Although many definitions of sustainability are in current use, few have been tested under practical circumstances, and this is particularly true for hypotheses pertaining to environmental management and restoration. We have conducted an experiment in a small urbanized watershed (Shepherd Creek; Cincinnati OH) to determine whether economic incentives could effectively spur public acceptance of on-lot, retrofit stormwater management practices (rain gardens, rain barrels), and whether this would lead to a decrease in stormwater runoff quantity and subsequent improvement in other metrics of environmental quality. A holistic and ecological perspective has driven this project from the start, demonstrating myriad connections between sustainability and ecological practice. In order to understand how flows of mass and energy through species, communities, and ecosystems may be affected by environmental management in the Shepherd Creek, ecologists have played an important role in this project. Therefore, our research has required the insights of ecologists working in venues such as: aquatic macroinvertebrate community responses to hydrologic alteration, biogeochemical ecosystem endpoints (stream metabolism, productivity); use of principles from landscape and restoration to scale management responses to the breadth of the stormwater problem; hydrologic connectivity among different water resources; and how the soil ecosystem might be best managed to spur nutrient cycling and soil structure to maximize efficacy of infiltration-based practices.

Results/Conclusions

After two rounds (spring 2007, 2008) of reverse auctions, a total of 80 rain gardens and 170 rain barrels were implemented across the drainage area, which led to an estimated 360 m³ increase in detention capacity for excess stormwater runoff over pre-implementation conditions. We have added this capacity through citizen participation, which provides social and cultural capital towards the management of stormwater runoff, which may effectively substitute for strictly technological capital. Our present experience with economic incentives that encourage local environmental management (through citizen engagement) shows some promise to aid in the adaptation of incentives to appeal to municipal governments and move towards restoration of larger physical scales for increased runoff mitigation (i.e., storm flows from transportation surfaces). Over the course of this project we have found a means to address how attributes of sustainability can be revealed through the incorporation of perspectives such as: weak and strong interpretations of sustainability, targeting certain ecosystem components and monitoring for improved effectiveness of management, and leveraging social and economic aspects to service the putative requirements of a sustainable approach to watershed management.