Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth is intended for audiences such as communities, local governments, state and regional planners already familiar with smart growth and are now seeking more ideas on how to protect their water resources. The document is a compilation of 75 policies designed to protect water resources and implement smart growth. The majority of these policies (46) are oriented to the watershed, or regional level; the other 29 are targeted for specific development sites.

Current trends in stormwater management add pollution control to existing priorities of flood protection and peakflow limits. From a fundamental overview of supporting information on water quality, statistics and hydrology to detailed sections devoted to treatment and management practices, this book examines the latest treatment practices and techniques for improving stormwater quality to protect against stream, river and estuary degradation.

How are zoning codes and building designs related to standards established by the Clean Water Act? How do transportation choices or the mix of uses in a district affect the quality and quantity of stormwater runoff? How are development patterns associated with protecting the nation's water resources, including lakes, rivers, streams, and aquifers? As studies have shown, growth and development can have profound effects on our water resources. Storm sewer overflows and polluted runoff from non-point sources are a major reason that some water bodies do not meet Clean Water Act (CWA) standards. One factor related to persistent water pollution problems is our development patterns, particularly patterns of highly dispersed development that have been common since the end of World War II. The more woodland, meadowland, and wetland areas disappear under impermeable cover, and the more miles and vehicles we drive and park on impermeable roads and highway surfaces, the more difficult protecting the quality and quantity of our water supplies becomes. In response to these current trends, local governments are developing smarter approaches to growth. They are looking for, and using, policies and tools that enhance existing neighborhoods, improve schools, protect drinking water, and provide solid housing and transportation choices. These communities are seeking smart growth—a development approach characterized by 10 smart growth principles. These principles support economic development and jobs; create strong neighborhoods with a range of housing, commercial, and transportation options; and achieve healthy communities and a clean environment. “Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth” is intended for audiences already familiar with smart growth, who now seek specific ideas on how techniques for smarter growth can be used to protect their water resources. Smart growth principles provide a foundation—a basic springboard—for the 75 policies described in this report. The majority of these policies (46) are oriented to the watershed, or regional level; the other 29 are targeted at the level of specific development sites.

Based on a comprehensive study review by leading urban planning researchers, this investigative document demonstrates how urban development is both a key contributor to climate change and an essential factor in combating it -- by reducing vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.

Wild salmon, trout, char, grayling, and whitefish (collectively salmonids) have been a significant local food and cultural resource for Pacific Northwest peoples for millennia. The location, size, and distribution of urban areas along streams, rivers, estuaries, and coasts directly and indirectly alter and degrade wild salmonid populations and their habitats. Although urban and exurban areas typically cover a smaller fraction of the landscape than other land uses combined, they have profound consequences for local ecosystems, aquatic and terrestrial populations, and water quality and quantity.​