Protecting Lakes, Rivers & Creeks from Poorly Planned Watershed Development

To fully protect a lake, wetland, tidal creek, river, or other waterway there must be a limit on the intensity watershed development.  Additionally, mechanisms must be in place which ensure that highly-effective pollution prevention measures will be fully utilized and maintained in good condition.  Frankly, few lakes and waterways benefit from both approaches.  And it is rare that we see a watershed restoration or management plan which effectively employs either approach, much less both.

Present scientific research indicates that to protect water quality and human uses, no more than 5% to 10% of a watershed should be covered with buildings, parking lots, streets, or other impervious surfaces.  That's equivalent to about one house for every 2- to 6-acres of watershed area.  While some argue that newer Best Management Practices (BMPs) allow imperviousness to exceed 5% - 10% without harming aquatic resources, the reality is that flawed design, poor installation, and inadequate maintenance causes many BMPs to perform poorly or fail completely.

CEDS has developed an approach which provides lake associations, watershed organizations, riverkeepers, and others with a way to gain the political clout needed win implementation of science-based watershed development caps, reasonable environmental protection laws, and to greatly increase the likelihood that the full benefits of highly-effective BMPs are achieved.

To learn more about how we can help you protect your favorite lake, river, or creek, contact us at 1-800-773-4571 or info@ceds.org.

For examples of how we can help with pollution of your favorite lake or creek see the following CEDS publications.

Salmon, Lake Quality, Wetlands and Development Impacts - An Example of CEDS Analysis

Example of How CEDS Can Assess Pollution Sources and Quickly Improve Water Quality

How Much Development is Too Much for Streams, Rivers, Lakes, Tidal Waters and Wetlands?

The Effects of Marinas and Boating Activity Upon Tidal Waterways

Protecting the Aquatic Environment from the Effects of Golf Courses

Effects of Meeting House Golf Club upon Edgartown Great Pond

CEDS exists solely to help citizens win land development and environmental issues. Because of this specialization, we can pull together a top-notch team of leading experts to quickly analyze your situation and develop the easiest, least expensive strategy for success. Our strategies employ an aggressive approach on multiple fronts: legal, technical, and political. Because of this unique approach our clients win 75% of their cases vs. the much lower success rate typical of more conventional campaign strategies. And our victories come at a fraction of the cost.

Our approach to winning land use and environmental cases is described in a 280-page book which can be downloaded free by clicking on the following title: How To Win Land Development Issues: A Citizens Guide To Preserving & Enhancing Quality of Life in Developing Areas.

Our Mission: To help citizens win Smart Growth victories.