April 30, 2025 • 33 mins
This week we chat with Kara Salazar from Purdue Extension and Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant about how communities approach sustainable development around their water resources. Kara discusses the challenges of managing stormwater, green infrastructure solutions like bioswales and permeable pavements, how you can become involved in learning more about your community’s water, and how climate change is impacting water resource planning. Check out our blog on this topic here.
Resources:
EDEN – Extension Disaster Education Network
Climate Change and Sustainable Development
One Water Approach to Water Resources Management
Questions? We'd love to hear from you!
Abigail Garofalo aeg9@illinois.edu, Erin Garrett emedvecz@illinois.edu, Amy Lefringhouse heberlei@illinois.edu
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Abigail Garofalo (00:07):
Welcome to another episode of the Everyday
Environment podcast, where weexplore the environment we see
every day. I'm your host,Abigail Garofalo.
Erin Garrett (00:15):
And I'm your cohost, Erin Garrett.
Abigail Garofalo (00:17):
And today, we are here with Kara Salazar, the
assistant program leader forcommunity development at Purdue
Extension and the sustainablecommunities Extension specialist
with Illinois Indiana Sea Grantand the Department of Forestry
and Natural Resources. Welcome,Kara.
Kara Salazar (00:31):
Thanks so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Abigail Garofalo (00:33):
Happy to have you. We have a long time history
with each other. I actually usedto be your intern, so I love
that our professionalrelationship has grown over time
and and developed to worktogether. I was excited to bring
you on the pod because this is aproject we love and love to
bring you on projects that Ilove and work with you. So
thanks so much.
Kara Salazar (00:51):
It's great to get to work with you.
Abigail Garofalo (00:54):
Well, you are here to talk to us about
community planning andsustainable development. This
season, we're talking all aboutwater. And stormwater in
particular, water in general isjust a huge topic for all
community planners, any localleaders looking to figure out
what do I do when I have toomuch stormwater. Even too, like,
(01:14):
I don't have enough water, andso this is a huge challenge for
a lot of communities. So we'reexcited to bring you on to talk
about the community planningaspect. I wanna start with a
little bit. You know, you have aa wonderfully long title. Tell
us a little bit about what youdo with Sea Grant and Purdue
Extension.
Kara Salazar (01:32):
Sure. So, my work focuses on environmental
planning, community engagement,and community development. I
work with communities throughoutIndiana, and I partner a lot in
Illinois and across other GreatLakes states. I work in
supporting communities indifferent types of planning
efforts, so it may be supportingthem in an element of their
comprehensive plan. There may bea specific topic that they're
(01:53):
working on, and we'll, supportthem through parks planning. I
work in renewable energyplanning as well. I have a large
grant focusing on that. Severaldifferent aspects of land use
and conservation intersections.So working with communities on
engaging the public in differenttypes of decision making points,
helping them come to a sharedvision, and then working with
them on their final planningefforts.
Abigail Garofalo (02:15):
Nice. So a lot of these, like, resiliency
efforts, planning, things likethat, this takes a lot of time.
That's why we have to kind ofhave this long term plan within
our communities of, like, howare we going to handle this
problem? What are we gonna doabout it? And sometimes it takes
a lot of coordination andlogistics with a lot of
different stakeholders too. Sohaving this expertise to offer
(02:36):
communities to assist them withthis process of somebody who
knows, is really, reallybeneficial.
Kara Salazar (02:41):
It's true because communities and having the local
expertise don't always theycan't always get access to the
local expertise that they need,so they are working with
different kinds of consultants,university professionals,
Extension. So that is where wewe come into play and work very
collaboratively with communitieson helping them and in their
planning issues.
Erin Garrett (03:02):
That's great. And that kinda leads into the first
question that we wanna ask youto dive into our topic today.
When it comes to stormwater andthe water resources that our
communities have, what are kindof the top challenges that these
communities face in kind ofmanaging their stormwater?
Kara Salazar (03:17):
Sure. So the first challenge I'll mention is
infrastructure and the strainthat we have on our
infrastructure. A lot of ourwater management systems were
built a long time ago. Sohistorical hydrological patterns
have changed, and they no longeralign with some of these
realities in the way that ourinfrastructure is set up. And
especially urban expansion ofimpervious services, such as
(03:39):
parking lots, roads, rooftops.They've really very much
disrupted, these naturalhydrological cycles. So these
changes have resulted inincreased surface runoff,
reduced groundwater recharge,and higher flooding risks. And
the second one I want to mentionthen is water quality
degradation. So stormwater actsas a vector for pollutants
carrying contaminants like oils,heavy metals, agricultural
(04:02):
runoff, and debris intowaterways. These nonpoint source
pollution, aspects exacerbate alot of ecosystem stress. The
third one, economic pressurescan create a lot of barriers to
progress, so modernizing waterinfrastructure requires
substantial financialinvestment. And communities we
know have constrained budgets.This can lead to deferred
(04:23):
maintenance that increasesvulnerability to catastrophic
events and failures over time.And then compounding these
issues is, of course, climatechange, and I know we'll talk
about that later. Intensifyingrainfall variability places a
lot of unprecedented stress onour water management systems. So
these shifts challenge theoriginal design of our aging
(04:43):
infrastructure.
Erin Garrett (04:44):
The infrastructure is a thing that seems to come up
all the time. So I'm insouthernmost Illinois, and in
our rural communities, it seemsto kinda be, like, that's that
big problem. Right? Is thatthere hasn't necessarily been
that long term planning tobudget for and save to, you
know, update and replace thatinfrastructure. And it seems
like all we have the funds andability to do is just patch it
(05:05):
as parts of it fail or break.And it's just, like, kind of a
ticking time bomb that we'rewaiting for something really bad
to happen. So that definitely,you know, that infrastructure
with the economic capacity is,like, a huge challenge.
Abigail Garofalo (05:17):
I wonder too, given the age, like, we we learn
new information about the thingsthat we installed however many
years ago. So, like, there'snewer technologies, newer
materials that we can use in ourinfrastructure that, you know,
are maybe safer or less or moredurable. You know, that aging
infrastructure doesn't havethose newer pieces to it,
(05:39):
that'll make it a little moreresilient. And so that planning
piece comes into play as wellas, like, well, we don't wanna
just install it and have to fixit every once in a while. We
want it to last for a reallylong time. So how do we plan for
a system that we don't have topatch for so many years? And
then the maintenance of thatsystem, big challenges. One of
the solutions that comes up alot to the issues that we talked
(06:01):
about of putting a lot lessstress on our infrastructure
that the stormwater causes isgreen infrastructure. So what
are some ways that communitiescan integrate green
infrastructure to improvestormwater management?
Kara Salazar (06:14):
Right. So green infrastructure is a great tool
to have in the toolbox, becausethey do leverage natural
processes to address a lot ofdifferent types of stormwater
challenges. So for example, raingardens, these are engineered
bioretention systems, which willcapture and infiltrate
stormwater runoff, and they verymuch mimic our natural
hydrological processes. Theyreduce peak flow rates, they
(06:37):
filter contaminants and rechargegroundwater, and, of course,
they can look very beautiful,but they are also very
functional as a localizedecosystem service. And permeable
pavements are another one thatoffer some advanced solutions.
These materials are engineeredwith high porosity so that
precipitation will infiltratedirectly into subsoil. And as a
result, they'll reduce floodingrisks by mitigating surface
(07:00):
runoff and facilitatingrecharge. And applications can
be pretty versatile, so you canhave them in parking lots and
sidewalks. Another one are urbantree canopies. These provide
really critical benefits. Treesmitigate a lot of stormwater
impacts through intersection,evapotranspiration, soil
stabilization, and also improveurban microclimates. In fact, a
(07:21):
single mature tree can manageseveral hundred gallons of
stormwater annually, which willsignificantly reduce runoff. So
keeping those trees intact andalso planting more is really
important.
