Turning a Problem Into an Asset

摘要

America's water resources have been in trouble for decades and it is our fault. We began cleaning up our water problems, beginning with the Clean Water Act of 1972, which initially focused upon "point source" pollution. More recent legislation expanded the effort to control "non-point source" pollution, most often associated with stormwater runoff. No doubt, these efforts have demonstrated successes, with numerous others to follow. These laws result in standard of minimum compliance and can be too restrictive upon the development potential of our resources, especially water. The restrictive nature of these laws makes it hard to see the real potential of stormwater management, which is economic potential. As we try to establish minimum criteria for levels of sediment, hydrocarbons, phosphorus, mercury, etc., in our water ― at any given point in the water cycle, these levels immediately become the lowest level of quality we aim to achieve. We must also recognize that in our society, both change and quality are usually obtained with a hefty price tag attached. How can we begin to change our development perspective, if not our entire society, to encourage the maximization of our resources instead of minimization? The key is money, both present and future dollars. Current money flow appears to be primarily in one direction ― from the developer (or redeveloper) to the "community." Secondarily (and not to be dismissed as minor) is the flow from the community ― in the form of federal, state and local taxes.