Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2010CT220B

Water Education for Local Decisionmakers

Institute: Connecticut
Year Established: 2010 Start Date: 2010-03-01 End Date: 2011-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $17,531 Total Non-Federal Funds: $8,495

Principal Investigators: Glenn Warner, Patricia Bresnahan

Project Summary: In CT, water resources are increasingly being impacted by the results of decisions made at the local scale. Most local decision makers do not have a good understanding of basic hydrologic processes such as infiltration and ground water. There is a need to educate local decision-makers about how their decisions affect water resources, e.g. the role of land use in controlling infiltration and therefore the amount of runoff. The purpose of this project is to define the key requirements of an education program that teaches local decision-makers in the state of Connecticut basic hydrologic principles and how land use decisions may change the hydrology, and to develop the core curriculum for that program.The target audience will be defined and described. The major elements of the core curriculum will be defined, existing water education efforts and curricula will be assessed and recommended program delivery methods will be developed. A financial analysis will be conducted that will estimate the potential costs of implementing the education program and will identify funding sources and alternatives. The planning information gained from this project will be used to assist stakeholders and potential implementers with formulating a strategy for developing a basic hydrology education program for local decision-makers and to advocate for funding of that program. The core curriculum developed will be used to educate local decision-makers whose actions affect water resources.