Bioswales are another tool,sometimes mistaken for drainage
channels, but these are highlyeffective landscape features,
and they're optimized forstormwater conveyance and
(07:42):
pollutant filtration. But theyhave to be designed with
specific vegetation and soilcompositions so that they can
enhance water quality whilesupporting biodiversity too. And
really the core principle ofgreen infrastructure is to use a
systems based approach, whichintegrates the natural and built
environments. And unlike ourconventional gray
infrastructure, which focusessolely on conveyance and
(08:05):
storage, getting water away fromthings and storing it for a
while. Green infrastructureprioritizes multifunctionality,
which is really, reallyimportant. So they
simultaneously deliverhydrological, ecological, and
social benefits.
Abigail Garofalo (08:18):
I work mainly in, like, the residential
landscape. I do some communitythings, but it's so interesting
to hear you, like, bring upthose options, right, for green
infrastructure because Inormally hear them on, like,
home landscapes. Right? Like,it's like, oh, make your
driveway a permeable pavement oryour pathways and things like
that, or do these rain gardens.And you're talking about it on a
community scale and also, like,the systemic planning piece of,
(08:40):
like, if we use some spaces thatare underutilized, like, let's
increase the functionality ofsome of these spaces to improve
stormwater resilience, right,and in like, beautify the
community and add other value toit that of all the benefits that
you mentioned. So there's thispiece that goes it's not just,
you know, what one spacebenefits from. It's these
(09:03):
integration within all of them,which is so neat to think about.
Erin Garrett (09:06):
Yeah. And I'm really struck by the trees when
it comes back to, like, all thedifferent benefits. In our last
season, we had Justin Vozzo onto chat about kind of the urban
forest and all the benefits thatwe gain from having increased
trees in our communities andmanaging them properly. That's
gonna be our next theme now.It's gonna be trees come back in
each podcast episode. And howhow just multipurpose and
(09:31):
functional they are and justreally, I think, easily
overlooked and can be reallyundervalued a lot of the times,
especially those mature trees,right, that we've had in our
communities that have been therefor decades that are kind of the
first to go when newconstruction comes. Right? And
it makes me so sad every timeseeing those.
Abigail Garofalo (09:48):
I was visiting, my cousin, and she
lives in a an like, a newdevelopment neighborhood. And
she was talking aboutcomposting, and her partner was
talking about composting. And Iwas like, oh, yeah. You just,
like, grab leaves. And I lookedaround, and I was like, you have
no leaves in the fall becauseit's such a new development that
there are none. And I was like,that's wild, like, that this is
a like, you can't like, thisshe's like, she has no browns to
(10:11):
work with. And so just like thatidea. And there's some really
great resources out there ifyou're looking for, like, how do
I talk with my neighbors aboutplanting trees or how do I talk
with my local community aboutplanting trees, the Chicago
Region Trees Initiative, notjust for Chicago. There's a lot
of resources that applythroughout the state and in the
region as well that can talkabout, like, the benefits of
(10:34):
trees. I know too, like, if youare in my neck of the woods, you
can look up, like, your treecanopy percentages and things
like that to find out what wherewhere those levels are and and
see because it's adding thosestormwater benefits so immensely
and and all of those other,like, social and health benefits
as well. So definitely check outthose resources on that site.
Erin Garrett (10:54):
Yeah. For sure. So in talking about kind of that
new development, right, that youmentioned, Abigail, we know that
there's continued growth in ourcommunities, of course. So how
can communities kind of balancethat need or drive for continued
development with kind of thepreservation of our natural
water resources?
Kara Salazar (11:12):
Yeah. So one of the concepts that comes out to
me with this question iscomprehensive watershed
planning. And so this really canbe expanded to other types of
collaborative effort, but itreally is critical to think
about this lens, examiningdevelopment through ecosystem
services, accounting for theinterconnected impacts of land
(11:33):
use on water resources acrosswatersheds, and also across
communities and municipalities.So these types of watershed
planning initiatives are oftensupported by nonprofit
organizations or governmentagencies, and key to them is
fostering collaboration amongmunicipalities and other groups,
interested parties. So theseefforts do aim to create shared
(11:53):
visions and coordinatedstrategies that align
development goals with localizedstormwater management and water
resource protection.
The other concept that I wannalift up to is a one water
approach as a planning strategy,and so this emphasizes
collaboration and partnershipamong water users to prepare for
and balance multiple water needswithin a community and a
(12:15):
watershed. So by using theseapproaches, communities can
recognize that their actionsupstream, of course, will impact
downstream and that we do needto work together. Also,
communities are increasinglyadopting proactive measures to
safeguard water resources. Forexample, policies requiring
developers to limit impervioussurface coverage and conduct
(12:37):
hydrological impact assessmentsfor projects near waterways are
now pretty common, and land useplanning tools such as overlay
districts and zoning regulationsprovide additional protection
for water resources, ensuringthat development will complement
rather than disrupt naturalsystems. And communities are
leveraging green infrastructureincentive programs to encourage
(12:59):
things like water focuseddesigns so municipalities can
align economic motivations withecological preservation by
offering density bonuses, taxcredit, expedited permitting, or
reduced fees for projects thatare exceeding stormwater
management standards. And theseincentives can make sustainable
practices financially viableand attractive.
Abigail Garofalo (13:19):
I'm remembering back, like, a lot of
those kind of, like, municipalcodes or zones can seem really
frustrating and, like, annoyingor even, like, unnecessary. But
one of our state outreachassociates, he was talking
about, like, hey. Here's thereason why, like, certain height
limits exist. Some of them are,like, a little extra, but, like,
in site zones and things likethat, they're necessary. And it
(13:39):
makes me think of, like, when myin laws, they wanted to do an
addition on the house, and theyweren't allowed to expand beyond
a certain point because apercentage of their property had
to be permeable surface in thatcommunity.
So, when you put foundation anda roof over it, right, that's
now impermeable, surface that'sgonna all run into a space. And
(13:59):
so he had to come up withsolutions, especially because
he's right near a creek as well.And so, like, having more of
that runoff, things like that.So it makes us think about,
like, why does this certainregulation, this certain thing
exist in the first place thatwon't allow me to do what I
wanna do? There might be areason bigger than the city just
doesn't want you to have a bighouse. Right? Because there are
(14:22):
there are certain pieces thatthe community has to think of on
a whole, like you said, like,level. It's not just your
property. Water doesn't careabout your property lines. It's
gonna go to the path of leastresistance and the quickest path
that it can find. I did have aquestion for you, Kara. Can you
talk a little bit more aboutthis one water concept?
Kara Salazar (14:40):
Sure. So one water planning strategy, it does very
much foster collaboration, andit's thinking through,
and you're setting up, you know,your shared vision, your
mission, your goals, and thingslike that so that you do have a
(15:05):
shared management vision acrossyour different users for One
Water. We do have an Extensionpublication on that, and,
hopefully, folks can get accessto that. It talks a little bit
more in-depth about some of thedifferent ways that some
communities, have applied thisapproach. It is very much a
collaborative effort.
Abigail Garofalo (15:24):
Great. We'll definitely share that in the
show note and on theaccompanying blog because we
can't all have the expertise ineverything. Right? So we have
these different areas ofexpertise within communities
that all address certainspecific aspects because it's
it's beneficial, but how are wecommunicating across those?
Because, like you said, we allhave the same goal. We all have
one water. And so this idea of astructured approach and, like,
this mindset, this lens in whichwe're approaching this issue is
(15:47):
really great. Awesome. So whenwe're thinking about bringing
all these people together whenit comes to our water and
addressing water management andthings like that, how important
is community involvement andeducation in the success of
water management initiatives?
Kara Salazar (16:01):
This is an incredibly important concept and
effort. So effective watermanagement is very collaborative
and should be community centeredand, involving a lot of
different perspectives andpeople, because we all use water
in some way, shape, or form.Public involvement and education
are really essential to thataspect then for fostering a
(16:21):
deeper understanding of watersystems and also empowering
training, educating folks on howto contribute to sustainable
solutions. And educationprograms can also play a pivotal
role in demystifying watersystems because they can be
complicated. By helpingindividuals understand a water's
journey from rainfall to tap andback to the ecosystem, programs
(16:44):
can inspire people to becomeeducators within their
communities too.
