Conservation & Environment

Conservation
Environment
Recreation, and
Culture

Introduction:

This committee advocates continuing efforts to protect the unique natural landscape of southwest Louisiana. Our rich agricultural lands were the reason why the first settlers came to this area and remain a source of connection to our unique cultural heritage. The goal of the committee is to save some of this natural and agricultural beauty from being entirely consumed by our rapidly growing urban area so future generations of urban residents may have access to something other than endless shopping centers and subdivisions. It is especially important to protect environmentally sensitive lands, such as wetlands, from being overdeveloped.

Lafayette Consolidated Government and Parish Municipalities should fund necessary grant writer positions for the purposes of obtaining additional federal, state and private funding for environmental and conservation programs and planning for Lafayette Parish. This position should be focused on procurement of environmental and conservation grants to help build resources for initiatives in the community as well as coordination between and among L.C.G. departments for such grants.

Commentary: Lafayette Consolidated Government should make the obtaining of funds for the improvement of our physical environment a top priority. Limited local resources hamper this effort. A full-time grant position dedicated solely for environmental and conservation programs should more than offset the payroll cost within two years. Federal, state and private agencies and foundations are in place to help local governments facilitate environmental and conservation programs. This new position is a good investment that can pay for itself within a short term. Grant writing is a time-consuming process and calls for technical knowledge and expertise. A grant writer can generate revenues and this should be a necessary goal.

Recommendation No. 2

L.C. G. and parish municipalities should encourage the creation of land trusts to ensure the preservation and the integrity of Lafayette's physical environment.

Commentary:Open spaces and natural areas soften the impact of urbanization upon the natural environment and residents' quality of life and enhance the value of surrounding lands as they become developed. Government is not always able to secure title to large tracts intended to remain economically idle. Therefore, when individuals place large estates or farmland in trust, private philanthropy can be a valuable addition to the quality of life in a community.

Recommendation No. 3

Conservation Easements, which can be used to insure some land is preserved in its natural state, should be purchased.

Commentary: Conservation easements result when the right to develop portions of property, rather than the entire property, is acquired by some entity such as government or a private foundation(i.e., the Nature Conservancy or Acadiana Legacy Foundation). This is important to many who have had land in families for several generations and who do not wish to part with it or risk having it subdivided by future generations. The cost of acquiring development rights/ conservation easements is also lower than outright purchase (and eventual upkeep) of entire tracts, and since the landowner keeps actual title to the land, both the landowner and the public benefit.

Recommendation No. 4

Mandatory recycling in governmental offices should be adopted

Commentary: The use of recycling in Lafayette shows a commitment on the part of our government leaders to the community and should serve as an example to other organizations. Nonetheless, government offices generate much paper which should be recycled.

Recommendation No. 5

Partnerships should be encouraged to promote arboriculture.

Commentary: The use of partnerships between private and public organizations to promote tree planting, maintenance, and education, is an opportunity that must be exploited. For instance, Lynch Gardens and other similar organizations are available to provide assistance to municipalities and others wishing to improve tree planting parishwide.

Recommendation No. 6

TREES

a) The Committee recommends the goal of a 55% tree canopy for the urban area. Resources, federal, state and local, should be devoted to maintaining the tree canopy.

Commentary: Currently, we are at less than 40% in our urban area. Scientists and urban planners have long identified the "Urban Heat-Island Effect," which is caused by the absorbing of sunlight by the buildings and pavement of urban areas. This raises both daytime and nighttime temperature and results in: higher energy costs; more consumption of water to maintain vegetation; discomfort for residents; increased effects of air pollution; and altered weather patterns. Temperatures in Lafayette are often several degrees above that of the surrounding countryside and the experience of larger cities indicates that continued loss of tree canopy along with increased urbanization will only worsen this trend over time. Federal Grants are available to combat this phenomenon. For instance, Baton Rouge recently received a grant to increase vegetation in its downtown area.

b) The Committee recommends the establishment of tree easements off sidewalks wherever possible.

