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WakeUP Provides Comments on Raleigh's Infrastructure Impact Plan
Submitted by Caitlin Burke on Wed, 08/19/2009 - 1:01pm.
The City of Raleigh recently took comments on its draft Secondary and Cumulative Impacts (SCI) Management Plan, which addresses growth-related environmental impacts from infrastructure projects planned for Raleigh and the municipalities served by the City's Public Utilities Department. Karen Rindge, Executive Director of WakeUP Wake County, submitted oral comments on the plan at a public meeting on August 17, as well as written comments that provided additional details about WakeUP's recommendations for the plan.
An example of a secondary impact is the increase in impervious surface in a watershed that results from development enabled by the presence of municipal water and sewer lines. A cumulative impact is the long-term effect of years of successive development within a watershed. The SCI Management Plan details these impacts from infrastructure projects proposed to meet projected growth in Raleigh and eastern Wake County in the next 20 years, and the mitigation measures in place to address the impacts.
As an organization that advocates for well-planned growth that minimizes impacts to water and air quality, open space, and wildlife habitat, WakeUP Wake County was glad for the opportunity to review and comment on the City's plan, and encouraged the City to be a leader in implementing strategies and policies that will help us maintain adequate water resources and protect the environment. WakeUP had four general recommendations for the City given growth projections and the state of our water supply:
- Develop a water budget for the region
- Make water efficiency and conservation the first priorities to minimize impacts to the environment
- Use existing water resources efficiently
- Increase the use of stormwater and wastewater resources