So for example, we have therainscaping education program
that's offered by PurdueExtension, University of
Illinois Extension, and IllinoisIndiana Sea Grant, and this
exemplifies this approach. Weprovide hands on training to
design and implement solutionslike rain gardens, which capture
and filter stormwater, ofcourse. And participants are
(17:06):
also equipped to support localrain garden outreach programs,
once they're trained in thiseffort. Another component then
are community scienceinitiatives, which invite
participants to directly engagein water resources management
effort, and these types ofprojects combine local knowledge
with scientific methodologies.And another great program
example we have is the IllinoisIndiana Water Stewards Program.
(17:29):
This is a newer effort, and wetrain participants to identify
local watershed challenges andimplement practical conservation
strategies with communitypartners. And it's another
program that we're also jointlyoffering now with Purdue
Extension, University ofIllinois Extension, and Illinois
Indiana Sea Grant. So across theboard, these local workshops,
(17:49):
school programs, and communityscience projects play a really
important role in translatingabstract concepts into
actionable steps. And I thinkthat's the most important thing
to take away here, that we wantto help community members make
informed decisions and takemeaningful action.
Erin Garrett (18:05):
Yeah. For sure. And there's lots of those
opportunities. Right? I know Ihelped lead a rainscaping
workshop five years ago. It'sbeen a long time, but really
cool opportunity. And thengetting the chance to, like,
actually install a rain gardenand do the build together with
the participants was really Idon't know. That hands on
learning, I think, helps reallybreak things down and make it to
where it's not just thingsyou're hearing about in a
(18:26):
lecture or reading in atextbook, but actually doing the
physical work makes it seem alot more achievable, I think, in
helping go through that process.And I know, Abigail, you've done
rainscaping as well in yourcommunities.
Abigail Garofalo (18:38):
Yeah. We did ours a little bit differently.
We didn't do the communityinstall. We did each individual
created their own personalizedrain garden plan. So they
basically were like, I wanna puta rain garden on my property or
some kind. And some of themlearned too, which is great, is,
like, is a rain garden a goodfit, or is it maybe a native
planting or other greatinfrastructure solutions? Or and
(19:01):
we and this is what I like aboutprogram too is it looks at all
pieces too. Like, it looks atthe planting installations as
kind of, like, the central zone,but we talk about how they need
to work in tandem with otherthings. Like, where is the water
going? What are the bestsolutions that work with that?
And so thinking about it on thatsystem scale even just within
your own property is reallyneat. And we had a lot I mean, a
(19:21):
lot of people felt, like, thelow reviews of that were like,
wow. I can do this. I caninstall a rain garden. I didn't
just walk away being like, whatcan I do? I I have no excuse not
to do it anymore. And so thatwas pretty cool.
And the watershed stewardsprogram is really, really neat.
I was involved in thedevelopment of that, and one of
our colleagues, Peggy Anesi,longtime friend of the pod, has
(19:44):
implemented that in Illinois,and Indiana has had it for
several years as well. And justhaving that on the ground
learning and what I love aboutboth of those programs is you
get to see, like, the communitypieces. You get to see what is
being done in your communityabout watersheds, about
watershed health, what is beingdone in your community with rain
(20:06):
garden installations and thingslike that. So you get to hear
from local communities. You getto see rain gardens in your
local community. You get to seelocal watershed action and
projects and and talk to peoplewho are doing that work, which
is really, really empoweringbecause you're like, wow. Okay.
Like and especially at a timewhen I feel like in the natural
resources world, theenvironmental science world, you
(20:26):
can feel a little down on thethings that are happening and
the way our climate is going.But I think that's the best
medicine is, like, going out andtalking to people who are doing
awesome things because it justgives you a lot of energy to go
also do awesome things, and Ithink we all need that a little
bit in our life. Didn't know youall would get a motivational
speech from this podcasttoday, huh?
Erin Garrett (20:44):
I love it. That's great. You mentioned climate,
Abigail, so that kinda is agreat segue. I love segue for a
question. Kara, what role doesclimate change play in our water
resource planning forsustainable communities? And
then kind of with that, how cancommunities kind of prep for and
mitigate the impacts of theextreme weather events that
(21:05):
we're experiencing?
Kara Salazar (21:07):
Right. So this is a big one that we're facing in
multiple ways and levels. Right?So, you know, we know climate
change introduces a lot ofvariability in our weather
patterns, and we have, morefrequent and intense storms,
prolonged droughts, andunpredictable precipitation. Our
traditional water managementsystems, which were designed
(21:27):
more for the historical norms,are becoming more ill equipped
to handle these extremes. Futuresystems then we have that we
have to build and adapt, needmore flexibility and resilience
to manage this uncertainty.Also, the changes in rainfall
distribution challenge existinginfrastructure. We see that
we're increasing the risk offlooding in some regions and
(21:49):
water scarcity in others, andthese shifts really necessitate
adaptive infrastructure thatmanages excess water during
storms and then sustain supplyduring dry periods too. We
really do need both now.
Abigail Garofalo (22:02):
Kara, those systems built for, like, the
average, we we like homeostasis.Right? Like, we like things to
stay same, but the way thatwe're seeing these changing
weather patterns is, like, we'regonna see extremes. So we can't
just build systems for theaverage anymore. We kind of have
to figure out what is theextremes and build within those
(22:23):
boundaries as opposed to beinglike, well, as long as it stays
right here, like, that's notwhere we live anymore. And
that's really difficult to do.
Kara Salazar (22:29):
Yeah. So address that, we really need to think
about integrated stormwatermanagement. So, with this
emphasis is placed on updatinginfrastructure, carefully
selecting and installingappropriate green infrastructure
solutions for specific siteconditions, and conserving
natural areas to maximize floodcontrol and improve water
(22:50):
quality. So, for example,infrastructure needs to be
designed to anticipate theseextreme weather events that you
were talking about andincorporating features like
enhanced drainage systems,expanded stormwater retention
basins to think about that thoseebbs and flows, and distributed
systems reduce reliance onsingle infrastructure points. So
(23:11):
think about greeninfrastructure. We wanna enhance
redundancy and minimizevulnerabilities. So we want to
have rain gardens, bioswales,and green roofs that manage
stormwater locally while improvewater quality like we're seeing
in in all these other processestoo. We also wanna protect
natural features likeforestlands and riparian areas
(23:32):
as much as possible, which helpskeep intact our natural
hydrologic systems. This is avery effective strategy, of
course, for managing extremeweather events if we have the
natural features in place.
Another thing that I wannamention too on the community
side and the planning side iscreating a robust emergency
response plan. So this is reallyessential for communities to
(23:52):
build resilience to extremeweather events. The plans need
to outline rapid deployment ofresources, coordination, and
collaboration across agencies,which is a common theme we're
hearing and seeing, right, andintegration of community based
responses to minimizedisruptions when we have a
crisis. One program I want tolift up or network is the
(24:12):
Extension Disaster EducationNetwork or EDEN, e d e n. This
is a collaborative nationaleffort that works to reduce the
impact of disasters throughresource based education. And
this is a program familiar tothose of us in Extension.
Illinois and Indiana both haveEDEN programs too that we
support.
One of the areas of support thatthis network also offers is
(24:34):
through education, training, andresources for setting up
community organizations activein disasters, also known as
COADs. These COADs strengthenarea wide disaster coordination
by promoting planning to reducethe impact of disasters,
including facilitatingcommunication, coordination,
collaboration, cooperation, allthe c's. So connect with local
(24:55):
Extension or visit the EDENwebsite to learn more about
these important resources. Themain takeaway that I want folks
to think about too, is thatwater resource planning in the
face of climate change is verycollaborative. We really very
much need the combination ofscientific innovation, community
involvement, and forward lookingproactive policy to address it.