Commentary: The Committee recognizes the value of planted strips that can absorb rainwater runoff from commercial lots. This is a permeable area, a dynamic area between street and businesses. Implementation of this recommendation will also accomplish other goals of this plan, such as increasing shade cover and decreasing air pollution.

c) This committee unanimously recommends strong City-Parish and municipal landscape and tree ordinances, the purpose of which should be to preserve and protect trees, with mitigation being secondary and used only as a last resort.

Commentary: Without question, such ordinances will improve the built environment in Lafayette Parish. Lafayette must compete with other areas which are trying to attract new residents and anything which improves the condition of the city must be adopted. For example, the Mobile, Alabama tree ordinance is over forty years old.

d) City-Parish and Municipal landscape ordinances should be extended to protect Cypress and native hardwood tree species other than live oak. We further recommend that the threshold for inclusion as a protected tree be decreased to less than 18" DBH.

Commentary: The purpose of the tree ordinance should be to protect as many valuable trees as possible in order to preserve the beauty and environmental quality of the community.

e) Penalties for cutting a protected, as noted in 6(d), tree should be enforced and levied.

Commentary: These ordinances should be defined and enforced by local governments and the courts.

f) Mitigation policies and procedures and disbursal of funds should be recommended by an active Tree Advisory Committee.

Commentary: Mitigation should take place in Lafayette Parish and its municipalities.

g) The City-Parish Government and parish municipalities and LA-DOTD should reduce right-of-way requirements for developers who protect additional trees.

Commentary: This recommendation is designed to reward property owners and developers who protect trees in addition to those required to be protected under the City-Parish tree ordinance.

h) Local Departments of Public Works and the Departments of Parks and Recreation should devote adequate resources for the maintenance of city-owned trees and landscaped areas and should develop partnerships for the maintenance of public areas.

Commentary: Proper upkeep of public property is essential to implementing the goals of this plan.

i) Public and private agencies should work toward creating a full time arborist position.

Commentary: A professional tree surgeon is necessary to monitor the health of trees in our parks and on public properties. Duties should also include educating the public about tree planting and consulting with the designers of transportation projects and developments about cutting and planting trees.

j) When practical, trees cut or trimmed on public lands should be shredded/chipped and wood chips subsequently left under remaining trees instead of removal of the debris to landfills. This should be clearly stated in any contract awarded a tree-cutting firm.

Commentary: Healthy soils are required to maintain healthy vegetation without the use of watering and fertilizers and the cost of chipping would be no greater than paying to haul the material away.

k) A percentage of parking areas needs to be reserved for green space and tree islands to be planted with native vegetation. This recommendation is similar to recommendations made by the Urban Design Subcommittee.

Commentary: The committee stresses the need to provide shade and thus reduce summertime temperature as well as decreasing the amount of impervious surface area subsequently reducing rainwater runoff . Green spaces will also improve the appearance of commercial areas and contribute to a more pleasant urban design. Native tree species such as magnolias, live oaks, etc. should be included.

Recommendation No. 7

Raised medians are encouraged on all major and minor arterials and should be landscaped with native species.

Commentary: Raised center medians on city streets break up the visual effects of acres of concrete and provide for improved operational capacity and safety of our road network. This recommendation reiterates earlier recommendations by the Land Use and Urban Design Subcommittees.

Recommendation No. 8

Minimum and maximum parking requirements for commercial and retail developments should be adopted. The City Parish Government should adopt a standard of no fewer than one parking space per 300 sq. ft. and no more than one parking space per 200 sq. ft.. A developer desiring less than the required parking spaces would be allowed to reduce the number of spaces to the minimum, by increasing green area at a ratio of 2:1. (Reducing 2 parking spaces by increasing green area by the sq. ft. of one space).

Commentary: The adoption of the above standard will significantly improve the quality of the landscape and built environment in Lafayette by allowing for more green space and the reduction in the amount of impermeable surfaces, thus reducing rainwater runoff, because Lafayette businesses presently are required to construct more parking than is necessary. The reduced minimums also allows affected parties to save money by not being forced to build more parking areas than are typically necessary for a specific location. With this mind, the subcommittee strongly supports Urban Design Recommendations # 14 (reduction of parking spaces).

