{"id":10217,"date":"2021-07-28T14:09:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T20:09:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/highlinecanal.org\/?p=10217"},"modified":"2021-07-28T14:58:09","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T20:58:09","slug":"aaa-case-study-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/highlinecanal.org\/2021\/07\/aaa-case-study-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. EPA Augmented Alternatives Analysis (AAA) Process: The High Line Canal as a Case Study Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
Welcome back, everyone! This is the second and final part of our blog series on the U.S. EPA\u2019s Augmented Alternatives Analysis process and the High Line Canal\u2019s role as a case study for it. As a quick recap, in the last blog post<\/a>, we introduced the AAA process and the four goals that drive its analysis of the Canal\u2019s use as green stormwater infrastructure. The AAA analysis is a 10-step process that provides a pathway for decision-makers to turn broad goals into specific, measurable metrics that are then scored, allowing for otherwise hard to compare alternatives to be compared to one another. The goals that guide the process were determined through input from the community and are as follows: stormwater management, community livability, public understanding of stormwater management, and ecological enhancement. In this blog, we will share an overview of the remainder of the AAA process and share the results of the Canal\u2019s analysis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Goals are the highest level of the AAA framework. From there, issues are narrowed and specified through several steps called objectives, criteria and metrics. They build on each other, providing a more specific and more measurable window through which to analyze how each of our project alternatives meet the goals we set. This tiered approach may be easier to think through this way:<\/span><\/p>\n We listed the objectives in the last blog post when we outlined the individual goals, since they are specific to each goal. In the same way, criteria are specific to each objective, and metrics are specific to each criterion. Over the course of several months, the Conservancy and our stormwater team developed 10 metrics that will be used to assess the effectiveness of each alternative in meeting our four goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> In the case of the Canal, three project alternatives have been narrowed down for elected officials and stormwater managers to choose from when it comes to using the Canal for stormwater. These three alternatives include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that you have an overview of the rest of the components that make up the AAA process, let\u2019s dive into the Canal\u2019s analysis. As mentioned earlier, we ended up with 10 total metrics to measure how well each alternative meets our four goals. Here\u2019s a snapshot of how those look. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n That is a long, fairly technical wrap-up of each metric and how each alternative scored, giving you a better idea of how we are analyzing the Canal\u2019s transformation to green stormwater infrastructure. The last step is to multiply the total of each metric by the weighted score given to each goal based on community input received at the beginning of the AAA process. Now for the overall scoring, the \u2018too long, didn\u2019t read\u2019 if you will:<\/span><\/p>\n Alternatives 2 and 3 have substantially higher benefits scores than the off-site treatment option. While any of the three alternatives will adequately manage stormwater, the multiple benefits to the community and environment surrounding the Canal corridor are much greater when using the Canal as a green stormwater infrastructure facility. The final step in the AAA process is a cost analysis that, for the sake of keeping this already-lengthy blog post short, is not included here. The cost analysis allows for a benefit-cost ratio comparison between alternatives so that management officials can weigh the benefits provided against the cost of each alternative. The main takeaway is that cost is included last so as to focus on comparing the benefits provided by each alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n The EPA\u2019s Augmented Alternatives Analysis process helped us at the Conservancy, as well as our partners, provide a big-picture view of how using the Canal for stormwater can provide a whole bunch of benefits to the community and the environment. The next step is to make sure that the framework created in this process is used to make those decisions. Since the Canal runs through 11 different jurisdictions, there are 11 different groups potentially making decisions about whether to use the Canal for stormwater or not. The AAA framework created by the EPA and applied by our partners and the Conservancy is designed to be a tool for all to use to compare the Canal to other stormwater management options.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that we\u2019re at the end of the process, EPA is putting together a case study that showcases how we applied the process to the High Line Canal. If you are interested, you can find that information on our <\/span>STEP webpage<\/span><\/a> when it becomes available this summer. In the meantime, keep enjoying the Canal and I hope that this deluge of information has maybe, just maybe, left you with a bit more of an appreciation for all the wonderful benefits our ditch provides. Thanks for sticking with us and we\u2019ll see you out on the trail!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>A QUICK RECAP OF OUR GOALS:\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
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WHAT CHOICES DO WE HAVE? WHAT ARE WE COMPARING?\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
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SCORING THE ALTERNATIVES \u2013 HOW DO THE BENEFITS STACK UP?\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
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\n \nGoals<\/th>\n Metrics<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Stormwater Management:\u00a0<\/b>Conveyance, Treatment and Flood Mitigation<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Community Livability:\u00a0<\/b>Encourages healthy lifestyles and bolsters quality of life.<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Public Understanding of Stormwater Management:\u00a0<\/b>Raising stakeholder and community awareness of the process and benefits of transforming the Canal for stormwater management.<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Ecological Enhancement:\u00a0<\/b>Enhances environmental health by building and supporting ecological diversity.<\/td>\n \n \n
LET’S START WITH STORMWATER<\/b><\/h4>\n
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MOVING ON TO COMMUNITY LIVABILITY\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
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HOW WELL CAN WE SHARE WHAT WE KNOW?<\/b><\/h4>\n
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LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
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WAIT, SAY THAT AGAIN, BUT SLOWER.<\/b><\/h4>\n
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SO, WHAT NOW?<\/b><\/h4>\n
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