Abigail Garofalo (25:16):
We can't just rely on one of those for sure
because you need the localcommunity to have that expertise
of, like, where things are, whatis needed, where the almost,
like, pain points are. I feellike local communities are
really good at that, like, theon the ground people. And then
that innovative technology,those innovative thinkers of,
like, what are some creativesolutions we can do that with?
(25:36):
You mentioned a lot of, like,system that has a lot of
duplicates or what's the wordyou used?
Kara Salazar (25:42):
Redundancy. So
Abigail Garofalo (25:43):
Redundancy.
Kara Salazar (25:44):
Several different points rather than a single
infrastructure point that can adistributed system. So it
reduces that reliance on onemain big point. So if you have
things like infrastructurethat's helping to disseminate
some of the pressure, that canbe helpful. And, again, this has
to be very site specific andvery appropriate for the
situation.
Abigail Garofalo (26:04):
Also noticing another theme that there's no
magic solution that's gonna fitevery space, every community.
Right? Like, solutions even injust, like, my community versus
Erin's community are gonna lookreally different. Even my
community next door. Right?There's different water systems
that exist there. There'sdifferent infrastructure,
different hydrology. Things likethat are all going to it's
(26:27):
there's no one size fits allsolution, but there is a good
lens, which is collaboration,cooperation. What are the all
the c's that you mentioned is agreat lens for addressing some
of these issues.
Thank you so much, Kara, forsharing your wonderful knowledge
on community planning and justresiliency and stormwater and
and all of the challenges thatwe'll be facing with water and
(26:50):
and how we can address those.
Kara Salazar (26:51):
Thank you for having me today.
Abigail Garofalo (26:53):
Well, now we are going to finish today's
episode with everydayobservations where we highlight
the mundane and normal of ourenvironment that is actually
really interesting. Erin, whydon't you kick us off?
Erin Garrett (27:04):
Sure. So on theme with our water podcast and kind
of what we've talked abouttoday, we had a lot of rain
yesterday, a big rainstorm thatcame through. And I was driving
on the highway and was goingthrough kind of a bluff area,
and there were waterfalls thatwere on the side of the road
that had started, because of theamount of rain that we had. And
(27:26):
it just kind of reminded me ofthe huge number of waterfalls
that we have in southernIllinois, but they're
intermittent waterfalls. Sopeople will travel and come to
see them, and they'll come inthe middle of the summer when
it's super dry and there'snothing flowing.
But at this time of the year, inthe wintertime, and, you know,
in the spring, of course, it's agreat time to get out and hike,
(27:47):
and you can kind of find thesetreasures that are not always
flowing, but it's kind of aspecial treat when you do catch
it at the right time. And youget to see these awesome
waterfalls. I know that'ssomething that we always go
hiking and looking for in thespring, and it's really cool. So
kinda wanted to highlight a goodside of the water system and the
rain that we get is kind of thatnatural wonder that we get to
(28:09):
experience that's really, reallyfun.
Abigail Garofalo (28:10):
Waterfalls are really interesting geologically
because, like, they have thattwo different type of stone,
like, rock that, like, that'seroded underneath that kinda
caused that offshoot. Like, justlooking at, like, why does that
waterfall exist? What causedthat this kind of, like, break
in this point is really, reallyinteresting to think about and
and really cool. And you need,like, a waterfall watch that,
(28:31):
like, notifies you're like,okay. I'm heading down today.
I'm gonna go see the waterfall.
Erin Garrett (28:36):
Anytime after a big rain, we're like, let's go
now. Now is the day.
Abigail Garofalo (28:41):
Awesome. Well, Kara, what is your everyday
observation?
Kara Salazar (28:44):
I recently got to visit a couple of cool sites
with my family. Kankakee SandsBison Viewing, which is in,
like, north central Indiana,Newton County. So you can see a
really cool prairie restorationproject and a bison herd. It's a
Nature Conservancy project andseveral other partners have been
involved there. And then not tootoo far away, it's about, oh, I
(29:08):
think forty five minutes or so,you can go see the sandhill
cranes at Jasper Pulaski Fishand Wildlife Area, and they have
a really great observation spotthere. So having a little road
trip and seeing those two thingsfor the fall migration and then
getting to see some bison werereally cool.
Abigail Garofalo (29:26):
I stand by this. I said it again in another
podcast for one of my everydayobservations. sandhill cranes
are, like, wild. They're justwild animals. Wild in the sense
to, like, just blow my mindbecause they're just so big.
They they feel like dinosaurs,in my opinion. Like, they're,
like, they're just, like, hugeand just, like, out there. It's
(29:46):
just crazy to me.
Kara Salazar (29:48):
They are. And they sound so cool.
Abigail Garofalo (29:51):
Yes. They're so cool. They're like I, like,
stop what I'm doing anytime Isee them. I'm like, oh my gosh.
Stop. Everybody stop. There's athey're up there. We gotta see
them. So that's awesome.
Kara Salazar (30:01):
Definitely worth a little trip if you wanna take a
little road trip to northcentral Indiana and see those
two things. I recommend it.
Abigail Garofalo (30:08):
Well, my everyday observation certainly
may feel mundane. It's a littlephenology. So I have just been
looking. We've had just like aweird fall winter season. Up
here, we recently had like alittle, like, warm spout. It's
really foggy. And then it wasreally cold right before that.
It's getting cold again. And inthe fall, we had, like, lilacs
(30:29):
blooming for some reason and,like, hydrangeas blooming. It
was really weird.
And so I'm just trying to, like,take stock of my garden and
notice, like, what still hasleaves and what's green. And not
still has leaves in the senseof, like, like, oak trees, how
they kinda keep their browndeader leaves, but, like,
what's, like, green and stillthere? And I'm also based on
(30:50):
looking them, I'm noticing it'sa lot of my non native ones that
were there before I before Imoved in that, like, a lot like,
the previous owners planted. Ihave a honeysuckle and a
barberry that I'm looking to getrid of. I'm trying. I'm working
on it. It's just, like, youknow, a slow process. You know,
barberries aren't green, but itstill certainly looks fine for
winter. And so and thehoneysuckle as well. And so I'm
(31:14):
just, like, looking at them, andI'm like, this is an adaptation
and an advantage that this planthas over the other native
species in my yard.
And it just kinda tells me alittle bit more about the things
that I have in my landscape andbased on my knowledge of ecology
and what should be there or whatshouldn't. Just kind of more
information, and and I thinkit's really interesting to just
kinda look at it. What's in myown space? And what's green?
(31:36):
What's not? Why ask thosequestions about it? So that's my
observation today.
Erin Garrett (31:41):
I love that. I have green native things in my
garden still, Abigail. The alumroot is still going strong. It's
still green, the leaves. It'sgreen.
Abigail Garofalo (31:50):
You're 300 miles south.
Erin Garrett (31:51):
I know. But Still, we had a cold spell, and it was
real cold. But, no, it wasdefinitely a crazy year. I had
flowers still blooming inDecember. My purple poppy
mallows bloomed again. Thiscrazy I had butterfly milkweed,
like, send up new green shoots,and I was like, what are you
doing, silly? It's, like, notthe right time of year for that.
(32:12):
So it definitely was crazy.It'll be interesting to see what
happens next year.
Abigail Garofalo (32:17):
Yeah. They're sending the wrong message to the
insects for sure. Like, I'mcurious to see the studies in
the next few years of, like,insect populations. I'd love
love to see a study, this isvery niche, of, like, impacts of
these, like, late term bloomsand shoots and things like that
on their corresponding insectpopulations. Like, do they get
confused. Or is there, like,daylight kind of recognition
(32:39):
there that the insectsthemselves have I don't know.
I'm just curious because I wasjust like, that would be
confusing for me. What? There'snormally not food at this time.
That's why I go to sleep. Youknow? Alright.
Well, Kara, thank you again forcoming on the podcast and
chatting with us and nerding outwith us and just giving us all
this really wonderfulinformation to discuss and to
share with our audience. Wereally appreciate it.
Kara Salazar (33:02):
Thank you. I appreciate you both. Thank you
for having me, and this is a lotof fun.
