In part because of this increased population, CT DEP has identified the townas a Stormwater Phase II community (box, other side). As a prelude to address-ing these issues with their regulations, the land use commissions had formed asteering committee to begin the review of their Plan of Conservation andDevelopment (POCD).

NEMO’s RoleIn the fall of 2002, the Town ofStonington asked NEMO to providethe Linking Land Use to Water Qualityworkshop as part of their POCDupdate. Soon after this workshop, thetown applied and was accepted into theMunicipal Initiative, using the existingPOCD steering committee as itsNEMO Task Force. The town set outon an ambitious work plan: a resourceinventory and buildout analysis; a sig-nificant update to the POCD focusing

Stonington Town Profile

Bordered by the Pawcatuck River on the east, the Mystic River on the west and 30 milesof coastline along Long Island Sound, the Town of Stonington has a longstanding rela-tionship to its water resources, from whaling and commercial fisheries to recreationalboating and tourism. Stonington is a rural agricultural and residential region, with fourdistinct village centers: Stonington Borough, Mystic, Lord’s Point and Mason’s Island.The ideal location of the town has drawn a significant increase in development in recentyears, with developed land comprising nearly 20% of the town, an increase of 24% from1985 levels.

primarily on stormwater management;revisions to zoning, subdivision andinland wetland regulations; and, wherepractical, finding demonstration sitesfor stormwater best managementpractices. NEMO’s Open SpacePlanning, Reducing Runoff and EconomicDevelopment workshops were presentedto the land use commissions and thegeneral public in several sessions.NEMO Team members have alsoreviewed existing plans and regulations.

Stonington’s ActionsThe NEMO Task Force was broad-ened to become the town StormwaterManagement Study Group, comprisedof members from the Planning andZoning, Inland Wetland andWatercourse, Conservation andShellfish Commissions as well as townstaff, CT DEP’s Office of Long IslandSound and Stonington’s staterepresentative. TheStudy Group identifieda number of key

issues with their existing regulations.They recommended a number ofstrategies that would reduce theamount of impervious surface createdduring new construction, and calledfor flexibility in determining require-ments for parking, road standards,driveway widths and other imperviouselements of the landscape.

The Study Group’s recommendationsare being incorporated into the town’sPOCD. Key among these proposalsis an increased focus on water quality,stormwater management, open spacepreservation and the conservation ofthe community’s cultural and naturalresources. The POCD calls for develop-ment that both considers and respectsthe land’s natural capability to supportthe proposed new use. Two methodsof accomplishing this goal are pro-posed, a “buildable land regulation”that excludes lands with severe limi-tations (steep slopes, wetlands orfloodplains) from development, or

“soil-based zoning,” whichmatches the amount of

development to thecapacity of soils onthe site to acceptthat development.In addition to

these stormwater and water qualitystrategies, the POCD calls for anumber of new strategies to preserveopen space: the establishment of aStonington Land Trust, requiring“open space developments” in certainareas of town and acquiring land toconnect existing preserved areas andto provide coastal access.

The Stormwater Management StudyGroup, renamed the Stormwater TaskForce, is now focusing its effort inthree areas. First, thanks in part to agrant from CT DEP, the town isinvestigating the feasibility of creatinga “stormwater utility” to assist thetown in funding existing and futurestormwater infrastructure improve-ments. (Stormwater utilities, which are

used in a number of states nationwide,have not been used in Connecticutto date). Second, the Task Force willbe working with town staff on a newPublic Improvement Standards manualthat will take a unified approach tomajor public infrastructure elementssuch as roads and stormwater manage-ment. The use of alternative storm-water design (such as water qualityswales and rain gardens) will beencouraged. Third, the Task Forcewill be focusing on raising publicawareness of stormwater issuesthrough a public education program,with particular emphasis on school-aged children.

(Photo, front) Stonington town staff tour Jordan CoveResearch Subdivision in Waterford, CT. (Above)Members of Stonington’s Stormwater Task Force.

Ramping Up for the Stormwater Phase II Program

Highlights•Comprehensive plan changes to adopt

recommendations of town stormwater studygroup, including stormwater practices,open space preservation and “buildableland” analyses

•State-funded feasibility study on creatingthe state’s first town stormwater utility

•New public improvements manual unifyinginfrastructure and stormwater standards

•Public awareness campaign as part ofStormwater Phase II management plan.

The Stormwater Phase II Program is part ofthe federal Clean Water Act that regulatesoperators of small municipal separate stormsewer systems in “urbanized areas” as definedby U.S. Census data. About 113 of 169 townsin Connecticut meet this definition. Thesetowns were required to register for a PhaseII permit with CT DEP in 2004, and have fiveyears to implement a stormwater manage-ment plan with specific plan elements andmeeting “measurable goals.”

Stormwater Phase II

Contact NEMOJohn Rozum, NEMO Program Director Email: john.rozum@uconn.eduPhone: 860-345-4511Fax: 860-345-3357Website: nemo.uconn.edu

NEMO is an educational program of the University ofConnecticut Cooperative Extension System, ConnecticutSea Grant College Program and Natural ResourcesManagement and Engineering Department. In additionto support from UConn, NEMO is funded by grants fromthe CT DEP Nonpoint Source Program and theConnecticut Sea Grant College Program. NEMO is aprogram of the Center for Land Use Education andResearch (CLEAR). For more information about CLEAR,visit clear.uconn.edu. © 2004 University of Connecticut.The University of Connecticut supports all state andfederal laws that promote equal opportunity and prohibitdiscrimination. 02-05