|
Environmental Planning
Water |
Air |
Land
|
Environmental Justice |
Links
The CMCOG Environmental Planning
Program examines regional environmental issues
such as air and water quality, open space preservation, sustainable
energy and environmental justice. CMCOG is also involved with
regulatory compliance activities related to Section 208 of the Clean
Water Act (CWA); the Federal Clean Air Act; and the Safe,
Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy
for Users (SAFETEA-LU). In addition to these activities, CMCOG
staff also provides a number of other environmental planning
activities related to GIS/Mapping, local government technical
support, wetlands mitigation, and comprehensive planning.
|
|
Water Quality |
|
208 Water Quality Planning
As the designated area wide planning agency for water
quality, CMCOG is responsible for developing and maintaining
a 208 Regional Water Quality Management Plan and determining
whether or not wastewater facility construction projects and
NPDES/ND permits are consistent with the goals and policies
established in this plan. This 208 conformance review
must be completed before DHEC will permit a project.
To
submit a request for 208 conformance, mail the
completed
208 Certification Form, along with a general location
map and a $75.00 processing fee to Central Midlands Council
of Governments, 236 Stoneridge Drive, Columbia, SC 29210.
Improving Water Quality with Green Infrastructure
CMCOG has
recently completed a Green Infrastructure (GI)/Low Impact
Development (LID) Toolkit for improving water quality.
This document provides a primer on water quality planning,
an introduction to various GI/LID programs, policies and
site specific techniques, a survey of case studies, and
model comprehensive plan and conservation subdivision
language. This project was funded by the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the SC Department
of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) through an
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Grant.
|
|
Air Quality |
|
Air quality is important to the
Central Midlands quality of life. As the designated local
air-quality planning agency under the federal Clean Air Act,
CMCOG works with the South Carolina Department of
Environmental Control (SCDHEC) to develop plans and programs
that comply with federal Clean Air Act standards. Efforts
are geared toward improving the quality of life in the
Central Midlands by attaining and maintaining air quality
standards in a cost-effective manner.
Air quality is important to our human and economic health.
With the Midlands region threatened by “nonattainment”
status, it has become paramount that proactive measures be
taken for improving air quality and ensuring attainment with
current and future national ambient air quality standards.
This situation creates an ideal opportunity for the diverse
stakeholders of the Midlands region to collaborate and
formulate a regional action plan; hence, the development of
the Midlands Air Quality Forum.
|
|
Land and Open Space Preservation |
|
The Central Midlands Council
of Governments (CMCOG) is committed to preserving open space in
the Central Midlands Region. Open space can be
defined as follows:
An undeveloped
piece of land adding ecological, scenic or recreational
value to an area. Examples include forests, marshes and
wildlife sanctuaries. Open spaces can also include:
agriculture, retention/detention areas and floodways and
floodplains. Open space may be publicly or privately owned
and maintained.
The goal of such a plan is
to create a network of protected lands within the region that
will be a legacy for future generations. Given the rapid pace
of development within the region, particularly in Lexington and
Richland Counties, the time is now to identify places needing
protection. The reasons for this include rare plant/wildlife
species, scenic/historic
landscapes, or any other natural features that a community would
deem worthy of preservation.
Green Infrastructure
for Open Space Planning
The CMCOG is taking the
“green infrastructure” approach to creating an open space
preservation plan. Green infrastructure is defined as
an interconnected network of open spaces that conserves natural
ecosystems and functions, and provides associated benefits to
human populations. The keys to green infrastructure
preservation are
twofold: 1) identifying areas worthy of preservation in advance
of development; and 2) linking these areas together, since a
network of open spaces functions better as an ecological whole,
rather than as separate open space “islands.” When linked
together, these open spaces are able to function as an
ecological whole, rather than as separate and unrelated parts.
This enables them to better: 1) remove pollutants from the air;
2) carry and filter stormwater runoff; and 3) support diverse
plant and wildlife species. A green infrastructure network
normally consists of these three elements: hubs, linkages and
sites.
|
|
Environmental
Justice |
|
The Environmental Protection Agency defines Environmental
Justice as "the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race,
color, national origin, or income with respect to the
development, implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, regulations, and policies."
CMCOG is committed to achieving this goal for all
communities within the Central Midlands region and works
towards this end through implementation of the CMCOG/COATS
Title VI plan which is based on the following principles of
Environmental Justice:
-
Avoiding,
minimizing or mitigating disproportionately high and
adverse health or environmental effects on minority and
low-income populations;
-
Ensuring
full and fair participation by all potentially affected
communities in the transportation decision-making
process; and
-
Preventing the denial, reduction or significant delay in
the receipt of benefits by minority populations and
low-income communities.
For an
updated copy of COATS Title VI Plan
(Click Here).
|
|
Links |
|
SC DHEC
Bureau of Water
Gills Creek
Watershed Association
Richland Countywide Stormwater Consortium
Lexington Countywide Stormwater Consortium
Congaree
Riverkeeper
|
|
|
|
