Chesapeake Assessment Scenario Tool (CAST)
Allows users to develop and compare scenarios using various best management practices within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Author: US EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
Date published: Ongoing
HIGHER STANDARDS: Opportunities for Enhancing Flood Resilience in the Eastern Shore of Maryland
This report was prepared to inform efforts to prepare for the impacts of sea-level rise in communities on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Author: Georgetown Climate Center
Date published: 2019
Local Government Stormwater Financing Manual: A Process for Program Reform
Inspired by and written for local government leaders, this manual attempts to demystify public sector financing in general and stormwater financing in particular.
Author: University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center
Date published: 2014
Measurable Goals Guidance for Phase II Small MS4s
Guidance document designed to help small municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) operators comply with permitting requirements, specifically the development of "measurable goals" by which pollution control m
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2016
National Stormwater Quality Database (NSQD)
Searchable database of water quality data based on land use, state, EPA "rain zone," and other criteria.
Author: US EPA, Center for Watershed Protection, et al
Date published: 2015
Rooftops to Rivers II
Update to NRDC's seminal 2006 publication. Profiles 14 geographically diverse cities that are all leaders in employing green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater challenges.
Author: Natural Resources Defense Council
Date published: 2013
The Clean Water Program Guidebook Series for Prince George's County Municipalities: Understanding Roles and Responsibilities
This guidebook provides municipal program administrators and staff with practical information to help in the implementation of clean water actions.
Author: Prince George's County Department of the Environment
Date published: 2017
A Guide for Forestry Practices in the Chesapeake TMDL
This guide covers the value and benefits of the following forest BMPs to aid in the planning and implementation: Agricultural Riparian Forest Buffers, Agricultural Tree Planting, Urban Forest Buffers, Urban Tree Planting, Urban Forest Planting, Forest Harvest Practices, Forest Conservation BMP (P
Author: Forestry Workgroup, Chesapeake Bay Program Office
Date published: 2018
Adaptation Options for Climate-Sensitive Ecosystems and Resources
Provides a preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources in the United States.
Author: US Climate Change Science Program
Date published: 2008
Adapting to Climate Change: A Planning Guide for State Coastal Managers
Helps state and territorial coastal managers develop and implement adaptation plans to reduce the impacts and consequences of climate variability.
Author: NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
Date published: 2011
America's Climate Choices: Adapting to the Impacts of Climate Change
Calls for a national adaptation strategy to support and coordinate decentralized efforts.
Author: National Research Council
Date published: 2010
Asset Management for Stormwater
Primer on maintaining stormwater infrastructure with an "asset management" approach, which involves thinking about community assets in a strategic way so that they are sustained over the long term at the lowest
Author: Southwest Environmental Finance Center; New England Environmental Finance Center
Date published: 2016
Auditing Your Town's Development Code for Barriers to Sustainable Water Management
An issue brief intended for town officials who want to understand how development regulations in their community affect local water resources.
Author: New England Environmental Finance Center
Date published: 2013
Better Site Design: A Handbook for Changing Development Rules in Your Community
Presents a framework and step-by-step process for adapting local development rules so that they protect water quality, preserve natural areas, and maintain quality of life in communities.
Author: Center for Watershed Protection
Date published: 1998
CAST How-To Guide
This simple “How-To” document walks you through 10 scoping questions that can be used to determine what information is in the Phase 6 Chesapeake Watershed Model for your community and help you build an effective
Author: Olivia Devereux and David Wood
Date published: 2018
Chesapeake Bay Midpoint Assessment Progress website
Shares information on progress toward implementing the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load, which was enacted in 2010 and applies to six states and the District of Columbia.
Author: US EPA Chesapeake Bay Program
Date published: Ongoing
City of Lancaster Green Infrastructure plan
This plan provides guidance on green infrastructure techniques that seek to solve problems created by the combined sewer system, applicable to both the older areas of the city and surrounding suburban area.
Author: The City of Lancaster & CH2M Hill, Inc.
Date published: 2011
City of Lewes Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plan
This Hazard Mitigation and Adaptation Action Plan from the City of Lewes, Deleware, serves as a good model of integrating hazard mitigation and climate adaptation in a local planning document.