Abigail Garofalo (33:07):
Well, this has been another episode of the
Everyday Environment podcast.Check out next week where we
talk with Scott Kuykendall aboutwater resources in northern
Illinois. This podcast is aUniversity of Illinois Extension
production hosted and edited byAbigail Garofalo, Erin Garrett,
and Amy Lefringhouse.
Matt Wiley (33:30):
University of Illinois Extension.
Welcome to another episode of the Everyday
Environment podcast, where weexplore the environment we see
every day. I'm your host,Abigail Garofalo.
Erin Garrett (00:15):
And I'm your cohost, Erin Garrett.
Abigail Garofalo (00:17):
And today, we are here with Kara Salazar, the
assistant program leader forcommunity development at Purdue
Extension and the sustainablecommunities Extension specialist
with Illinois Indiana Sea Grantand the Department of Forestry
and Natural Resources. Welcome,Kara.
Kara Salazar (00:31):
Thanks so much for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Abigail Garofalo (00:33):
Happy to have you. We have a long time history
with each other. I actually usedto be your intern, so I love
that our professionalrelationship has grown over time
and and developed to worktogether. I was excited to bring
you on the pod because this is aproject we love and love to
bring you on projects that Ilove and work with you. So
thanks so much.
Kara Salazar (00:51):
It's great to get to work with you.
Abigail Garofalo (00:54):
Well, you are here to talk to us about
community planning andsustainable development. This
season, we're talking all aboutwater. And stormwater in
particular, water in general isjust a huge topic for all
community planners, any localleaders looking to figure out
what do I do when I have toomuch stormwater. Even too, like,
(01:14):
I don't have enough water, andso this is a huge challenge for
a lot of communities. So we'reexcited to bring you on to talk
about the community planningaspect. I wanna start with a
little bit. You know, you have aa wonderfully long title. Tell
us a little bit about what youdo with Sea Grant and Purdue
Extension.
Kara Salazar (01:32):
Sure. So, my work focuses on environmental
planning, community engagement,and community development. I
work with communities throughoutIndiana, and I partner a lot in
Illinois and across other GreatLakes states. I work in
supporting communities indifferent types of planning
efforts, so it may be supportingthem in an element of their
comprehensive plan. There may bea specific topic that they're
(01:53):
working on, and we'll, supportthem through parks planning. I
work in renewable energyplanning as well. I have a large
grant focusing on that. Severaldifferent aspects of land use
and conservation intersections.So working with communities on
engaging the public in differenttypes of decision making points,
helping them come to a sharedvision, and then working with
them on their final planningefforts.
Abigail Garofalo (02:15):
Nice. So a lot of these, like, resiliency
efforts, planning, things likethat, this takes a lot of time.
That's why we have to kind ofhave this long term plan within
our communities of, like, howare we going to handle this
problem? What are we gonna doabout it? And sometimes it takes
a lot of coordination andlogistics with a lot of
different stakeholders too. Sohaving this expertise to offer
(02:36):
communities to assist them withthis process of somebody who
knows, is really, reallybeneficial.
Kara Salazar (02:41):
It's true because communities and having the local
expertise don't always theycan't always get access to the
local expertise that they need,so they are working with
different kinds of consultants,university professionals,
Extension. So that is where wewe come into play and work very
collaboratively with communitieson helping them and in their
planning issues.
Erin Garrett (03:02):
That's great. And that kinda leads into the first
question that we wanna ask youto dive into our topic today.
When it comes to stormwater andthe water resources that our
communities have, what are kindof the top challenges that these
communities face in kind ofmanaging their stormwater?
Kara Salazar (03:17):
Sure. So the first challenge I'll mention is
infrastructure and the strainthat we have on our
infrastructure. A lot of ourwater management systems were
built a long time ago. Sohistorical hydrological patterns
have changed, and they no longeralign with some of these
realities in the way that ourinfrastructure is set up. And
especially urban expansion ofimpervious services, such as
(03:39):
parking lots, roads, rooftops.They've really very much
disrupted, these naturalhydrological cycles. So these
changes have resulted inincreased surface runoff,
reduced groundwater recharge,and higher flooding risks. And
the second one I want to mentionthen is water quality
degradation. So stormwater actsas a vector for pollutants
carrying contaminants like oils,heavy metals, agricultural
(04:02):
runoff, and debris intowaterways. These nonpoint source
pollution, aspects exacerbate alot of ecosystem stress. The
third one, economic pressurescan create a lot of barriers to
progress, so modernizing waterinfrastructure requires
substantial financialinvestment. And communities we
know have constrained budgets.This can lead to deferred
(04:23):
maintenance that increasesvulnerability to catastrophic
events and failures over time.And then compounding these
issues is, of course, climatechange, and I know we'll talk
about that later. Intensifyingrainfall variability places a
lot of unprecedented stress onour water management systems. So
these shifts challenge theoriginal design of our aging
(04:43):
infrastructure.
Erin Garrett (04:44):
The infrastructure is a thing that seems to come up
all the time. So I'm insouthernmost Illinois, and in
our rural communities, it seemsto kinda be, like, that's that
big problem. Right? Is thatthere hasn't necessarily been
that long term planning tobudget for and save to, you
know, update and replace thatinfrastructure. And it seems
like all we have the funds andability to do is just patch it
(05:05):
as parts of it fail or break.And it's just, like, kind of a
ticking time bomb that we'rewaiting for something really bad
to happen. So that definitely,you know, that infrastructure
with the economic capacity is,like, a huge challenge.
Abigail Garofalo (05:17):
I wonder too, given the age, like, we we learn
new information about the thingsthat we installed however many
years ago. So, like, there'snewer technologies, newer
materials that we can use in ourinfrastructure that, you know,
are maybe safer or less or moredurable. You know, that aging
infrastructure doesn't havethose newer pieces to it,
(05:39):
that'll make it a little moreresilient. And so that planning
piece comes into play as wellas, like, well, we don't wanna
just install it and have to fixit every once in a while. We
want it to last for a reallylong time. So how do we plan for
a system that we don't have topatch for so many years? And
then the maintenance of thatsystem, big challenges. One of
the solutions that comes up alot to the issues that we talked
(06:01):
about of putting a lot lessstress on our infrastructure
that the stormwater causes isgreen infrastructure. So what
are some ways that communitiescan integrate green
infrastructure to improvestormwater management?
Kara Salazar (06:14):
Right. So green infrastructure is a great tool
to have in the toolbox, becausethey do leverage natural
processes to address a lot ofdifferent types of stormwater
challenges. So for example, raingardens, these are engineered
bioretention systems, which willcapture and infiltrate
stormwater runoff, and they verymuch mimic our natural
hydrological processes. Theyreduce peak flow rates, they
(06:37):
filter contaminants and rechargegroundwater, and, of course,
they can look very beautiful,but they are also very
functional as a localizedecosystem service. And permeable
pavements are another one thatoffer some advanced solutions.
These materials are engineeredwith high porosity so that
precipitation will infiltratedirectly into subsoil. And as a
result, they'll reduce floodingrisks by mitigating surface
(07:00):
runoff and facilitatingrecharge. And applications can
be pretty versatile, so you canhave them in parking lots and
sidewalks. Another one are urbantree canopies. These provide
really critical benefits. Treesmitigate a lot of stormwater
impacts through intersection,evapotranspiration, soil
stabilization, and also improveurban microclimates. In fact, a
(07:21):
single mature tree can manageseveral hundred gallons of
stormwater annually, which willsignificantly reduce runoff. So
keeping those trees intact andalso planting more is really
important.
Bioswales are another tool,sometimes mistaken for drainage
channels, but these are highlyeffective landscape features,
and they're optimized forstormwater conveyance and
(07:42):
pollutant filtration. But theyhave to be designed with
specific vegetation and soilcompositions so that they can
enhance water quality whilesupporting biodiversity too. And
really the core principle ofgreen infrastructure is to use a
systems based approach, whichintegrates the natural and built
environments. And unlike ourconventional gray
infrastructure, which focusessolely on conveyance and
(08:05):
storage, getting water away fromthings and storing it for a
while. Green infrastructureprioritizes multifunctionality,
which is really, reallyimportant. So they
simultaneously deliverhydrological, ecological, and
social benefits.