Lighting Preface Statement

Lighting recommendations for Lafayette Parish seek to control the growing problem of light pollution, waste lighting that is estimated to cost the American people as a whole approximately $1.5 billion worth of wasted energy each year. The recommendations also seek to reduce or eliminate glare and light trespass, factors that actually reduce safety. A growing number of cities and states are finding that better lighting enhances the quality of life by improving the nighttime safety and appearance of cities and rural areas. Good lighting means not so much eliminating night lighting as improving the overall quality of lighting - putting light on the ground where it is needed, and keeping it out of the sky and surrounding properties where it is not needed or wanted.

Recommendation No. 9

In the near future Lafayette Parish should enact a lighting ordinance specifically including provisions regarding exterior private, public, and commercial lighting. The ordinance should include reasonable penalties for non-compliance, procedures for handling complaints against non-compliant lights, and (if necessary) language requiring enforcement.

Commentary: The ordinance should be as simple and inexpensive to enforce and implement as possible. The ordinance should be enforced.

Recommendation No. 10

These lighting recommendations would affect the following outdoor lighting applications: 

a. street lighting, driveways, and parking lots; 
b. commercial lighting, advertising signage, and building illuminations; 
c. neighborhoods and housing developments; 
d. miscellaneous (parks and recreation facilities, towers, flags, decorations, etc.)

Recommendation No. 11

Outdoor lighting should be part of the planning process to ensure that the proper lamps are used for different applications. Existing luminaries which are not in compliance with these recommendations should be changed within a set time limit, possibly ten years, or when moved, or when the lamp or fixture is changed.

Commentary:

--Review during planning will ensure better lighting early and inexpensively.

--Different uses of outdoor lighting require different types of bulbs and housings.

--Using the most appropriate lamps saves the air and water pollution produced in the generation of wasted energy.

--There should be reasonable limitations on how brightly an area can be lighted.

--Lighting standards used in planning should be easily understood and enforced.

Recommendation No. 12

Bright outdoor lights should be appropriately shielded. All lighting fixtures should be installed to eliminate glare, light trespass and wasted light. These changes should take place within a set time limit as set forth in Recommendation No. 11.

Commentary:

--Light trespass is light intruding in areas where it is not wanted or needed.

--Glare reduces visibility and safety. Properly designed and installed fixtures will improve driving safety by keeping poor lighting from shining directly into drivers' eyes.

--Part of being a good neighbor is lighting one's property without intruding light on surrounding areas.

--Using modern fixtures yields a net savings in energy costs. Directing the lighting to the subject and to the ground where it is most cost effective is the essence of good lighting.

--Lafayette Consolidated Government and local Municipalities should take a leadership role in lighting standards by using the most effective shielding possible.

--Uplighting is inappropriate for billboards and other advertising, flag poles, signs, decoration, and similar functions. Downlighting for these applications is more consistent with the other lighting recommendations.

--The use of high intensity lights such as searchlights and upward pointing lasers for advertising and entertainment purposes is unacceptable on a permanent basis.

Recommendation No. 13

Efforts should be made to help the people and businesses in the parish understand that better lighting need not be a financial burden, and that it can actually improve the safety and quality of life for residents and visitors.

Commentary:

--A letter accompanying consumer power bills would reach the majority of the responsible citizens in an authoritative way.

--Public awareness and education will go a long way to improving the understanding of appropriate lighting.

--Partnerships should be created with the School Board and private entities to improve lighting awareness.

Recommendation No. 14

Billboard and on-site commercial lighting should be minimized during times when businesses are closed or late at night, except where needed for security.

Commentary:

--Businesses would reduce energy costs by reducing exterior lighting. This should include internally lighted signs.

--Some cities have found it worthwhile and safe to turn off some streetlights and traffic lights late at night.

Recommendation No. 15

L.C.G. and all Municipalities in Lafayette Parish should adopt these lighting recommendations as quickly as possible.

