Public Engagement on Urban Stream Restoration Projects
Emily Burgess
AECOM
Germantown, MD
In the mid-Atlantic and southeastern US, public pushback on stream restoration projects has been increasingly common, especially in areas where impacts to the urban tree-scape are a concern. The public is largely unfamiliar with the science of stream restoration and its role within the function of watershed ecology, but people often show a strong interest in stream projects when one is planned locally. Because stream restoration can have a larger construction footprint and more notable impacts to the natural aesthetic of an area, it can draw more public attention and criticism than other types of stormwater projects.
AECOM has worked with multiple clients to address public questions and comments related to stream restoration, and through these efforts, we have accrued a toolbox of techniques for preempting pushback, spreading awareness, and facilitating productive discussions. In this presentation, we will share some of our recommendations for interacting with the public based on our more successful outreach efforts in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Belvedere, South Carolina. These projects involved the removal of a dam and recreational lake with significant community heritage and the stabilization of an eroding stream that was threatening property and infrastructure. We will also discuss lessons learned from other public outreach efforts and what can be done to improve public relations within this field.
About Emily Burgess
Coming SooEmily Burgess is a stormwater Engineer-in-Training with five years of experience in stream restoration, natural channel design, stormwater management, and green infrastructure design. She has worked on Chesapeake Bay TMDL projects in the Maryland, DC, Virginia region as well as mitigation projects in Tennessee, Texas, and the Carolinas.
