Home  Sustainable Land Development Today April 2007
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Improving Water Quality and Combating Soil Erosion with Technology |
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Written by Maury Blackman
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Thursday, 04 January 2007 |
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Michigan’s McComb County uses technology to keep up with population growth and increase permitting needs.
Soil erosion and sedimentation is one of the most serious and pressing land management challenges affecting our water and agricultural supply in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cites soil erosion as the “most environmentally dangerous” by-product of land development. When runoff from soil erosion is released into water stream channels and water supplies, it quickly becomes a “carrier” of sediment and any pollution attached to sediment, causes contamination to the surface water.
Construction projects are one of the biggest contributors to soil erosion simply because it is easier to build on an empty lot. The typical process of preparing a proper building foundation often requires the removal of all vegetation from the land. This process removes valuable topsoil, making the land susceptible to erosion during periods of rain and wind. The resulting runoff from construction activity often finds its way as sediment to streams and rivers, impacting wildlife as well as water resources.
Soil erosion not only impacts water, but also affects agriculture. Erosion threatens the agricultural productivity of crops by undermining soil quality. Environmentally, the deterioration of soil often becomes so severe that land can no longer be cultivated and is ultimately abandoned.
With soil erosion’s damaging effects on both public health and the environment, communities are faced with a great economic burden as they try to balance their growth and renewal. In the United States alone, soil erosion is estimated to have caused about $37.6 billion annually in productivity losses; and internationally, losses are estimated to be $400 billion per year (Journal of the Environment, Development and Sustainability, “Soil Erosion: A Food and Environmental Threat,” 2006).
Responsibility of Local Governments
To protect the water quality in streams, rivers, and lakes, much of today’s soil erosion legislation targets builders and contractors who are responsible for construction. Many states set local mandates requiring all builders, contractors, and residents to apply for soil erosion permits before proceeding with any kind of construction activity.
Legislation and permitting provides local public works agencies with the necessary protective measures to decrease both soil erosion and runoff from construction sites—on paper. However, enforcing such programs remains a major problem for many state and local governments, as they often lack the inspection resources to be effective. Fortunately, new permit management technology exists today to help municipalities supervise land development and protect water and agricultural resources.
Technology as an Enforcement Tool
Michigan enjoys great success in tackling soil erosion issues. The state has not only implemented effective legislation, but relies upon technology to ease the burden of enforcing regulations. This success is especially evident in Macomb County (MI).
Home to four of the eight fastest-growing communities in the metropolitan Detroit area, Macomb County faced a massive housing boom as its population increased by 600,000 residents over the past 50 years. As the administrator of the state soil erosion control program, the county’s Public Works Office is responsible for issuing soil erosion permits for all new construction projects. Their task to enhance water quality by reducing polluted stormwater runoff at construction sites was enormous. Although issuing permits and conducting inspections seemed like a straightforward process, the county’s outdated legacy systems did not provide the flexibility or scalability to meet growing demands.
The county turned to technology to re-design and invigorate the effectiveness of their soil erosion management program. Specifically, the county sought a web-based system that could automate some of the tasks in its permitting and inspection processes, while centralizing the information for wider agency use.
In October 2004, the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Division of the Public Works Office launched Accela Automation® as their new, web-based soil erosion management system and has enjoyed greater efficiency in managing the region’s soil erosion and sedimentation issues ever since. Designed to help public works agencies effectively manage their permitting processes, the solution tracks and manages all permitting activities such as application check-in, fee calculation and collection, and inspections. In addition, all employees within the division have access to a centralized database, allowing them to share information and data easily with office personnel.
The system was custom configured to match the existing business processes of the Public Works Office, thereby reducing staff training time. Instead of needing to learn an entirely new business process, the employees only had to be trained in using a new software application. The system brought immediate relief to the workflow in the office by automating many daily tasks.
“The County selected Accela Automation because it delivers a highly effective alternative to the mainframe system we previously used for permit activities,” said Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony V. Marrocco. “We remain very pleased with the performance of the Accela system.”
To further streamline the permitting process, the county empowered its inspection teams with wireless tablets uploaded with Accela Wireless™ mobile technology software that extends processing capabilities to the field for inspections, investigations, and code enforcement
With mobile technology, inspectors are now able to remotely access their daily inspection schedules, input inspection results, and update the agency database while in the field. Results are immediately uploaded to the county’s database in real time when connectivity is available, or stored in the device and uploaded later when the inspector returns to the office.
“Allowing inspectors to be more productive in the field means that inspections are completed much faster and citizens receive better service from the county,” said Marrocco.
As the region continues to move forward with its urban development, technology remains key to its economic and environmental success. By using an information-based, centralized approach to asset management and mobile government technology, Macomb County has ensured that its growing population will have safe and healthy water resources for generations to come. LDT
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