Trees and Stormwater Management

This Thursday the El Paso Water Utilities Stormwater Master Plan Community Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting at the Carlos M. Ramirez TecH2O Water Resources Learning Center. Some of us have repeatedly requested that a "tree" person be part of that committee since there are solid reasons for incorporating trees into any stormwater management plan.

Below is my email to members of the City Tree Board and other interested persons regarding the need to advocate for trees with the Public Service Board as it works to formulate a stormwater master plan. This email is an introduction to an email to URS consultant, Karen Stearns in which I direct her to online information about trees and stormwater management.

Since the new stormwater utility is of much interest to Newman Park Neighborhood Association members, I'll try to keep you updated. Hopefully, you can find time to look at some of the information below.

"Trees (and other water smart plants) should be part of any stormwater management plan. In progressive cities across the United States, trees are being utilized along with engineered infrastructures to manage stormwater runoff and erosion.

Unfortunately, as the Public Service Board of the City of El Paso begins to form a master plan for stormwater management, they do not seem to be either aware of or interested in the use of trees and other native vegetation. Recently a Stormwater Master Plan Community Advisory Committee was put together. By resolution, members of the City Council could only choose persons from a list of names given them by the PSB as “qualified nominees”. No arborist, no ecologist, no native plant person nor horticulturist was considered to be a “qualified nominee”. I am also
unaware of anyone on the advisory committee who is LEED certified.

Fortunately, there are several persons on that Advisory Committee who share interest in and a value of open space, conservation and the preservation of native habitats and the promotion and expansion of native plants.

Below is my email to Karen Stearns of the URS Corporation, the consulting firm advising the Public Service Board about stormwater engineering issues. The letter is a re-write of an earlier letter addressed to Mayor Pro-Tem Susie Byrd. In it are links to more information about the use of trees in stormwater management.

It is my hope that each of you will take some time to review the information.

I serve on the Tree Board of the City of El Paso and am a board member of the West
Texas Urban Forestry Council. I care deeply about our beautiful desert, native plants, and the use of trees in any program for stormwater management. It is my hope that the Advisory Committee will hear and understand this information and will incorporate language regarding trees in a final master plan document. To use such language will mean that the value of trees will be recognized from the inception of an ambitious stormwater management plan. It will also be a big step in the direction of smart land management with a focus on protecting our natural environment in El Paso for people and wildlife.

Please take a few minutes more to read the email below and please find some time to visit the indicated sites and glean the information.

Please share this information with others so that more and more people will come to understand and appreciate the use of trees in an effective stormwater management program.

I have also attached information about the upcoming Advisory Committee meetings. These are public meetings and public input is essential.

As more information becomes available on the use of trees in stormwater management, I will forward that information to you, if I may.

Thanks and all my best . . .

Jim H. Tolbert
915-613-4902 Direct Office Number
425-577-9808 Cell Number425-696-0279 Fax
jimhtolbert@elp.rr.com
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From: Jim H. Tolbert [mailto:jimhtolbert@elp.rr.com] Sent: Thursday,
August 14, 2008 11:40 AMTo: Karen Stearns

Hi Karen,

It was a pleasure meeting you the other day at the Open Space meeting. Thank you for your presentation to our City Council as well. I really appreciate how you handle all the various concerns and comments.

The concern many of us have and that I share as a board member of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council is this: trees (as well as other water-smart desert plants)
should be but are not currently being considered when it comes to an overall
stormwater management strategy, master plan, and infrastructure.

The fact is that research data supports the fact that trees are a valuable part of a city’s infrastructure and should be incorporated into storm water management and planning.

There are two excellent online sources that I hope you can find time to view and
read:

The Urban Natural Resources Institute has archived its June 2008 webcast: “Stomwater Management and UrbanWatersheds” (http://www.unri.org/webcasts/archive/june-2008/) Since the archived file can be downloaded in a WMV format, you do not need to use your phone for the audio.

Janis Keating has written an excellent article for The Journal for Surface Water Quality Professionals – Trees: The Oldest New Thing in Stormwater Treatment, available at http://www.stormcon.com/sw_0203_trees.html.

The bottom line: Trees are an effective means to reduce stormwater runoff.

Along with being an efficient method for cleaning up pollutants that are picked-up by running water, trees can be used to intercept rainfall and help decrease the amount of runoff thereby limiting flooding that can damage homes, businesses and city streets and other infrastructure.

Thanks again for all your great work for the City of El Paso.

All the best,

Jim H. Tolbert"