Wisconsin Environmental Initiative: Clean Clear Waters Challenge announced for local builders

Contact: John Imes, Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI)
(608) 280-0360; (608) 712-7898 (cell)

Clean Clear Waters Challenge Announced for Local Builders

First Clean Clear Waters certified home highlights advanced erosion control and storm water management practices to help clean our waters

MADISON – A bold new program will now enable local building projects to obtain a “Clean Clear Waters” designation by complying with advanced erosion control practices. The program will officially be unveiled at the first Clean Clear Waters certified home. Located in the Village of Shorewood Hills, the home captures 100% of rooftop run-off with rainwater recovery and native landscaping features and used advanced erosion control and storm water management practices during construction.

The event Tuesday is designed to highlight the important role builders and developers can play in improving our lakes by implementing best practices in erosion control, landscape conservation and storm water management. Run-off from construction sites can cause soil erosion and contain contaminants that are harmful to waterways.

“Madison area lakes are the emerald jewels of our region’s quality of life,” said WEI Executive Director John Imes. “With increasing attempts by state policy makers to reduce local control of water quality standards, we need new tools and innovative strategies to help clean our waters.”

The role of local communities will also be highlighted at the event. While the Clean Clear Waters Checklist provides over 40 strategies to reduce impacts to waterways, builders’ must also comply with the erosion control plan required for building permits by the local municipality.

“The Village of Shorewood Hills incorporates extensive bio-retention community rain gardens and administers rigorous erosion control and storm water regulations,” said Village Administrator Karl Frantz. “The Clean Clear Waters designation will only enhance efforts to preserve our lakes for future generations.”

Located at 1008 Edgehill Dr. in the Village of Shorewood Hills, the first Clean Clean Waters certified home includes:

Use of redundant straw bale and erosion control socks in areas with steep slopes

Trees and natural features on site protected during construction.

Chip and reuse site-cleared wood and brush and mulch the entire building site after back-fill and home completion

Site disturbance limited to within 20 feet of structures and paved areas.

Native landscape plantings that are ecologically adapted and native to South Central Wisconsin include: Native river birch and winterberry, woodland savanna, prairie short grasses/forbs, butterfly and hummingbird garden species and “no mow” lawn sedge as a semi-evergreen lawn alternative.

Rainwater recovery provided by two rain gardens and the Rain Reserve Build-A-Barrel system, an elegant and simple design for rainwater harvesting.

Established and maintained a single stabilized construction entrance and provided onsite supervision and coordination during site clearing, grading, trenching, paving, and installation of utilities to ensure that Clean Clear Water measures were implemented.

“As an infill project with steep topography, we needed to pay even closer attention to landscape practices and erosion control,” said home builder Jeff Simon. “The Clean Clear Waters Checklist provides the additional strategies local builders need to reduce the potential for run-off from construction sites.”

Additional organizations represented at the event include: Clean Lakes Alliance, Dane County, Capital Area Regional Planning Commission, Madison Area Builders Association, Town & Country Engineering, Inc., J. Simon Design Build.

The “Clean Clear Waters” designation is independently certified by the Green Built Home™ program. Green Built Home™ is a national award-wining green building certification program developed in 1999 through a partnership between the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI) and the Madison Area Builders Association (MABA). Since the program’s inception, WEI has certified over 8,000 homes statewide and recently, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) added Green Built Home certification as a requirement for Low Income Housing Tax Credit projects.

For more details about WEI’s initiatives, please visit www.weigogreener.org and click under Clean Clear Waters and Green Built Home.

WHAT: Unveiling of Clean Clear Waters challenge for local builders at the first Clean Clear Waters certified home

WHEN: 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 5, 2013

WHERE: 1008 Edgehill Drive, Village of Shorewood Hills