Welcome to the 13th edition of Runoff Rundown, the Center for Watershed Protection's electronic newsletter!
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Issue #13: January, 2004

* Staff News
* This Just In
* Project Updates
* Upcoming Workshops
* Article: Local Adoption Programs for Streams and Stormwater Facilities
* Article: National Stormwater Quality Database
* FYI

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STAFF NEWS:

  • Staff Hike: Center staff ushered out 2003 with our annual Holiday Hike, which was routed along the Appalachian Trail this year. A good time was had by human and canine participants alike. See large picture here.
  • Intern Wanted: The Center will be hiring one paid intern for the summer of 2004. Duties include administrative work, research and technical support. Watch for more details to be posted on our website in upcoming months, or contact Karen Cappiella at kc@cwp.org.

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THIS JUST IN:

  • FINAL WEEK PUBLICATION CLEARANCE! Act fast, as this is the last week to take advantage of our publication clearance deals!
  • The Center has a new look! The Center is proud of our new logo, which you can now get for your very own on 100% recycled t-shirts, fluffy full-zip fleece jackets, and fun removable window clings. All of our products are available at bargain prices in our online store, which you can access here: CENTER STORE
  • GreaterGood: The Center is now a part of GreaterGood.com! If you don't see what you like in our store, you can access all your favorite online merchants through GreaterGood.com, and a percentage of your purchases will be donated to the Center. SHOP GREATERGOOD
  • Need watershed services? As a leader in comprehensive watershed planning, the Center can provide comprehensive, competitive solutions to your community's watershed problems. With new tools like the Unified Stream Assessment (USA) and the Unified Subwatershed and Site Reconnaissance (USSR), opportunities are available to have the Center help improve the overall health of your watershed with customized planning and implementation services. Visit our Watershed Services page for details, or contact Ted Brown at ewb@cwp.org to discuss specifics.
  • Stoneroller's Ball 2004: Planning has begun in earnest for the 2004 Stoneroller's Ball, tentatively scheduled for early November! Watch for details to be announced as they become available, or get the scoop on the 2002 Stoneroller's Ball here.
  • We're scheduling workshops! Having trouble delineating your subwatersheds? Prioritizing subwatersheds for restoration? Deciding on a stream assessment methodology? Selecting the appropriate stormwater sizing criteria? Figuring out how to get your stakeholders to the table to talk about changing the development rules? A customized Center workshop can help you overcome these hurdles! The Center is currently scheduling workshops for 2004 and 2005. Contact Jennifer Zielinski (jaz@cwp.org) or Stephanie Sprinkle (sls@cwp.org) if you're interested in having the Center conduct a one-, two-, or three-day workshop in your community.

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PROJECT UPDATES:

The Center is currently in the process of developing a draft Watershed Research agenda, highlights of which include the development of an urban stream classification system, a study of stream buffer management strategies, and a possible suite of Techniques monographs on various topics including coastal issues, alternative pavers, and modeling. We expect to complete a draft of Smart Watersheds in 2004. The Center is winding down on two three-year grant projects working with Dr. Bob Pitt of the University of Alabama. Dr. Pitt and his graduate researchers are developing innovative illicit discharge detection and analysis methodologies that will be incorporated into the Center's illicit discharge detection and elimination guidance manual, which is due out in late spring. In addition, the UA team is statistically analyzing the largest urban runoff database of its kind, which was compiled by UA and the Center. Visit Dr. Pitt's web page for more detail on this research at http://www.eng.ua.edu/%7Erpitt/ or read more about it here.

Watershed Practices continue to trek along with another Builders for the Bay roundtable kick-off this month in James City County, VA, and a Coastal Bays roundtable underway in Worcester County, MD. The consensus document for the Paxton Creek, PA roundtable, which wrapped up in October, is also now available here. The Center has been excited to hear about other communities around the country that have been conducting their own Roundtables or even just filling out the COW. If your community has been involved in these efforts, we'd love for you to share your roundtable results, progress and COW scores - contact Rebecca Winer at rrw@cwp.org to coordinate. Staff are also making progress on several manuals in the works, including the Watershed Restoration Manual and the Urban Forestry Manual, both of which are scheduled to debut in spring of 2004.

Watershed Implementation continues to gain momentum. Staff are finishing up the Paxton Creek, PA watershed assessment and are scheduled to kickoff a new watershed conservation area plan in Skiffes Creek in James City County, VA. Two more projects are also beginning: one in Milwaukee, WI to assist the sewer district, and the other involving consultation to the SeaTac Airport in the state of Washington. Staff are currently working with Maryland DNR and Calvert County to create a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) for a portion of the Lower Patuxent watershed, which includes conducting a stakeholder process, creating a pollution prevention survey and developing priority sites for protection and environmental restoration.