Commentary:

--Adoption of these recommendations throughout the parish will result in the most energy savings, the greatest reduction of glare and light trespass, and the best preservation of the night sky, night habitats, and nighttime vision for our citizens

--It would improve the nighttime appearance of the entire area.

--It would encourage other Acadiana parishes to consider the same steps, spreading these advantages throughout the region.

Environment:

Introduction:

The goal of this committee with regard to the environment is to maintain and improve the quality of life for which Lafayette is known in the face of rapid economic and population growth, necessitating changes in policy and some public attitudes. As long as citizens inappropriately dispose of household hazardous materials upstream because it is their property and therefore their right, and so long as they use centuries-old family ownership as an excuse to mistreat the land, and as long as the reject programs which help others less fortunate than themselves, Lafayette will remain firmly grounded in the nineteenth century. As the twenty-first century dawns, it is time to commit to the good of the community and leave behind the infighting and special interests which are impeding our progress.

Recommendation No. 16

State and local governments must update and maintain contingency plans for dealing with potential problems resulting from hazardous materials moving through Lafayette.

Recommendation No. 17

Lafayette Consolidated Government must immediately begin to monitor and publicly report its air quality and, with cooperation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), should use the data gained to identify air quality issues and develop strategies aimed at substantially reducing the likelihood that such issues will result in a non-attainment designation.

Commentary: The experience of others indicates that the more Lafayette does on its own, the less severe the Federal action will be, and the more that an area delays or the worse the problem is, the harsher the conditions imposed will be. Therefore, Lafayette must keep abreast of all Federal ozone decisions and must be able to use its data to identify and respond to any violations as quickly as possible.

Recommendation No. 18

We recommend that State and Local Governments work with the sugarcane industry to encourage alternative sugarcane harvesting methods so that burning can be phased out.

Recommendation No. 19

Lafayette Parish and local municipalities should take the necessary steps to ensure timely compliance with all water quality regulations.

Commentary: The Clean Water Act of 1972 states that "all bodies of water across the nation will be fishable and swimmable." Compliance with Federal regulations is necessary and achievable. Here in Louisiana we love our streams and lakes, and it is incumbent on us to take care of them.

Recommendation No. 20

The City-Parish noise standards should be enforced with mandatory fines.

Commentary: Lafayette residents are entitled to quiet enjoyment of their residences. The committee believes that the enforcement of City-Parish noise standards will lead to improved quality of life for Lafayette residents, making our communities, parks, and neighborhoods more attractive places in which to live and recreate.

Recommendation No. 21

We recommend a current comprehensive study of the Vermilion River watershed and the Chicot Aquifer in conjunction with the Drainage/Stormwater study being recommended by both the drainage and land use subcommittees. Such a study should be done in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality so that water quality problems can be identified and solutions developed and implemented.

Commentary: Phased-in compliance with Federal Clean Water Act regulations began in the largest cities and is gradually working down to smaller cities. Compliance with Phase III of the Clean Water Act amendments of 1990 will be required within Lafayette Parish by 2006. These regulations will limit non-point source pollution (pollution that does not come from a single source, such as a factory) and Total Maximum Daily Load (the amount of pollutants able to be absorbed by a waterway) and it is necessary to assess immediately what will be required to implement these regulations in order that the costs of compliance can be anticipated and absorbed over time. Otherwise, Lafayette Parish may find itself unprepared for implementation, and being declared non-compliant would impact the availability of Federal funds, damage the reputation of the city, and have a harmful impact on the economy.

Recommendation No. 22

L.C.G., the DEQ, and the Bayou Vermilion District should work together to educate the public on the need to improve our water quality.

