A statewide survey of Vermont residents showed residents and property owners are more likely to adopt stormwater management practices after experiencing flooding or erosion.
Residents and property owners are more likely to adopt some green stormwater infrastructure practices if they have experienced flooding or erosion on their property or in their neighborhoods, according to new research from the University of Vermont.
With the number of extreme precipitation events on the rise, the research, published in Landscape and Urban Planning, suggests more households will turn to ecologically friendly practices to manage and direct stormwater.
Importantly, successful adoption of these practices cannot depend on a one size fits all approach, said the study’s lead author Sarah Coleman. Rather, efforts to improve stormwater management should consider the specific needs and motivations of households in the context of their social, physical, and ecological landscape.
“We tend to think of stormwater management as a separate thing, when really it’s baked into our entire landscape. If our natural habitat is altered, it changes how the water moves and we necessarily have to manage that water,” said Coleman. “As we understand more about the impact of climate change on water quality, we need residents and landowners to steward water management practices to address different types of runoff, erosion, and flooding challenges.”
Continue reading at University of Vermont
Image via Stephen Flanders
