Do you like to discuss stormwater runoff and infrastructure in your spare time? Well then…

STORMWATER | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 | 7-9 PM | DECATUR CITY HALL

Join us Wednesday, March 26, from 7 – 9 p.m. at City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St., for the second of our UDO Drill-Down sessions. Members of the UDO engineering team will be on hand to present on Decatur’s stormwater challenges and how those challenges are currently managed.

More information about this and future Unified Development Ordinance meetings is available at DecaturNext.com

A recap of the Community Character meeting can be read here.

Also a new post on Decatur Next gives a more detailed overview of the issue and what you can expect at the Wednesday night session, including some interesting “unresolved questions”:

1. Trees. Trees aren’t currently recognized, at least in the code, for their ability to absorb water and contribute to stormwater reduction. This results in trees being periodically removed to allow for required stormwater retention systems, creating a scenario in which addressing one problem (retention) exacerbates another (tree canopy). Should the UDO rectify this?
2. Green Infrastructure. A variety of low-impact, lower cost, green interventions — such as permeable concrete, grass-paving systems, rain gardens and cisterns — have reached the point where they’re now proven and recognized within state ordinances. Should Decatur add these approaches to its list of choices in how homeowners can meet requirements? Which green approaches do you prefer? Is there anything we haven’t thought of?

Photo courtesy of The Decatur Minute