Abigail Garofalo (08:18):
I work mainly in, like, the residential
landscape. I do some communitythings, but it's so interesting
to hear you, like, bring upthose options, right, for green
infrastructure because Inormally hear them on, like,
home landscapes. Right? Like,it's like, oh, make your
driveway a permeable pavement oryour pathways and things like
that, or do these rain gardens.And you're talking about it on a
community scale and also, like,the systemic planning piece of,
(08:40):
like, if we use some spaces thatare underutilized, like, let's
increase the functionality ofsome of these spaces to improve
stormwater resilience, right,and in like, beautify the
community and add other value toit that of all the benefits that
you mentioned. So there's thispiece that goes it's not just,
you know, what one spacebenefits from. It's these
(09:03):
integration within all of them,which is so neat to think about.
Erin Garrett (09:06):
Yeah. And I'm really struck by the trees when
it comes back to, like, all thedifferent benefits. In our last
season, we had Justin Vozzo onto chat about kind of the urban
forest and all the benefits thatwe gain from having increased
trees in our communities andmanaging them properly. That's
gonna be our next theme now.It's gonna be trees come back in
each podcast episode. And howhow just multipurpose and
(09:31):
functional they are and justreally, I think, easily
overlooked and can be reallyundervalued a lot of the times,
especially those mature trees,right, that we've had in our
communities that have been therefor decades that are kind of the
first to go when newconstruction comes. Right? And
it makes me so sad every timeseeing those.
Abigail Garofalo (09:48):
I was visiting, my cousin, and she
lives in a an like, a newdevelopment neighborhood. And
she was talking aboutcomposting, and her partner was
talking about composting. And Iwas like, oh, yeah. You just,
like, grab leaves. And I lookedaround, and I was like, you have
no leaves in the fall becauseit's such a new development that
there are none. And I was like,that's wild, like, that this is
a like, you can't like, thisshe's like, she has no browns to
(10:11):
work with. And so just like thatidea. And there's some really
great resources out there ifyou're looking for, like, how do
I talk with my neighbors aboutplanting trees or how do I talk
with my local community aboutplanting trees, the Chicago
Region Trees Initiative, notjust for Chicago. There's a lot
of resources that applythroughout the state and in the
region as well that can talkabout, like, the benefits of
(10:34):
trees. I know too, like, if youare in my neck of the woods, you
can look up, like, your treecanopy percentages and things
like that to find out what wherewhere those levels are and and
see because it's adding thosestormwater benefits so immensely
and and all of those other,like, social and health benefits
as well. So definitely check outthose resources on that site.
Erin Garrett (10:54):
Yeah. For sure. So in talking about kind of that
new development, right, that youmentioned, Abigail, we know that
there's continued growth in ourcommunities, of course. So how
can communities kind of balancethat need or drive for continued
development with kind of thepreservation of our natural
water resources?
Kara Salazar (11:12):
Yeah. So one of the concepts that comes out to
me with this question iscomprehensive watershed
planning. And so this really canbe expanded to other types of
collaborative effort, but itreally is critical to think
about this lens, examiningdevelopment through ecosystem
services, accounting for theinterconnected impacts of land
(11:33):
use on water resources acrosswatersheds, and also across
communities and municipalities.So these types of watershed
planning initiatives are oftensupported by nonprofit
organizations or governmentagencies, and key to them is
fostering collaboration amongmunicipalities and other groups,
interested parties. So theseefforts do aim to create shared
(11:53):
visions and coordinatedstrategies that align
development goals with localizedstormwater management and water
resource protection.
The other concept that I wannalift up to is a one water
approach as a planning strategy,and so this emphasizes
collaboration and partnershipamong water users to prepare for
and balance multiple water needswithin a community and a
(12:15):
watershed. So by using theseapproaches, communities can
recognize that their actionsupstream, of course, will impact
downstream and that we do needto work together. Also,
communities are increasinglyadopting proactive measures to
safeguard water resources. Forexample, policies requiring
developers to limit impervioussurface coverage and conduct
(12:37):
hydrological impact assessmentsfor projects near waterways are
now pretty common, and land useplanning tools such as overlay
districts and zoning regulationsprovide additional protection
for water resources, ensuringthat development will complement
rather than disrupt naturalsystems. And communities are
leveraging green infrastructureincentive programs to encourage
(12:59):
things like water focuseddesigns so municipalities can
align economic motivations withecological preservation by
offering density bonuses, taxcredit, expedited permitting, or
reduced fees for projects thatare exceeding stormwater
management standards. And theseincentives can make sustainable
practices financially viableand attractive.
Abigail Garofalo (13:19):
I'm remembering back, like, a lot of
those kind of, like, municipalcodes or zones can seem really
frustrating and, like, annoyingor even, like, unnecessary. But
one of our state outreachassociates, he was talking
about, like, hey. Here's thereason why, like, certain height
limits exist. Some of them are,like, a little extra, but, like,
in site zones and things likethat, they're necessary. And it
(13:39):
makes me think of, like, when myin laws, they wanted to do an
addition on the house, and theyweren't allowed to expand beyond
a certain point because apercentage of their property had
to be permeable surface in thatcommunity.
So, when you put foundation anda roof over it, right, that's
now impermeable, surface that'sgonna all run into a space. And
(13:59):
so he had to come up withsolutions, especially because
he's right near a creek as well.And so, like, having more of
that runoff, things like that.So it makes us think about,
like, why does this certainregulation, this certain thing
exist in the first place thatwon't allow me to do what I
wanna do? There might be areason bigger than the city just
doesn't want you to have a bighouse. Right? Because there are
(14:22):
there are certain pieces thatthe community has to think of on
a whole, like you said, like,level. It's not just your
property. Water doesn't careabout your property lines. It's
gonna go to the path of leastresistance and the quickest path
that it can find. I did have aquestion for you, Kara. Can you
talk a little bit more aboutthis one water concept?
Kara Salazar (14:40):
Sure. So one water planning strategy, it does very
much foster collaboration, andit's thinking through,
and you're setting up, you know,your shared vision, your
mission, your goals, and thingslike that so that you do have a
(15:05):
shared management vision acrossyour different users for One
Water. We do have an Extensionpublication on that, and,
hopefully, folks can get accessto that. It talks a little bit
more in-depth about some of thedifferent ways that some
communities, have applied thisapproach. It is very much a
collaborative effort.
Abigail Garofalo (15:24):
Great. We'll definitely share that in the
show note and on theaccompanying blog because we
can't all have the expertise ineverything. Right? So we have
these different areas ofexpertise within communities
that all address certainspecific aspects because it's
it's beneficial, but how are wecommunicating across those?
Because, like you said, we allhave the same goal. We all have
one water. And so this idea of astructured approach and, like,
this mindset, this lens in whichwe're approaching this issue is
(15:47):
really great. Awesome. So whenwe're thinking about bringing
all these people together whenit comes to our water and
addressing water management andthings like that, how important
is community involvement andeducation in the success of
water management initiatives?
Kara Salazar (16:01):
This is an incredibly important concept and
effort. So effective watermanagement is very collaborative
and should be community centeredand, involving a lot of
different perspectives andpeople, because we all use water
in some way, shape, or form.Public involvement and education
are really essential to thataspect then for fostering a
(16:21):
deeper understanding of watersystems and also empowering
training, educating folks on howto contribute to sustainable
solutions. And educationprograms can also play a pivotal
role in demystifying watersystems because they can be
complicated. By helpingindividuals understand a water's
journey from rainfall to tap andback to the ecosystem, programs
(16:44):
can inspire people to becomeeducators within their
communities too.