Commentary: There are many possibilities: a) BVD can work with the school board to establish a program in which high school students could earn course credit by studying natural resource conservation; b) BVD, the Louisiana Extension Service, and recycling foundation can educate primary school children in the advantages of recycling and conserving organic material in their own yards; c) The DEQ and the BVD can establish a successful program such as one in St. Tammany Parish which presents workshops to HBA members on how to incorporate environment-friendly designs and save money at the same time; d) Cooperation can be used in the development of retention areas, with DEQ or BVD possibly funding construction and an urban wetland education center; e) DEQ and BVD can fund education for homeowners about disposing of toxic wastes and yard wastes.

Recommendation No. 23

Filtration areas should be required along bayous and other waterways as part of local landscape ordinances in order to encourage natural filtration of water and detoxification of dangerous impurities.

Commentary: Vegetation along bayous and waterways provides filtration for water purification and a defense against erosion and flooding. Detention areas can be wetlands if plants are added. For example, Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge is a bottomland hardwood swamp with added boardwalks which make the area accessible for people to enjoy. St. Tammany Parish already requires detention for all new developments. All indications suggest that builders will save money because less concrete is needed.

Recommendation No. 24

All public and private sewer systems in Lafayette Parish should be put into compliance with existing regulations as previously recommended by the Drainage, Land Use and Utilities Subcommittees and the full Steering Committee.

Commentary: In order for Lafayette Parish to improve its water quality, steps must be taken to ensure that both public and private sewer systems, including individual treatment plants, are in compliance with existing laws.

Recommendation No. 25

The committee recommends the creation of a sewerage infrastructure development committee, as previously recommended by the Utilities Subcommittee.

Commentary: This recommendation restates the Utilities Committee recommendation #6.

Recommendation No. 26

A program for the education of farmers in "Best Practices" that can improve farm efficiency and reduce farm runoff, especially manure from cattle operations now polluting the Vermilion, is recommended. Additional effort mus be made to construct barriers to isolate cows from the bayou to avoid direct and indirect avenues of contamination.

Commentary: This recommendation is required if non point-source pollution is to be reduced. The DEQ and Extension service make grants available to local governments for the types of education programs outlined above.

Recommendation No. 27

Disposal and recycling efforts should be expanded to include noxious and hazardous household waste.

Commentary: Lafayette should be commended for its excellent recycling program, but improvements can be made. People pour used motor oil, etc. down storm drains because they don't know what else to do with it and incorrectly think that it will go to a treatment plant. Therefore, an educational campaign should be coupled with an expansion of our excellent recycling program.

Recommendation No. 28

A reservoir for water draining into Lafayette Parish should be considered. The committee also recommends that surrounding parishes be invited to contribute to this concept.

Commentary: Lafayette is not the only parish affecting the flow of floodwaters into the Bayou Vermilion. A large retention facility, not necessarily in Lafayette Parish, will be able to drain surrounding parishes without flooding the Bayou Vermilion.

Recommendation No. 29

Underground electrical wiring should be installed in all new construction as well as in conjunction with scheduled replacement of older lines in order to improve community appearance and increase property values.

Commentary: Over time the cost of installing underground wiring in conjunction with normal maintenance (street widening, replacing telephone poles, etc.) is more or less equivalent once upkeep costs are accounted for. This recommendation is similar to those made by both the Utilities and Land use Subcommittees and the full Steering Committee.

Recommendation No. 30

There should be zero tolerance for litter.

Recommendation No. 31

Litter statutes should be changed from a criminal offense to a misdemeanor with stiff fines.

Commentary: Monies collected should go back to enforcement and community education/litter prevention projects. Such laws must be enforced by all local municipalities and the courts.

Recommendation No. 32

Adequate trash bins should be provided in highly trafficked areas in order to reduce littering.

Commentary: During Mardi-Gras, several committee members noticed that people took care to properly dispose of litter when trash bins were available. If more trash bins were located in areas that are frequented by pedestrians or shoppers, the littering of our streets might be successfully reduced.

Recommendation No. 33

The Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government and parish municipalities should help promote and initiate efforts to educate public awareness of the quality of life in the parish and what can be done to enhance it.

Commentary: In order to influence public attitudes and behavior regarding the environment, necessary if progress is to be made, an educational campaign is needed.

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Page Last Revised on 9/5/2002

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