Author: City of Lewes, DE
Date published: 2011
Climate Change Handbook for Regional Water Planning
Provides a framework for considering climate change in water management planning.
Author: EPA
Date published: 2011
Climate Ready Estuaries Program Synthesis of Adaptation Options for Coastal Areas
Introduces key physical impacts of climate change on estuaries and reviews on-the-ground adaptation options available to coastal managers to reduce their systems' vulnerability to climate change impacts.
Author: Climate Ready Estuaries Program, US EPA
Date published: 2009
Connecting CSO Abatement and Sustainability Planning
Describes the experience of communities around the country that have explicitly or implicitly connected sustainability planning with combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement efforts.
Author: Environmental Finance Center Network
Date published: 2014
Developing Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan: A Guide for Construction Sites
Guidance document for use by construction site operators to develop a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan in order to receive NPDES permit coverage for stormwater discharges.
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2007
Fecal Indicator Bacteria Management
Elevated fecal indicator bacteria levels remain the most frequent cause of water quality impairment in streams, rivers, lakes, estuaries, beaches and drinking water supplies across the U.S.
Author: Chesapeake Stormwater Network
Date published: 2018
Federal Regulatory Programs: MS4s, CSOs, and TMDLs
Part of EPA’s GI clearinghouse, this website contains a comprehensive list of resources and discussions on integrating green infrastructure into federal regulatory programs for municipal separate storm sewer sys
Author: US EPA
Date published: Ongoing
Getting Smart About Climate Change
Outlines nine strategies for successfully applying smart growth principles to climate concerns on the local and regional levels.
Author: International City/County Management Association and the Smart Growth Network
Date published: 2011
Green Infrastructure Opportunities that Arise During Municipal Operations
This document provides local government officials and municipal program managers in small to midsize communities with approaches to incorporate green infrastructure components into work they are doing in public spaces.
Author: United States Environmental Protection Agency
Date published: 2015
Harnessing Nature: The Ecosystem Approach to Climate-Change Preparedness
Describes the strategy of "harnessing nature" -- preserving and rebuilding green infrastructure such as floodplains, wetlands, and forests -- as an essential, viable, and cost-effective approach to climate chang
Author: Defenders of Wildlife
Date published: 2012
Incorporating Environmentally Sensitive Development into Municipal Stormwater Programs
Factsheet for local stormwater managers seeking to encourage or require low impact development practices to meet stormwater goals.
Author: EPA
Date published: 2008
Integrating Resilience into Local Capital Improvement Programs: Best Practices for Maryland’s Eastern Shore Communities
This document presents best practices for embedding climate risk assessments into capital improvement planning processes at the municipal and county level, as a cost-effective means of building community resilience to climate-related threats.
Author: University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center
Date published: 2018
Iowa Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Report
Presents findings from a project in which US EPA and FEMA worked with state and local leaders in Iowa to determine how the latest science on changing weather patterns due to climate change could be integrated in
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2011
Issue Brief: Auditing Your Town’s Development Code for Barriers to Sustainable Water Management
This issue brief informs local officials about how development regulations in their community affect local water resources. Municipal development codes control the built environment and can have a great influence on ways in which water is transported, collected or absorbed.
Author: Environmental Finance Center Network
Date published: 2013
Leadership for the Common Good: Tackling Public Problems in a Shared-Power World
Landmark book presenting a framework for community leadership in a shared-power world. Practical resource for local leaders of all kinds.
Author: Barbara C. Crosby, John M. Bryson
Date published: 2005
LID Strategies and Tools for NPDES Phase II Communities
Shares ideas to assist stormwater Phase II communities in integrating low impact development (LID) strategies into their compliance programs.
Author: Low Impact Development Center, US EPA
Date published: 2012
Local Climate and Energy Strategy Guide - Smart Growth: A Guide to Developing and Implementing Greenhouse Gas Reduction Programs
Describes how smart growth strategies can help local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve quality of life.