So for example, we have therainscaping education program
that's offered by PurdueExtension, University of
Illinois Extension, and IllinoisIndiana Sea Grant, and this
exemplifies this approach. Weprovide hands on training to
design and implement solutionslike rain gardens, which capture
and filter stormwater, ofcourse. And participants are
(17:06):
also equipped to support localrain garden outreach programs,
once they're trained in thiseffort. Another component then
are community scienceinitiatives, which invite
participants to directly engagein water resources management
effort, and these types ofprojects combine local knowledge
with scientific methodologies.And another great program
example we have is the IllinoisIndiana Water Stewards Program.
(17:29):
This is a newer effort, and wetrain participants to identify
local watershed challenges andimplement practical conservation
strategies with communitypartners. And it's another
program that we're also jointlyoffering now with Purdue
Extension, University ofIllinois Extension, and Illinois
Indiana Sea Grant. So across theboard, these local workshops,
(17:49):
school programs, and communityscience projects play a really
important role in translatingabstract concepts into
actionable steps. And I thinkthat's the most important thing
to take away here, that we wantto help community members make
informed decisions and takemeaningful action.
Erin Garrett (18:05):
Yeah. For sure. And there's lots of those
opportunities. Right? I know Ihelped lead a rainscaping
workshop five years ago. It'sbeen a long time, but really
cool opportunity. And thengetting the chance to, like,
actually install a rain gardenand do the build together with
the participants was really Idon't know. That hands on
learning, I think, helps reallybreak things down and make it to
where it's not just thingsyou're hearing about in a
(18:26):
lecture or reading in atextbook, but actually doing the
physical work makes it seem alot more achievable, I think, in
helping go through that process.And I know, Abigail, you've done
rainscaping as well in yourcommunities.
Abigail Garofalo (18:38):
Yeah. We did ours a little bit differently.
We didn't do the communityinstall. We did each individual
created their own personalizedrain garden plan. So they
basically were like, I wanna puta rain garden on my property or
some kind. And some of themlearned too, which is great, is,
like, is a rain garden a goodfit, or is it maybe a native
planting or other greatinfrastructure solutions? Or and
(19:01):
we and this is what I like aboutprogram too is it looks at all
pieces too. Like, it looks atthe planting installations as
kind of, like, the central zone,but we talk about how they need
to work in tandem with otherthings. Like, where is the water
going? What are the bestsolutions that work with that?
And so thinking about it on thatsystem scale even just within
your own property is reallyneat. And we had a lot I mean, a
(19:21):
lot of people felt, like, thelow reviews of that were like,
wow. I can do this. I caninstall a rain garden. I didn't
just walk away being like, whatcan I do? I I have no excuse not
to do it anymore. And so thatwas pretty cool.
And the watershed stewardsprogram is really, really neat.
I was involved in thedevelopment of that, and one of
our colleagues, Peggy Anesi,longtime friend of the pod, has
(19:44):
implemented that in Illinois,and Indiana has had it for
several years as well. And justhaving that on the ground
learning and what I love aboutboth of those programs is you
get to see, like, the communitypieces. You get to see what is
being done in your communityabout watersheds, about
watershed health, what is beingdone in your community with rain
(20:06):
garden installations and thingslike that. So you get to hear
from local communities. You getto see rain gardens in your
local community. You get to seelocal watershed action and
projects and and talk to peoplewho are doing that work, which
is really, really empoweringbecause you're like, wow. Okay.
Like and especially at a timewhen I feel like in the natural
resources world, theenvironmental science world, you
(20:26):
can feel a little down on thethings that are happening and
the way our climate is going.But I think that's the best
medicine is, like, going out andtalking to people who are doing
awesome things because it justgives you a lot of energy to go
also do awesome things, and Ithink we all need that a little
bit in our life. Didn't know youall would get a motivational
speech from this podcasttoday, huh?
Erin Garrett (20:44):
I love it. That's great. You mentioned climate,
Abigail, so that kinda is agreat segue. I love segue for a
question. Kara, what role doesclimate change play in our water
resource planning forsustainable communities? And
then kind of with that, how cancommunities kind of prep for and
mitigate the impacts of theextreme weather events that
(21:05):
we're experiencing?
Kara Salazar (21:07):
Right. So this is a big one that we're facing in
multiple ways and levels. Right?So, you know, we know climate
change introduces a lot ofvariability in our weather
patterns, and we have, morefrequent and intense storms,
prolonged droughts, andunpredictable precipitation. Our
traditional water managementsystems, which were designed
(21:27):
more for the historical norms,are becoming more ill equipped
to handle these extremes. Futuresystems then we have that we
have to build and adapt, needmore flexibility and resilience
to manage this uncertainty.Also, the changes in rainfall
distribution challenge existinginfrastructure. We see that
we're increasing the risk offlooding in some regions and
(21:49):
water scarcity in others, andthese shifts really necessitate
adaptive infrastructure thatmanages excess water during
storms and then sustain supplyduring dry periods too. We
really do need both now.
Abigail Garofalo (22:02):
Kara, those systems built for, like, the
average, we we like homeostasis.Right? Like, we like things to
stay same, but the way thatwe're seeing these changing
weather patterns is, like, we'regonna see extremes. So we can't
just build systems for theaverage anymore. We kind of have
to figure out what is theextremes and build within those
(22:23):
boundaries as opposed to beinglike, well, as long as it stays
right here, like, that's notwhere we live anymore. And
that's really difficult to do.
Kara Salazar (22:29):
Yeah. So address that, we really need to think
about integrated stormwatermanagement. So, with this
emphasis is placed on updatinginfrastructure, carefully
selecting and installingappropriate green infrastructure
solutions for specific siteconditions, and conserving
natural areas to maximize floodcontrol and improve water
(22:50):
quality. So, for example,infrastructure needs to be
designed to anticipate theseextreme weather events that you
were talking about andincorporating features like
enhanced drainage systems,expanded stormwater retention
basins to think about that thoseebbs and flows, and distributed
systems reduce reliance onsingle infrastructure points. So
(23:11):
think about greeninfrastructure. We wanna enhance
redundancy and minimizevulnerabilities. So we want to
have rain gardens, bioswales,and green roofs that manage
stormwater locally while improvewater quality like we're seeing
in in all these other processestoo. We also wanna protect
natural features likeforestlands and riparian areas
(23:32):
as much as possible, which helpskeep intact our natural
hydrologic systems. This is avery effective strategy, of
course, for managing extremeweather events if we have the
natural features in place.
Another thing that I wannamention too on the community
side and the planning side iscreating a robust emergency
response plan. So this is reallyessential for communities to
(23:52):
build resilience to extremeweather events. The plans need
to outline rapid deployment ofresources, coordination, and
collaboration across agencies,which is a common theme we're
hearing and seeing, right, andintegration of community based
responses to minimizedisruptions when we have a
crisis. One program I want tolift up or network is the
(24:12):
Extension Disaster EducationNetwork or EDEN, e d e n. This
is a collaborative nationaleffort that works to reduce the
impact of disasters throughresource based education. And
this is a program familiar tothose of us in Extension.
Illinois and Indiana both haveEDEN programs too that we
support.
One of the areas of support thatthis network also offers is
(24:34):
through education, training, andresources for setting up
community organizations activein disasters, also known as
COADs. These COADs strengthenarea wide disaster coordination
by promoting planning to reducethe impact of disasters,
including facilitatingcommunication, coordination,
collaboration, cooperation, allthe c's. So connect with local
(24:55):
Extension or visit the EDENwebsite to learn more about
these important resources. Themain takeaway that I want folks
to think about too, is thatwater resource planning in the
face of climate change is verycollaborative. We really very
much need the combination ofscientific innovation, community
involvement, and forward lookingproactive policy to address it.
Abigail Garofalo (25:16):
We can't just rely on one of those for sure
because you need the localcommunity to have that expertise
of, like, where things are, whatis needed, where the almost,
like, pain points are. I feellike local communities are
really good at that, like, theon the ground people. And then
that innovative technology,those innovative thinkers of,
like, what are some creativesolutions we can do that with?
(25:36):
You mentioned a lot of, like,system that has a lot of
duplicates or what's the wordyou used?