Watershed Capacity work is also expanding as we anticipate upcoming partnerships with the South River Federation, Paxton Creek Watershed and Education Association, Friends of Sligo Creek, and the James River Association. Herring Run and Jones Falls Watershed Associations are actively piloting the Adopt-a-Pond and Stream Watch programs we worked to develop with Baltimore County, MD (see article). Additionally, staff are due to finish testing the USSR (Unified Subwatershed and Site Reconnaissance) in the Gwynns Falls Watershed next month. Also in the works is a project working with the Bronx River Watershed Alliance in New York to assist in watershed planning.

In the wake of the success of the Watershed Restoration Institute in September, planning has begun for several more Watershed Institutes to take place in 2004. While dates and locations are still being finalized, a tentative schedule is as follows:

We will continue to look for a mixture of registrants, foundations, and corporate sponsors for the Institutes; please contact Hye Yeong Kwon at hyk@cwp.org if you're interested in becoming a supporter.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:
 For details, see our calendar at http:/www.cwp.org/calendar.htm

Read more about our workshops here: http://www.cwp.org/workshop_marketing.htm, or contact Jennifer Zielinski at jaz@cwp.org to inquire about availability.

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ARTICLE: Local Adoption Programs for Streams and Stormwater Facilities

Under the umbrella of our Community Watersheds Program, the Center has been working with the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management (DEPRM) and two local watershed groups to create and pilot two adoption programs: Stream Watch and Adopt-A-Pond. The goal of these two programs is to establish a network of volunteers that can help assess and monitor streams and maintain and enhance existing stormwater facilities. Read the full article here.

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ARTICLE: National Stormwater Quality Database

The University of Alabama and the Center for Watershed Protection have collected and evaluated stormwater data from a representative number of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase I municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit holders. This project fills an important need for nationally summarized and accessible data from the existing U.S. EPA NPDES stormwater permit program.

The data from this project will be useful for both developing pollutant loading assessments and water quality evaluations associated with compliance monitoring activities, and determining the need for runoff monitoring as part of future stormwater permits. The initial version of this database, the National Stormwater Quality Database (NSQD Version 1.0), is currently being completed. To our knowledge, it is the largest urban stormwater database ever developed. The attached report provides a brief summary of the more notable findings to date, presents preliminary recommendations for application of data findings, and identifies remaining research gaps. A final report will be produced by the fall of 2004. Read the full research summary report here.

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FYI:

  • Stormwater Treatment Short Course: Announcing a two day short course on stormwater treatment hosted by Stormwater Management, Inc., to be held in Elkridge Maryland March 31-April 1, 2004 by Gary Minton, author of the book: Stormwater Treatment: Biological, Chemical and Engineering Principles. Course focuses on the many stormwater treatment BMPs, removal processes, basis (or lack of) for key design criteria, maintenance, and performance. Go to http://www.stormwaterbook.com for course syllabus and registration form.
  • National Low Impact Development Conference: Under a grant from the US EPA, Prince George's County Government and the Anacostia Watershed Toxics Alliance (AWTA) are co-hosting the first national conference on Low Impact Development. The conference will take place September 21-23, 2004 in College Park, Maryland. The two and a-half day Conference will highlight innovative LID techniques designed to mitigate the effects of urbanization and development at the watershed level. Online registration for attendees is now available. The early registration deadline is March 1, 2004. For more information or to register, visit: http://www.mwcog.org/environment/LIDconference/
  • EPA and ICMA Release "Getting to Smart Growth II: 100 More Policies for Implementation": Free copies available for a limited time!! Interested in smart growth but not sure how to make it happen? "Getting to Smart Growth II: 100 More Policies for Implementation" provides states and communities with 100 policy options that can be mixed and matched to fit local circumstances, visions, and values, and highlights steps that the private sector can take to encourage more livable communities. To get your FREE hard copy of this publication from the Smart Growth Network and EPA, call EPA's Development, Community, and Environment Division at 202.566.2878. To download an electronic copy in PDF format, go to: http://www.smartgrowth.org/library/articles.asp?art=870

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Have comments, questions, or feedback? Email Heather Holland at hkh@cwp.org, or contact the Center for Watershed Protection, 8390 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Ellicott City, MD 21043, phone: 410-461-8323.