Guest guest Posted August 28, 2002 Report Share Posted August 28, 2002 American Rivers Natural Resources Defense Council Smart Growth America Paving Our Way to Water Shortages Report: Sprawl Compounds Water Crisis in Drought-Stricken Cities Wednesday, 28 August, 2002 Full report, Q & A, photos, and estimated water losses in 18 cities now available online at www.americanrivers.org (Washington, DC) - Sprawl development is making the nation's drought even more painful by impairing the landscape's ability to recharge aquifers and surface waters, according to a new report released today by American Rivers, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Smart Growth America. Nationwide, paved-over land sends billions of gallons of water into streams and rivers as polluted runoff, rather than into the soil to replenish groundwater. This groundbreaking report, " Paving our Way to Water Shortages: How Sprawl Aggravates Drought, " estimates the extent of this phenomenon in 18 rapidly growing cities. The authors urge communities to adopt " smart growth " policies to reign in sprawl and protect water supplies and watersheds into the future. " Sprawl development is literally sending billions of gallons of badly needed water down the drain each year...the storm drain, " said Betsy Otto, senior director for watershed programs at American Rivers. " Sprawl hasn't caused this year's drought, but sprawl is making water supply problems worse in many cities. " The authors estimate that in Atlanta, the nation's most rapidly sprawling metropolitan area, recent sprawl development sends an additional 57 billion to 133 billion gallons of polluted runoff pour into streams and rivers each year. This water would have otherwise filtered through the soil to recharge aquifers and provide underground flows to rivers, streams and lakes. The report gives the first estimates of groundwater losses due to sprawl development in the 1980s and 1990s. A table of estimates for 18 of the nation's most land-consuming metro areas follows below. The implication of this phenomenon is tremendous - but the actual impacts on the public's water use vary from city to city. On average, 40 percent of Americans get their water directly from underground sources across the country. Groundwater also supplies, on average, 50 percent of the water in the rivers and lakes that serve everyone else. " As over-development washes more rainwater away instead of replenishing the water table, drought conditions get worse, " said Deron Lovaas, deputy director of the smart growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. " Sprawl is hanging us out to dry. Smart growth is a way to ease our water crisis. " Sprawling land development - characterized by strip malls and highway-dependent residential, commercial, and office developments -- is gobbling up the American countryside at an alarming rate. Government figures suggest that 365 acres of forest, farmland, and other open space succumb to sprawl per hour. In most communities the amount of developed land is growing much faster than the population. The authors conclude that the link between sprawl and drought needs to be examined more closely. The report's results suggest that policies to promote " smart growth " and low-impact development techniques are needed to ensure adequate water supplies and to protect aquatic resources into the future. " By investing wisely in places we live, we can both protect our environment and improve our quality of life, " said John Bailey, associate director of Smart Growth America. The three organizations called for more money for scientific study to determine more precisely the extent of sprawl's impact on water resources and watersheds. In addition, the report presents a series of policy recommendations that are consistent with the principles generally known as " Smart Growth. " The authors conclude that strengthening regional cooperation on planning and concentrating development in already urbanized areas can protect water supplies by slowing the development of open space and containing the spread of impervious surfaces. ------- Sprawl's impacts on water resources and watersheds : Atlanta, GA Acres developed between 1982-1997: 609,500 Impervious acres at 15%: 91,425 Impervious acres at 35%: 213,325 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 56.9 to 132.8 Boston-Brocton-Nashua, MA - NH Acres developed between 1982-1997: 433,000 Impervious acres at 15%: 64,950 Impervious acres at 35%: 151,550 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 43.9 to 102.5 Washington, DC Acres developed between 1982-1997: 343,300 Impervious acres at 15%: 51,495 Impervious acres at 35%: 120,155 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 23.8 to 55.6 Dallas, TX Acres developed between 1982-1997: 302,400 Impervious acres at 15%: 45,360 Impervious acres at 35%: 105,840 