[SEMCO] EPA Report Available on Water Quality and Development Density

[Tracey Crago]

EPA Releases new report on Density and Water Resources

EPA has released a new report--Protecting Water Resources with
Higher-Density Development--for water quality professionals, communities,
local governments, and state and regional planners who are grappling
with protecting or enhancing their water resources while accommodating
growing populations.

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population will grow by 50
million people, or approximately 18 percent, between 2000 and 2020. Many
communities are asking where and how they can accommodate this growth
while maintaining and improving their water resources. Some communities
have interpreted water-quality research to mean that low-density
development will best protect water resources. However, some
water-quality experts argue that this strategy can backfire and actually
harm water resources. Higher-density  development, they believe, may be
a better way to protect water resources. This report helps guide
communities through this debate to better understand the impacts of
high- and low-density development on water resources.

The report is available for downloading at www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/water_density.htm.
For hard copies, please send an e-mail to
ncepimal at one.net or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA publication
231-R-06-001.

Lynn Richards
USEPA--Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation
Smart Growth Program
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW [MC 1807T]; Washington, DC  20460
T:  202-566-2858; F:  202-566-2868; E:  richards.lynn at epa.gov

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