Communities have a choice in how they manage stormwater.

They can continue to address it on a site-by-site basis with traditional infrastructure like curbs, gutters, pipes and manufactured basins; or they can take a more integrated, regional approach offered by the basic tenants of Smart Growth. MEC is preparing an educational program for four coastal watersheds to promote Smart Growth practices like infill development, farmland preservation and transportation options. Those will build the contextual backbone for effective watershed-wide stormwater management programs.

The four chosen communities are Muskegon, Grand Haven, Mount Clemens and Monroe. MEC intends to start with these cities along the coasts and work with them to engage the surrounding townships in a joint effort to manage water resources.

MEC has brought together a diverse set of stakeholders for a steering committee. The committee, with members from the Michigan Townships Association, Michigan Association of Planning, Smart Growth America and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is already through its second meeting. Members have helped to create a message that will resonate with local officials.

To gain entrée into these communities, MEC will work with an advocacy organization and a local government group from each. The first outreach will take place in the form of a general "Smart Growth for Clean Water" brochure, which is being finalized. The second outreach will be in the form of a community-specific white paper that will identify the major regional assets for the community as well as ongoing watershed management initiatives. MEC has found that some communities have great efforts already underway.

For example, the City of Muskegon, along with all 27 local units of government in Muskegon County, participated in a regional planning process that was directed by the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission. The non-binding Muskegon Area Plan focuses on infill development and the protection of the valuable coastline as management tools for coordinating the region's extensive population growth.

Also, the City of Mount Clemens has been participating in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair Comprehensive Management Plan. This is an effort to identify major sources of pollution in Lake St. Clair and its watershed and to suggest appropriate action. MEC is working hard to infuse these efforts with Smart Growth values that will pay huge dividends for communities in the future.

For more information on "Smart Growth for Clean Water," contact Brad Garmon at bradmec@voyager.net or read online at http://www.mecprotects.org/confsummary.htm.