LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Stormwater Stakeholder Advisory Committee met June 5 to address infrastructure challenges and environmental concerns facing the city, with presentations touching on street design standards and flooding risks from climate change.

The committee, presided over by Mayor Linda Gorton and including representatives of the Division of Water Quality, heard updates on the Complete Streets Manual from Kenzie Gleason of the LFUCG Division of Planning. The Complete Streets Design Manual is an official engineering manual that will replace Lexington's Roadway Design Manual, last updated in 2005, and represents the city's commitment to creating safer, more welcoming streets for everyone, whether walking, biking, rolling, taking the bus or driving.

Dr. John McMaine from the University of Kentucky presented on riparian and landscape restoration for stormwater management, addressing techniques to reduce pollutants flowing into local waterways. As stormwater washes over roads, yards, roofs, and parking lots, it picks up pollutants such as motor oil, pet waste, fertilizer and litter, which are then discharged directly into creeks and streams.

A significant portion of the meeting focused on climate impacts, with Dr. Nabil Al Aamery and Dr. Jimmy Fox presenting on how climate change is affecting precipitation and flooding in Kentucky. An increasingly warming climate intensified the deluge of rain that fell on Kentucky and other states in early April, with some areas receiving more than a foot of rain in four days.

The advisory committee is tasked with assisting the city's stormwater program by providing technical input and community perspective on water quality issues. The city's Division of Water Quality offers grants for projects that improve water quality, reduce stormwater runoff and educate the community about protecting local waterways, with infrastructure grant applications due July 24.