Kara Salazar (25:42):
Redundancy. So
Abigail Garofalo (25:43):
Redundancy.
Kara Salazar (25:44):
Several different points rather than a single
infrastructure point that can adistributed system. So it
reduces that reliance on onemain big point. So if you have
things like infrastructurethat's helping to disseminate
some of the pressure, that canbe helpful. And, again, this has
to be very site specific andvery appropriate for the
situation.
Abigail Garofalo (26:04):
Also noticing another theme that there's no
magic solution that's gonna fitevery space, every community.
Right? Like, solutions even injust, like, my community versus
Erin's community are gonna lookreally different. Even my
community next door. Right?There's different water systems
that exist there. There'sdifferent infrastructure,
different hydrology. Things likethat are all going to it's
(26:27):
there's no one size fits allsolution, but there is a good
lens, which is collaboration,cooperation. What are the all
the c's that you mentioned is agreat lens for addressing some
of these issues.
Thank you so much, Kara, forsharing your wonderful knowledge
on community planning and justresiliency and stormwater and
and all of the challenges thatwe'll be facing with water and
(26:50):
and how we can address those.
Kara Salazar (26:51):
Thank you for having me today.
Abigail Garofalo (26:53):
Well, now we are going to finish today's
episode with everydayobservations where we highlight
the mundane and normal of ourenvironment that is actually
really interesting. Erin, whydon't you kick us off?
Erin Garrett (27:04):
Sure. So on theme with our water podcast and kind
of what we've talked abouttoday, we had a lot of rain
yesterday, a big rainstorm thatcame through. And I was driving
on the highway and was goingthrough kind of a bluff area,
and there were waterfalls thatwere on the side of the road
that had started, because of theamount of rain that we had. And
(27:26):
it just kind of reminded me ofthe huge number of waterfalls
that we have in southernIllinois, but they're
intermittent waterfalls. Sopeople will travel and come to
see them, and they'll come inthe middle of the summer when
it's super dry and there'snothing flowing.
But at this time of the year, inthe wintertime, and, you know,
in the spring, of course, it's agreat time to get out and hike,
(27:47):
and you can kind of find thesetreasures that are not always
flowing, but it's kind of aspecial treat when you do catch
it at the right time. And youget to see these awesome
waterfalls. I know that'ssomething that we always go
hiking and looking for in thespring, and it's really cool. So
kinda wanted to highlight a goodside of the water system and the
rain that we get is kind of thatnatural wonder that we get to
(28:09):
experience that's really, reallyfun.
Abigail Garofalo (28:10):
Waterfalls are really interesting geologically
because, like, they have thattwo different type of stone,
like, rock that, like, that'seroded underneath that kinda
caused that offshoot. Like, justlooking at, like, why does that
waterfall exist? What causedthat this kind of, like, break
in this point is really, reallyinteresting to think about and
and really cool. And you need,like, a waterfall watch that,
(28:31):
like, notifies you're like,okay. I'm heading down today.
I'm gonna go see the waterfall.
Erin Garrett (28:36):
Anytime after a big rain, we're like, let's go
now. Now is the day.
Abigail Garofalo (28:41):
Awesome. Well, Kara, what is your everyday
observation?
Kara Salazar (28:44):
I recently got to visit a couple of cool sites
with my family. Kankakee SandsBison Viewing, which is in,
like, north central Indiana,Newton County. So you can see a
really cool prairie restorationproject and a bison herd. It's a
Nature Conservancy project andseveral other partners have been
involved there. And then not tootoo far away, it's about, oh, I
(29:08):
think forty five minutes or so,you can go see the sandhill
cranes at Jasper Pulaski Fishand Wildlife Area, and they have
a really great observation spotthere. So having a little road
trip and seeing those two thingsfor the fall migration and then
getting to see some bison werereally cool.
Abigail Garofalo (29:26):
I stand by this. I said it again in another
podcast for one of my everydayobservations. sandhill cranes
are, like, wild. They're justwild animals. Wild in the sense
to, like, just blow my mindbecause they're just so big.
They they feel like dinosaurs,in my opinion. Like, they're,
like, they're just, like, hugeand just, like, out there. It's
(29:46):
just crazy to me.
Kara Salazar (29:48):
They are. And they sound so cool.
Abigail Garofalo (29:51):
Yes. They're so cool. They're like I, like,
stop what I'm doing anytime Isee them. I'm like, oh my gosh.
Stop. Everybody stop. There's athey're up there. We gotta see
them. So that's awesome.
Kara Salazar (30:01):
Definitely worth a little trip if you wanna take a
little road trip to northcentral Indiana and see those
two things. I recommend it.
Abigail Garofalo (30:08):
Well, my everyday observation certainly
may feel mundane. It's a littlephenology. So I have just been
looking. We've had just like aweird fall winter season. Up
here, we recently had like alittle, like, warm spout. It's
really foggy. And then it wasreally cold right before that.
It's getting cold again. And inthe fall, we had, like, lilacs
(30:29):
blooming for some reason and,like, hydrangeas blooming. It
was really weird.
And so I'm just trying to, like,take stock of my garden and
notice, like, what still hasleaves and what's green. And not
still has leaves in the senseof, like, like, oak trees, how
they kinda keep their browndeader leaves, but, like,
what's, like, green and stillthere? And I'm also based on
(30:50):
looking them, I'm noticing it'sa lot of my non native ones that
were there before I before Imoved in that, like, a lot like,
the previous owners planted. Ihave a honeysuckle and a
barberry that I'm looking to getrid of. I'm trying. I'm working
on it. It's just, like, youknow, a slow process. You know,
barberries aren't green, but itstill certainly looks fine for
winter. And so and thehoneysuckle as well. And so I'm
(31:14):
just, like, looking at them, andI'm like, this is an adaptation
and an advantage that this planthas over the other native
species in my yard.
And it just kinda tells me alittle bit more about the things
that I have in my landscape andbased on my knowledge of ecology
and what should be there or whatshouldn't. Just kind of more
information, and and I thinkit's really interesting to just
kinda look at it. What's in myown space? And what's green?
(31:36):
What's not? Why ask thosequestions about it? So that's my
observation today.
Erin Garrett (31:41):
I love that. I have green native things in my
garden still, Abigail. The alumroot is still going strong. It's
still green, the leaves. It'sgreen.
Abigail Garofalo (31:50):
You're 300 miles south.
Erin Garrett (31:51):
I know. But Still, we had a cold spell, and it was
real cold. But, no, it wasdefinitely a crazy year. I had
flowers still blooming inDecember. My purple poppy
mallows bloomed again. Thiscrazy I had butterfly milkweed,
like, send up new green shoots,and I was like, what are you
doing, silly? It's, like, notthe right time of year for that.
(32:12):
So it definitely was crazy.It'll be interesting to see what
happens next year.
Abigail Garofalo (32:17):
Yeah. They're sending the wrong message to the
insects for sure. Like, I'mcurious to see the studies in
the next few years of, like,insect populations. I'd love
love to see a study, this isvery niche, of, like, impacts of
these, like, late term bloomsand shoots and things like that
on their corresponding insectpopulations. Like, do they get
confused. Or is there, like,daylight kind of recognition
(32:39):
there that the insectsthemselves have I don't know.
I'm just curious because I wasjust like, that would be
confusing for me. What? There'snormally not food at this time.
That's why I go to sleep. Youknow? Alright.
Well, Kara, thank you again forcoming on the podcast and
chatting with us and nerding outwith us and just giving us all
this really wonderfulinformation to discuss and to
share with our audience. Wereally appreciate it.
Kara Salazar (33:02):
Thank you. I appreciate you both. Thank you
for having me, and this is a lotof fun.
Abigail Garofalo (33:07):
Well, this has been another episode of the
Everyday Environment podcast.Check out next week where we
talk with Scott Kuykendall aboutwater resources in northern
Illinois. This podcast is aUniversity of Illinois Extension
production hosted and edited byAbigail Garofalo, Erin Garrett,
and Amy Lefringhouse.
Matt Wiley (33:30):
University of Illinois Extension.
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