Our organization runs a successful behavior change program for homeowners reducing pollution in the Elizabeth River. We have had a lot of discussion recently on how we can quantify the pollution reduction impact of those behavior changes like scoop the poop, not flushing medicines, preventing leaf litter from entering the storm drain, etc. I am coming up empty on scientific data backing up the amount of pollution these behaviors can prevent from entering our river. Has anyone else tried determining these metrics before? Can anyone point me in the direction of helpful resources, groups or government agencies that could provide quantifiable results?
Quantifying pollution reduction from Behavior Changes
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You could check with your local agencies that have NPDES stormwater discharge permits. They are probably required to monitor water quality and report it to the state. That data should be public information and you could compare data collected before and after your program began to see if there is a change in water quality indicators.
At the Huron River Watershed Council, we do a lot of water quality monitoring: bio, habitat, chem and flow, and natural areas assessments. Our research programs are done consistently so we can track trends. More info here: https://www.hrwc.org/what-we-do/programs/ hope this answer is not too late. just joined this forum.
Hi Barbara,
That's good to hear that your organization is running a successful behaviour change program to reduce pollution in the Elizabeth River.
Your two best bets for partnership on metrics would be either the City of Norfolk (Keep Norfolk Beautiful or Public Health departments), or if not, Norfolk State University should have some capacity to do waste audits in the river. You could try contacting their Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management department to see if they will partner with you. If that doesn't work, you could see if there are any professors at the university who are willing to co-pilot a project with you to get their students involved in hands-on learning.
Kind regards,
Julie
That's good to hear that your organization is running a successful behaviour change program to reduce pollution in the Elizabeth River.
Your two best bets for partnership on metrics would be either the City of Norfolk (Keep Norfolk Beautiful or Public Health departments), or if not, Norfolk State University should have some capacity to do waste audits in the river. You could try contacting their Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management department to see if they will partner with you. If that doesn't work, you could see if there are any professors at the university who are willing to co-pilot a project with you to get their students involved in hands-on learning.
Kind regards,
Julie
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