Balancing Development with Green Outcomes Urban association reclaims stormwater and enjoys rewards
By Carin Garaghty, Keller Property Management
W
ith raindrops streaming from rooftops, parking lots and driveways, the volume of stormwater collected in a planned development builds quickly. After a healthy rain, water flows in torrents through gutters and sewers; within the rushing water is the sound of association money going down the drain. The amount of non-permeable surfaces on a property relates directly to the size of its fees for stormwater management. The fees may be assessed by the city, county or local watershed district — or a combination of these. Like every necessary utility, stormwater collection does not come freely. The good news is that it can be mitigated. A Minneapolis association is seeing results of its recent and considerable mitigation efforts now, with 2016 as its first full summer after completion of a stormwater reclamation project. Its members looked at little-used parking areas and sidewalks, plus a reserve fund dedicated to asphalt replacement, and asked, “Could there be a new purpose?”
Converging Water, Flowing Ideas
At the Parkway Place association, roof peaks from its 22 units converge and collect a tremendous amount of rainwater that must be managed. Adding to that, the area’s stormwater runoff is watched closely by the Minnehaha Watershed District, which monitors
Terry Hammink stands in the new Parkway Place stormwater garden 18
Minnesota Communit y Living
erosion and other impacts on the nearby Minnehaha Creek. Boosting the watershed district’s efforts, around 15 years ago the City of Minneapolis measured the non-permeable surfaces of properties all around the watershed, and began charging fees according to the volume of stormwater runoff. In 2012, the association paid $8,800 in stormwater runoff fees, helping bring the issue into sharp focus for the board. At the time, Terry Hammink was treasurer of the association as he learned about the Freshwater Society, a nonprofit association that aims to conserve, restore and protect freshwater resources and their surrounding watersheds. Hammink completed the society’s Master Water Stewards program and became a certified community leader with a mission to educate community members, reduce pollutants from urban runoff, and allow more water to soak into the ground before running into storm sewer systems. With newfound knowledge, Hammink helped launch a project at his homeowners association to reduce costs and use the common spaces in a better and more beautiful way. As he learned about options and expenses for reducing impermeable surfaces and reducing stormwater runoff, he shared them with other board members and with association members. (continued on page 28)