Author: US EPA
Date published: 2010
Mainstreaming Sea Level Rise Preparedness in Local Planning and Policy on Maryland's Eastern Shore
This report provides local government leaders and staff with data, analyses, policy options, and implementation guidance in reference to risks associated with the combination of sea level rise and coastal storm flooding to help communities form policies and practices that will reduce their risk.
Author: Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Date published: 2019
Making Your Community Forest-Friendly
This worksheet was designed to help communities review and revise their development regulations, so that future projects conserve and protect valuable trees and woodlands and encourage new plantings.
Author: The Center for Watershed Protection
Date published: 2018
Olympia, WA Sea Level Rise Planning Case Study
Summarizes a project of the City of Olympia's Public Works Department to respond to sea level rise as part of the City's hazard mitigation planning process.
Author: Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange
Date published: 2010
Planners and Climate Action: An Approach for Communities
Brief overview of responsibilities that local officials must face to ensure that their towns are adequately prepared for the coming challenges.
Author: Maine Policy Review
Date published: 2008
Prioritizing Local Climate Adaptation through Regional Collaboration on Maryland's Eastern Shore
Focused on the Eastern Shore region of Maryland, this white paper makes the case that preparing for and adapting to climate change impacts should be a priority for local governments.
Author: Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Date published: 2017
Residential Coastal Construction Manual
Prepared by FEMA with assistance from other agencies, organizations, and professionals involved in coastal construction and regulation, this manual is intended to help designers and contractors identify and eval
Author: FEMA
Date published: 2011
Rooftops to Rivers
Seminal policy guide for decision-makers looking to implement green strategies for stormwater management.
Author: Natural Resources Defense Council
Date published: 2006
Saving by Mitigating Issue Brief
Describes how proactive hazard mitigation planning can help local governments reduce risk; create safer communities; and invest in the community’s future safety, equity, and sustainability.
Author: Environmental Finance Center Network
Date published: 2013
Stormwater Innovation
This paper reviews innovations and lessons learned in stormwater programs in Prince George’s County, MD and the District of Columbia and goes in depth to look at Montgomery County’s (MD) current approach.
Author: Environmental Policy Innovation Center
Date published: 2018
Summary of the Clean Water Act
This EPA website includes a summary description of the federal Clean Water Act as well as links to resources for more in-depth information on history, compliance, enforcement.
Author: US EPA
Date published: Ongoing
The Sustainable Urban Forest A Step-by-Step Approach
This guide is designed to help municipalities assess the state of their urban forest, identify management concerns, and move toward long-term sustainability.
Author: Michael Leff Davey Institute / USDA Forest Service USFS Philadelphia Field Station
Date published: 2016
Top Ten Green Infrastructure Issues in Plans and Codes: Common Problems and Tested Solutions
Slides from a webinar presentation about how to recognize and overcome barriers to GI / LID in local codes and ordinances.
Author: Tetra Tech
Date published: Undated
Toward More Resilient Futures: Putting Foresight Into Practice
Builds on NOAA's Strategic Foresight Initiative (SFI) which attempted to promote broader and longer-term thinking about a changing climate and the effects on the emergency management community.
Author: FEMA
Date published: 2013
Tree Ordinance Development Guidebook
This guide is designed to aid communities in the revision of existing or development of new tree ordinances. It covers steps for forming a tree ordinance working group, getting support, evaluating needs, defining your vision, and preparing the final draft of a tree ordinance.
Author: Georgia Forestry Commission Urban & Community Forestry Program
Date published: 2005
Urban Planning Tools for Climate Change Mitigation
Reviews the relationship between urban planning and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a key component of climate change, provides characteristics of GHG decision support tools, and evaluates the strengths and li
Author: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Date published: 2009
Urban Stormwater Management in the United States
Presents findings from a review of the federal stormwater regulatory program and contends that a dramatically different way of regulating stormwater is needed in order to stop and reverse water quality degradati
Author: National Research Council of the National Academies
Date published: 2009
URBAN TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT: A Community’s Path to Understanding and Managing the Urban Forest
The report is designed to help a community move forward with Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) project planning and assessment by providing an overview of the approaches, methods, and data sources used in UTC assessments, focusing on the initial steps of project planning, assessment, and analysis.
Author: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Date published: 2019