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Watershed Certificate Program
A 6-week certificate program for the local business community, developers, consultants, lawyers, civil servants and other interested community stakeholders providing an integrated approach to the science, economics and policy of environmental water quality management in a watershed, with a focus on the local watersheds encompassing Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.
Jointly offered by the Hoag Center for Real Estate and Finance and Schmid College of Science at Chapman University with co-sponsorship by Miocean.
- 5 weekly sessions (Modules 1-5): 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Monday beginning June 15; classes at Chapman University’s main campus in Orange
- 1 weekend session (Module 6): 10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 18; off-site luncheon, location TBA
- Program cost: $300 (includes materials and luncheon)
Hoag Center Director: Jack Broughton, Argyros School of Business and Economics, broughto@chapman.edu
Program Coordinator: Catherine D. Clark, Associate Professor, environmental aquatic chemistry, cclark@chapman.edu
CURRICULUM
Module 1: Defining the problem
Catherine D. Clark, PhD, Dept. of Chemistry
- What is urban run-off?
- What is a watershed?
- Santa Ana River watershed
- Small scale watersheds (Class project: Find out the watershed you live in and identify existing challenges to the water quality)
- Whose problem is it?
- Inland vs. coastal cities and their perspectives
- Who pays for the improvements?
- Short and long term economic consequences
- Some local examples
- Regional coastal tourism examples
- Biggest challenges facing our coastlines and way of life
- Climate change implications
- Land development impacts on beach sand supply
- Growth of public involvement
- Local educational programs for children
- Increase in public awareness
- Grant opportunities
- Federal, state, local
- CA beach initiatives
- Prop 50 and Prop 84
- Measure M
Module 2: Understanding the science
Christopher S. Kim, PhD, Dept. of Chemistry
- Properties of water
- Water as a universal solvent
- Buffering capacity of natural waters
- Specific heat
- Polar nature, surface tension
- The water cycle (hands-on group activity)
- Surface runoff and erosion
- Groundwater/water table
- Aquifers
- Types of water contamination
- Metals
- Organic contaminants
- Eutrophication
- Saltwater intrusion
- Methods of cleanup
- Aeration/redox
- Precipitation
- Filtration/reverse osmosis
- Desalination
- The science of water: thinking critically
- Importance of contaminant speciation
- Bottled water vs. tap water: assessing “quality”
- Wastewater into drinking water?
Module 3: Economic and political implications
Donald Booth, PhD, Dept. of Economics; David Shafie, PhD., Dept of Political Science; guest lecturers/panel: environmental group representatives
- Water as a Resource
- Efficient allocation of Scarce Water
- Surface water
- Ground Water
- Water Pollution
- Nature of Water Pollution
- Markets, Regulation, Government Production
- Establishing Transferable Property Rights
- Government Regulation
- Command and Control
- Incentive Systems
- Government Production
- Water Delivery
- Water Reclamation
- Flood Control
- Political Influences on water quality protection
- beaches and inland water bodies
- Growth of public involvement, NGOs and community-based stakeholders
- Roles of local and national NGO’s/environmental based community groups
- Positive
- Raise awareness of issue
- Hold government responsible for enforcing their own rules
- Keep private development community in check
- Negative
- Economics/cost implications largely ignored
- Standards pushed for often technically infeasible
- Threats of litigation used as primary approach to resolving issue
- Compromise viewed as losing
- Local examples – roles and differences
- Surfrider
- Heal the Bay
- Orange County Coastkeeper
- Sierra Club
- Miocean
Module 4: Regulatory framework
Guest lecturers: environmental lawyer and city representative / Water Board RepresentativeTBD
- Overview of NPDES permits (EPA down to state and local level)
- Local implementation of NPDES programs
- Identify significance of permit language on industry
- Existing development
- Public outreach and education
- Pollution prevention/good housekeeping
- Construction and new development
- Watershed-based approaches
- Santa Monica Beaches TMDL
- Solana Beach bacteria TMDL
- San Diego Creek/Upper Newport bay sediment program
- Green building programs and initiatives
- USGBC and LEED
- Green Neighborhoods
- Low impact development (LID)
- Incentive programs
- Fast tracking and tax rebates
- Linkage between new development and carbon footprint
- Assembly Bills 32 and 375
Module 5: Land development response to watershed protection
Ian Adams: Civil engineer, Fuscoe Engineering
- Design solutions for land development
- Objective: reduce urban run-off and improve water quality
- Residential examples (individual and master planned communities)
- Retail and commercial examples
- Institutional developments
- Sustainable communities (ULI examples)
- Regional solutions
- Salt creek plant
- City of Huntington Beach Wetlands Diversion
- Poche Beach
Module 6: Conclusion and real world solutions
Off-site luncheon with guest speakers
- Design solutions to integrate more treatment and re-use on community wide scales (field site examples)
- Future trends for water quality solutions and water shed protection (lunch speaker)
- Private/public partnerships
- Role of individual and neighborhood groups
- Future direction NPDES programs: water conservation
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