Encouraging low-impact-development stormwater-management practices / Assabet River Watershed sub-basin case study
Name
61162721-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
14.95 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f35c5cf9128103597e0d3a923c6c9f2c
Author(s)
Brown, James E. (James Edward), 1969-
Advisor(s)
Peter Shanahan.
Date Issued
2005
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Regulatory codes and ordinances create a framework that guide stormwater management decision processes. These regulations are designed to protect the health and safety of the public and to preserve the natural integrity of the environment. Using a case-study approach in Acton, Massachusetts, a two-part examination is performed. The first is a comprehensive review of Acton's developmental code and ordinances. The second part of the study is a site redevelopment design using LID technologies for site-level stormwater management. To facilitate the regulatory review, a code and ordinance worksheet (COW) developed by The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) was used to evaluate Acton's regulations against the CWP's twenty-two model development principles. Acton's score was then compared to previously completed worksheets from eighteen other eastern seaboard communities. The Discovery Museums, a children's museum in Acton, was chosen for the site redevelopment. The museum expressed a desire to remove an existing parking area and reconfigure another lot to absorb the displaced spaces. The EPA's Low-Impact Development Design Strategies manual was used to guide the museum site planning and design development. The design evaluation included comprehensive hydrologic and water quality analyses to determine pre- and post- development performance. The results of the regulatory review demonstrate that Acton's existing developmental codes and ordinances do not presently encourage LID practices and have only a 62% agreement with the CWP model development principles. The museum site redevelopment design proves that site-level stormwater management technologies can be incorporated into the site landscape and be used to return the site's hydrologic volume, rate, and water quality to a pre-developed condition.
Description
Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2005.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-77).
Subjects
Civil and Environmental Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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