Demonstration projects provide a unique setting for conducting applied research while creating a hands-on educational opportunity. Many of the technical recommendations of Extension educational programs, from those on septic system design to subdivision layout, can be best understood in a demonstration project setting. New England Extension demonstration projects focus on new technologies and designs to help protect water resources.
Under the EPA-funded National Community Decentralized Wastewater
Treatment Demonstration Project
,
the
URI NEMO
(Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) program and the
URI Onsite Wastewater Training Center
are working to build local capacity for management of onsite wastewater
systems. Three coastal
communities are establishing comprehensive municipal wastewater management
ordinances to inspect, maintain, retrofit and upgrade onsite treatment
systems incorporating selective use of advanced treatment systems in a
watershed-based approach.
CT NEMO
,UConn, and other partners are involved in the
Jordan Cove Project
,
a "shared watershed" research and demonstration project monitoring runoff pollution
from two adjacent subdivisions, one of conventional design and one
incorporating biological, design, and mechanical stormwater BMPs.
The U.S. EPA and NOAA, along with representatives from ME, NH, VT, NY, RI and CT, toured the UNH Stormwater Center Demonstration Site and learned how various changes could fit into their specific natural resource planning needs to benefit water quality protection.
UMass Extension’s
Mill River Watershed Project
is piloting an approach to community-based watershed protection. In an effort to identify and address environmental
issues within five communities, the project works with municipal boards,
conducts a variety of watershed assessments, incorporates
environmental education into teachers’ curriculums, convenes stream teams,
and facilitates public participation.
CT NEMO's
Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Project
features water-friendly design elements that NEMO recommends, including pervious parking stalls, rain gardens,
an engineered grass "green" parking lot, and bioretention areas.
National Facilitation Efforts
UConn houses the
National NEMO Network
,
a CSREES National Facilitation Project. This project provides coordination,
training, and communication services to new and existing NEMO projects that
are led by Land Grant Universities. Through these efforts, New England demonstration projects are promoted nation-wide.