Stormwater BMPs in Virginia’s James River Basin: An Assessment of Field Conditions & Programs

The Center for Watershed Protection has recently completed the technical report, Stormwater BMPs in Virginia’s James River Basin: An Assessment of Field Conditions & Programs.  In the fall of 2008, the Center and several project partners completed a field survey of nearly two hundred structural stormwater management facilities in eight municipalities within Virginia’s James River basin. This survey documented visual indicators of stormwater BMP performance, properly functioning treatment pathways, proper functioning of inlets and outlets, adequate sizing, the integrity of filter media and vegetation, and key maintenance and longevity items.

In addition to this field survey, the Center and project partners performed assessments of several local stormwater management programs in the James River Basin. These assessments were intended to help identify programmatic issues that influence BMP performance in a given locality, including plan review procedures, clarity of design standards, BMP inspection programs, and staffing issues. This technical report describes the survey results and provides recommendations regarding:

• BMP design issues – geometry, pre-treatment mechanisms, soil media, etc.
  
• BMP construction issues – grading, sizing of BMP, elevation issues, etc.
  
• BMP maintenance issues – sediment deposition, vegetation health, etc.
  
• Programmatic issues – plan review process, inspections of BMPs, and more.

Although the results are for BMPs in the James River basin, the results and insights provided are applicable to stormwater BMP performance across the country.

Coastal Stormwater Supplement (CSS) to the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual

We're very pleased to announce the release of the Coastal Stormwater Supplement (CSS) to the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual. This eagerly awaited document builds on the information presented in the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual (which the Center helped develop earlier this decade) to provide comprehensive guidance on managing post-construction stormwater runoff on development sites located within Georgia’s 24-county coastal region. Inside the CSS, you’ll find detailed guidance on an innovative, green infrastructure-based approach to stormwater management that has its roots in natural resource protection and better site design.

The CSS is the result of a cooperative, collaborative effort between the Center, the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division and, through stakeholder outreach and involvement, the cities and counties of coastal Georgia, to shift the focus of local stormwater management efforts away from the mitigation of the negative impacts of the land development process (with single, end of pipe stormwater management practices) and instead place it on their prevention (with an approach that involves, to borrow a phrase from our good friend, Tom Schueler, “managing stormwater runoff from the rooftop to the stream”).
Available as a free download.

Results from Survey of Coastal Plain Communities

The Center developed and distributed a web-based survey to communities in the coastal plain states along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. The survey was designed around the Center’s Eight Tools of Watershed Protection to better understand coastal watershed management practices and applications that protect or restore local watersheds. Survey results highlight communities that have adopted progressive watershed management practices and identifies where communities can better integrate watershed planning tools as part of the local decision making process.

The project is part of a larger effort to develop, disseminate and an improved Eight Tool Framework for coastal plain watersheds and is funded by the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) with project partners NEMO and the Chesapeake Stormwater Network. The technical memo, Watershed Planning Needs Survey of Coastal Plain Communities, is available for free download.

Street Sweeping/Stormdrain Cleanout Study

In 2005, the Center collaborated with a number of agencies and set out to quantify the pollutant reduction that can be achieved by street sweeping and storm drain cleanouts. This research study had three phases: a literature review, a survey and a monitoring program. All of the information was used to provide locally-derived pollutant removal reductions for street sweeping and storm drain cleanout practices for Chesapeake Bay communities.

The final report, Deriving Reliable Pollutant Removal Rates for Municipal Street Sweeping and Storm Drain Cleanout Programs in the Chesapeake Bay Basin, and its two technical memos for the first two phases of the study are available as a free download.

Manual 9: Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices

The Center for Watershed Protection is pleased to release the final installment of the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series, Manual 9: Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices.

It provides "how to" guidance, and outlines the Center's most recent ideas on how municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping practices can be used to address local water quality issues and watershed restoration goals.

Available as a free download.

Monitoring to Demonstrate Environmental Results: Guidance to Develop Local Stormwater Monitoring Sudies Using Six Example Study Designs

We're excited to announce the release of this long-awaited stormwater monitoring guidance. A joint effort between the Center and the University of Alabama, the manual presents the broad concepts and methods behind setting up special monitoring studies in support of the NPDES stormwater permitting program.

The monitoring study designs cover a range of monitoring areas depending on the sophistication of the monitoring program -- from characterizing the quality of stormwater to developing a paired watershed study that breaks down the larger issue of protecting water quality into manageable components that can be addressed on a priority basis. Each study design covers the essential elements of establishing a monitoring program to include scoping, budgeting, funding and staffing needs as well as equipment and sampling requirements. Special issues associated with each monitoring study design are also covered for those unforseen but inevitable problems. Available as a free download.