Drinking Water Protection Workshop Series For Local Officials

RI HEALTH and RI NEMO are offering the following programs for those who make land-use decisions, including municipal staff and council, board members, and commission members. The workshops focus on managing watersheds and aquifer recharge areas to protect drinking water supplies and other critical water resources. All workshops are free of charge, with support by the RI HEALTH Capacity Development Program.

How Changing Land Use Affects Water Quality

This workshop addresses how changing land use affects water flow and increases pollution risk. It focuses on indicators such as impervious cover, shoreline buffers and nutrient loading, and it provides a brief overview of management practices that can be incorporated into regulations. The workshop can be customized using local source water assessment results.

Length: 20 minutes if scheduled during a regular meeting and focusing on assessment results;
1 ½ hours to more fully address local SWAP (Source Water Assessment Program) recommendations and management practices.

How Local Actions Can Protect Water Quality

Are your land use ordinances protecting future water quality as your community grows? This workshop describes current practices for controlling development impacts and discusses how to incorporate these into local zoning and land development standards. The workshop emphasizes the need for town action beyond state minimum standards, and it offers questions to ask in project review. The workshop can be customized to address topics of local interest. Follow up assistance also may be available to support the adoption of updated water resource protection measures.

Length: 1 ½ hours but flexible depending upon topics selected.

Using Computer Generated Maps in Project Review

You don’t need to be a computer whiz to take advantage of Geographic Information System (GIS) maps in local planning and project review. This workshop describes how to use readily available GIS maps or create your own using internet resources. It provides step-by-step directions so boards or developers can evaluate site suitability and visualize potential impacts in early project review, emphasizing site context. Hands-on practice in using the RIDEM internet map server is available by request, in cooperation with Paul Jordan, RIDEM.

Length: 20-minute introduction to GIS only, or complete 2-hour session about project review.

How Do I Schedule a Drinking Water Workshop or Request Technical Support?

Municipal workshops are scheduled by request, for one or more communities, with the program customized to the community. “Host” communities are expected to help organize the meeting and promote local participation.

To schedule a workshop in your community contact: Lorraine Joubert at 874-2138 or ljoubert@uri.edu.

Technical support to municipalities is available from RI NEMO. Examples of previous technical support offered include: guidance writing ordinances, attending Planning or Zoning Board meetings, and discussing threats to local water resources. Contact Lorraine Joubert for additional information (401-874-2138 or ljoubert@uri.edu).