The City of Hilliard Sustainability Plan

Hilliard Sustainability PlanECON. EXECUTIVEENERGY DEV. &SOCIAL SUMMARY WASTE EQ.REDUCTIONlabor costs if not volunteer work.» Propose water efficient landscaping for new constructionas standalone ordinance or as section of storm watermanagement requirements. This would just need anamendment to the current building codes. This could offeran incentive for a reduction of the storm water utility.Parties responsible: City of Hilliard as enforcement with theSustainability Commission as the advisory body on thespecifics of the ordinance. Cost: Labor for the compositionand proposal of a City ordinance as well as research on thepart of the Sustainability Commission.Long Term (5-10 years)» Using data from conservation pact members determineeffectiveness of the program to date. This will determinehow effective the pact’s efforts have been. This will alsodetermine how close to the pacts original goal has beenreached. Determine if ordinances during summer monthsto curb water use is viable. This would pertain only tooutdoor water use. Parties responsible: SustainabilityCommission and Conservation Pact Administration. Cost:Dependent on future rates.» Begin to offer assistance to residents for landscapingelements to lower their dependence on watering yards.This is best as a long term program as landscapingmodification would have a higher cost, and theeffectiveness of the lower-cost parts of the program shouldbe considered first. Parties responsible: SustainabilityCommission and Conservation Pact Administration. Cost:Dependent on future rates.» If water goals have been reached, then Conservation pact wouldbegin to focus more on other conservation issues such as electricity,transportation, or storm water. Parties responsible: SustainabilityCommission and Conservation Pact Administration. Cost: None.Recommendation: Reduce the amount of water from Hilliard that entersthe Columbus Public Sewer System and streams.Stormwater management practices will be an important factor in Hilliard’sefforts to achieve higher levels of sustainability. Using their existing 2009Storm Water Plan as a foundation for growth will be key. Educationalprogramming within the community will similarly be a key to success.Many sustainable stormwater and water conservation practices arerelatively easy to implement. The City should start by installing andpromoting public examples to demonstrate different methods ofstormwater control. Two examples include rain gardens and barrels placedin public parks and at public buildings. These devices retain rain water foralternative uses before returning the water to the watershed. Furthermore,rain barrels and gardens are easy to build, monetarily inexpensive, andaesthetically pleasing. 148 Rain gardens can require little maintenancewhen native species are used appropriately. Drought-resistant plants alsoconserve water resources because they require less watering than turfgrass. 149Communities such as South Euclid, Ohio have rain barrels and gardenswritten into their Codified Ordinances, and Columbus has a rain barrelprogram within the GreenSpot initiative. Worthington, Ohio has ademonstration garden that was installed in 2008. The garden was placed atthe Worthington Service Complex where it is 300 square feet and collectsrain from Worthington-Galena Road, Highland Avenue, and the servicecomplex itself. 150 Worthington sought the expertise of Franklin Soil andWater, which will be a useful resource Hilliard when implementing one.42