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 6.2 to 14.4 Houston, TX Acres developed between 1982-1997: 291,400 Impervious acres at 15%: 43,710 Impervious acres at 35%: 101,990 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 12.8 to 29.8 Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Acres developed between 1982-1997: 286,100 Impervious acres at 15%: 42,915 Impervious acres at 35%: 100,135 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 9.0 to 21.1 Chicago, IL Acres developed between 1982-1997: 250,000 Impervious acres at 15%: 37,500 Impervious acres at 35%: 87,500 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 10.2 to 23.7 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC - SC Acres developed between 1982-1997: 246,200 Impervious acres at 15%: 36,930 Impervious acres at 35%: 86,170 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 13.5 to 31.5 Philadelphia, PA-NJ Acres developed between 1982-1997: 238,800 Impervious acres at 15%: 35,820 Impervious acres at 35%: 83,580 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 25.3 to 59.0 Riverside-San Bernardino, CA Acres developed between 1982-1997: 232,500 Model does not apply* Orlando, FL Acres developed between 1982-1997: 222,600 Impervious acres at 15%: 33,390 Impervious acres at 35%: 77,910 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 9.2 to 21.5 Nashville, TN Acres developed between 1982-1997: 216,000 Impervious acres at 15%: 32,400 Impervious acres at 35%: 75,600 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 17.3 to 40.5 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Acres developed between 1982-1997: 207,000 Impervious acres at 15%: 31,050 Impervious acres at 35%: 72,450 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 9.4 to 21.9 Pittsburgh, PA Acres developed between 1982-1997: 201,800 Impervious acres at 15%: 30,270 Impervious acres at 35%: 70,630 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 13.5 to 31.5 Tampa-St. Petersburg- Clearwater, FL Acres developed between 1982-1997: 199,800 Impervious acres at 15%: 29,970 Impervious acres at 35%: 69,930 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 7.3 to 17.0 Detroit, MI Acres developed between 1982-1997: 187,200 Impervious acres at 15%: 28,080 Impervious acres at 35%: 65,520 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 7.8 to 18.2 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Acres developed between 1982-1997: 166,300 Impervious acres at 15%: 24,945 Impervious acres at 35%: 58,205 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 12.7 to 29.5 Greensboro-Winston-Salem-Highpoint, NC Acres developed between 1982-1997: 148,100 Impervious acres at 15%: 22,215 Impervious acres at 35%: 51,835 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 6.7 to 15.7 Phoenix-Mesa, AZ Acres developed between 1982-1997: 145,600 Impervious acres at 15%: 21,840 Impervious acres at 35%: 50,960 Model does not apply* Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Acres developed between 1982-1997: 141,000 Impervious acres at 15%: 21,150 Impervious acres at 35%: 49,350 Annual lost groundwater infiltration (billions of gallons): 10.5 to 24.6 Estimates of groundwater infiltration lost to imperviousness show that billions of gallons of water are no longer recharging aquifers and surface waters. This chart depicts the effect of large amounts of new development and various levels of imperviousness across the Top 20 most land-consuming metro areas. Relative infiltration losses are the result of a combination of factors, including amount of land consumed, average annual precipitation, local climate, topography and other factors according to USGS regional groundwater data. *(Note: The model does not apply to metro areas in arid regions because low rainfall and very high rates of evaporation remove much of the available rainfall before it infiltrates and replenishes groundwater. For a detailed explanation of how the figures in the table were calculated, please see the Appendix to the report.) 1 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in guidance effective June 30, 1999 (OMB Bulletin 99-04). Northeastern County Metropolitan Areas are based on townships and were defined in the same OMB memorandum. 2 Source: United States Natural Resources Inventory, Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 1997 (revised December 2000). Available at: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/NRI/1997/. 3 Gallons of lost infiltration of rainwater, rounded to the nearest 1/10 billion gallons. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the average American uses between 80 to 100 gallons of water every day. Using 100 gallons per day, a billion gallons of water per year would be enough to fulfill the daily usage of approximately 27,397 people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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