How to Reserve Space for Stream Corridors that Gets Community Buy-in
Bao Chongtoua
Troy Thompson
Mile High Flood District
Lakewood, CO
As our cities continue to expand, we hold a unique opportunity to pursue nature-based solutions even in newly urbanizing watersheds, but our ability to work more collaboratively with nature is highly predicated on the amount of land we have to work with.
The Mile High Flood District has been experimenting with, and implementing, land preservation tools at both the project scale and the planning scale, to facilitate the creation of more resilient and functional waterway corridors in newly urbanizing areas.
This work has been an interesting combination of geomorphology, GIS, engineering, planning, and judgment to determine reasonable land preservation corridors that balance nature, risk, and economic development. Our approach, tools, and results for both project scale and planning scale land preservation outcomes will be shared.
About Bao Chongtoua
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About Troy Thompson
Troy Thompson, P.E., is President and co-founder of Ecological Resource Consultants with 30+ years of experience. Troy holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado. Licensed as a Professional Engineer in multiple states, Mr. Thompson specializes in stream restoration and fluvial geomorphology. Throughout his career, he has led the planning, design, and implementation of numerous river and stream restoration projects throughout the United States and internationally, with professional experience spanning six continents. His work focuses on sustainable, science-based solutions that improve watershed function, habitat quality, and channel stability. By integrating engineering principles with geomorphic processes, he develops resilient restoration strategies that address both ecological and infrastructure needs.
About Katie MacMannis, PE
Katie MacMannis is a Project Manager at Sustainable Streams with 16 years of experience in the fields of stormwater management, watershed planning, stream channel stability, and water quality. Katie has written several watershed plans throughout Kentucky and Ohio and has been a key developer of assessment tools for stream stability. Her knowledge of stream restoration permitting continually results in successful approvals.