New England Water Quality Program: Sustainable Landscaping
Outcome Goals: (1) To reduce surface runoff and minimize leaching of nutrients and pesticides through promotion of “smart” landscaping techniques; (2) To facilitate
the collaboration between research and Extension both within individual states and throughout participating New England states; and (3) To strengthen state programs
throughout New England through regional in-service training, sharing of resources, and identification of needed research, extension programs and funding.
To strengthen New England Land Grant Universities’ capacity to deliver an integrated program that educates, empowers and engages New England residents to adopt
research-based landscape management practices that protect the region’s water resources.
Situation:
Organizational: New England contains six Land Grant Universities, each with strengths and expertise in addressing local and regional issues within New England’s
rural and agricultural watershed. New England’s LGU’s must increase collaboration and leveraging of funds, staff and expertise within the LGU system and between
federal, state and local partners and stakeholders.
Environmental: Residential landscape management, and in particular management of home lawns by the homeowner or landscape manager, can seriously impact
the quality and availability of water in our New England region. Excess nutrients pose a threat to many water bodies in New England, both coastal and inland. Other
important threats to water quality from residential landscapes include erosion and suspended sediments, bacterial contamination, and pesticides. Erosion and
suspended sediments are recognized as important contributors leading to the impairment of many New England surface waters. Bacterial contaminated runoff from
residential areas is a frequent cause of beach closures in New England. While nitrogen is considered the limiting nutrient in estuaries and phosphorus in fresh waters,
residential runoff is considered a source of both. Major coastal and inland watersheds show increasing concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous attributed to
various causes including wastewater treatment facility effluent, lawn fertilizer residue, septic systems, atmospheric deposition and runoff, which are all related to
population growth and its associated land development patterns. As a result, the New England states have identified specific areas of concern and targeted their
programs in these areas providing the sustainable landscaping regional team with comprehensive programs in variety of areas including buffers, turf, and landscape
management for the residential and small business sectors. These then become the basis for multi-state, interdisciplinary workshops, resource sharing and
collaborations.
Inputs and
Resources
Funding from
National
Integrated Water
Quality Program
(406) for faculty
and staff at LGU
to participate on
Focus Area
LGU funded
faculty and staff to
participate in or
Participants
New England
Land Grant
faculty and staff
Focus area
partners:
Agencies
Organizations
Universities
Municipalities
Outputs
Activities
Organizational:
Focus Area POW
Focus Area reports
NIWQ Conference
Environmental:
Research:
Develop objective
testing methods to
guide Nitrogen
fertilization of turf:
Objectives
(SMART)
Organizational:
Facilitate the
collaboration between
research and Extension
both within individual
states and throughout
participating New
England states
Environmental:
Short-Term
Outcomes
Increased
collaboration
among research,
extension and
education
Increased
knowledge by
program
participants of
impacts of
residential
Mid-Term
Outcomes
Application of
protective practices
by participants
including installation
of buffers, rain
gardens and lowinput turf species
(fescues)
Development of
useable N test
Long-Term
Outcomes
Reduced impacts
of (impairment
by) nutrients on
surface waters.
Reduced
frequency and
degree of water
shortages
resulting from
landscape
management
provide support
services (CIT?)for
Focus Group
Leveraged funds
for regional, state,
and local
programs
(includes state,
federal and
industry funds)
Master Gardeners
and other
community
volunteers
Office equipment
and supplies

Use of anionexchange
membranes to
predict nitrate
leaching losses
from lawns
Research:
Develop objective
testing methods to
guide Nitrogen
fertilization of turf
 Use of reflectance Research use of low
input turf species
meters to
estimate
probability of
Outreach:
exceeding water
quality standards
Strengthen state
in percolate
programs throughout
leachates from
New England through
lawns
regional in-service
training, sharing of
Outreach:
successful program
methods and resources,
Develop teaching
and identification of
tools, materials,
information resources needed research,
extension programs and
and demonstration
funding.
sites (turf, buffers,
rain gardens,
Establish/strengthen
sustainable
inter-agency
residential and
relationships to enhance
nonresidential
state and regional
landscapes, and
program efforts
bioengineered
erosion control) for
Develop, implement
use in educating
and evaluate regional
residents, industry,
residential turf
businesses, other
management program
property managers,
for residential
local officials , and
properties
landscape
management
practices on water
resources (quality
and quantity)
Increased
understanding by
program
participants of best
management
practices to reduce
impacts of nutrients
on water quality
(includes use of
buffers, rain
gardens, alternative
turf species)
Increased
understanding by
program
participants of best
management
practices to reduce
impacts of erosion
and suspended
sediments on water
quality (includes
use of buffers,
erosion prevention
and bioengineering
control)
Increased
method for industry
and homeowner use
Elimination/reduction
and/or appropriate
use of fertilizers
(nutrient application)
by homeowners to
reduce negative
impact on water
systems
Use of low-input turf
species (fescue) as
alternative to
traditional lawn
and/or
reduction of lawn
area by participants
Residents and local
officials identify
erosion prone shore
lands.
Increased use of
bioengineering
methods for erosion
control shore line
stabilization
Use of a suite of low
input landscape
management
practices by nonresidential
urban/suburban
property owners and
practices
Reduced impacts
of (impairment
by) suspended
sediments on
surface waters
Reduced impacts
of (impairment
by) bacterial
contamination of
surface waters
Reduced number
of bacteria related
swim advisories
and beach
closures
community decisionmakers on practices
to reduce nutrients in
water resources
Develop and expand
program websites
Develop educational
modules, training
manuals, fact
sheets/brochures,
guidebooks,
watershed signs for
state and regional use
Facilitate national
(recognition of work)
through publication
in referred journals
technical/professional
publications, and
presentations at
conferences
Develop proposal to
fund social marketing
research to enrich
program
development and
outcomes
Secure resources
through partnerships
and external funding
Develop, implement
and evaluate programs
for low input cost
effective landscape
management for nonresidential properties in
urbanizing watersheds
Develop bioengineering
for erosion control
methods applicable to
New England lakes and
rivers
understanding by
program
participants of best
management
practices to reduce
bacterial
contamination
impacts on water
quality
managers
sources, to develop,
test and implement
novel approaches that
reduce nutrient,
sediment, bacterial
impairments of
surface waters in
New England.
Participate in national
water quality
conferences through
presentations,
workshops and
posters