershed planning, has announced a new program director in Pennsylvania to get clean water projects in the ground. The Center has hired Ruth Ayn Hocker, a highly respected stormwater professional engineer with experience in all technical and policy aspects of stormwater management, to lead efforts in Pennsylvania. “Protecting our nation’s water quality and natural resources has never been so important, especially in states like Pennsylvania, which contributes significant nutrient loads to the Chesapeake Bay,” said Hye Yeong Kwon, the Center’s Executive Director. [...]

admin2020-09-15T16:46:38-04:00September 14th, 2020|

An Evaluation of Municipal Policies and their Role in Protecting Forests from Development Impacts

Over the past eight years, the Center has expanded its reach to the Delaware River Basin, which spans four states and includes 42 counties and 838 municipalities. With the support from the Academy of Natural Science at Drexel University’s Delaware Watershed Research Fund, the Center recently finalized a three-year research project in partnership with Rutgers University and the Pinchot Institute for Conservation to analyze the role of municipal land use controls in forest protection. The goal of the research was to identify areas of the Delaware River Basin that would benefit from improved regulatory protection for important forest lands such [...]

admin2020-09-18T09:15:51-04:00July 22nd, 2020|

Making Nature Great Again: Integrating Biodiversity and Nutrient Targets into Watershed Management

In the early history of pollution management, big pipe dischargers, especially sewage treatment plants, were an obvious primary target for control. The strong and settled regulatory foundation under the Clean Water Act and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting program brought measurable progress, but as the millennium approached, much work remained. The Clean Water Action Plan of the Clinton Administration hit center stage in 1998, with a timely if not overdue refocus on nutrients as a significant and growing cause of eutrophication impairments, especially in estuarine watersheds and systems where I have worked for much of my career. [...]

admin2021-12-09T10:17:06-05:00June 22nd, 2020|

North Branch Bennett Creek Stream Restoration Complete

The Center for Watershed Protection is happy to announce the completion of a $1.3 million, three-year project to restore over 2/3 of a mile of stream at the Bar-T Mountainside property in Urbana, Maryland. The Center managed the overall project with design and construction support from Ecotone, and the work was funded by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Frederick County and Baltimore Gas and Electric. The North Branch of Little Bennett Creek flows through the 115-acre Bar-T Mountainside property, owned by Joe Richardson and operated as an outdoors summer camp and afterschool program. This project restored a 1,744-foot segment [...]

admin2020-05-26T14:44:00-04:00May 26th, 2020|

2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights

2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights From April 14th through April 16th, the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. hosted its fifth annual National Watershed & Stormwater Conference virtually. We had originally intended to host this year’s Conference in Austin, Texas; however, in the current situation, the Center made the ambitious and difficult decision to transition the Conference to a virtual format, with each Center staff member pitching in from their homes. Even though we had to transition to a virtual format, we still wanted this year’s conference to highlight the water concerns associated with the Texas region. We were [...]

admin2020-05-13T09:33:38-04:00May 6th, 2020|

A Message from the Center for Watershed Protection Regarding COVID-19

The health and safety of our staff, partners and communities are of utmost concern to us during the COVID-19 crisis. This is new territory for us all, and CWP is closely monitoring the situation and the evaluating the impact that it has for us an organization. To date, we have taken the following steps: Employees are working remotely until further notice Where trips to the office are necessary (for checking signing, etc.) employees are following social distancing and hygiene recommendations We are continuing to monitor the situation to determine the best path for future conferences Please know that we are [...]

admin2021-03-25T11:09:21-04:00March 23rd, 2020|

Ethics and TMDLs: The ugly truth about meeting regulatory requirements

As I reflect on the New Year, I can’t help to recall my first New Year’s as an environmental professional some 40 plus years ago. It is truly amazing how the mind works in that I recall those early days quite vividly and yet struggle to remember the movie that I watched last Saturday. So why choose a subject of “ethics” and why focus on total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) when so many bigger environmental problems exist that involve ethics (e.g., climate change)? First, let’s define “ethics.” According to Merriam-Webster, ethics is “the discipline dealing with what is good and [...]

admin2020-03-20T08:46:14-04:00March 19th, 2020|