Welcome to the 15th edition of Runoff Rundown, the Center for Watershed Protection's electronic newsletter!
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Issue #15: July, 2004

* Staff News
* This Just In
* Project Updates
* Upcoming Center Workshops/Institutes
* Article: The Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Guidance Manual
* Article: USRM Manual 8: Pollution Source Control Practices
* FYI

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* STILL A FEW SPOTS LEFT - REGISTER NOW! *
Watershed Restoration Institute (WRI)
September 12 - 17, 2004
Bainbridge Island, WA

The Watershed Restoration Institute (WRI) is a five-day program designed to equip local watershed leaders with the skills, tools and confidence to assess, design and implement effective restoration programs in their home watersheds. This WRI is the Center's first in the Pacific Northwest, and we're excited to be partnering with the Center for Water and Watershed Studies, University of Washington and River Network.

The five-day agenda is packed full with information on urban watershed assessment techniques, stormwater retrofit inventories, stream rehabilitation, riparian reforestation, land reclamation, pollution prevention, watershed stewardship campaigns, and identification and correction of illicit discharges. Read more and register here: http://www.cwp.org/WRI_Seattle/Watershed_Institute_Seattle.htm

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STAFF NEWS:

TRANSITIONS: It's shaping up to be an exceptionally exciting summer at the Center, with not one but TWO moms-to-be on staff! Stephanie Sprinkle and husband Mike are expecting a boy in November, while Pam Rowe and husband Matt anticipate a November delivery. Stephanie, Pam and the rest of the staff just enjoyed a two-day camping and canoe trip at Pocomoke State Park on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The Center is also thrilled to welcome our newest staff member, watershed engineer Sally Hoyt.

Finally, the literary folks among us might enjoy this batch of Tom Schueler haikus (haikus ABOUT Tom, not BY him) presented at our June Board meeting. Read the haikus here: http://www.cwp.org/TRS_haiku.pdf

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THIS JUST IN:

USRM MANUAL 8 IS HERE!: Manual 8 of the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual is available now in hard copy and for FREE electronic download for the next six months. Manual 1, Manual 10 and Manual 11 are also still available. Read more in the article below, or click here: http://www.cwp.org/usrm_verify.htm.

JULY SPECIAL: The Center has spent the past five years helping communities encourage environmentally-friendly commercial and residential development through local site planning roundtables. Now, our "Do-It-Yourself Local Site Planning Roundtable Kit" is available on CD-ROM, and contains everything you need to get a roundtable started in YOUR community! For the month of July, get this great CD packaged with two other popular CDs at almost half price: you'll get the "Do-It-Yourself Local Site Planning Roundtable" CD, the "Better Site Design" slideshow CD, and the "Impacts of Urbanization" slideshow CD for just $40 (regular price $75)! You can also order the "Do-It-Yourself Local Site Planning Roundtable" CD alone for $25. ORDER HERE: http://centerforwatershedprotection.goemerchant7.com/index.cgi?PageToView=catalog&Department=149655&Cartid=116761088688157&Merchant=centerforwatershedprotection&ExpandedDepts=

STONEROLLER'S BALL 2004 TICKETS AVAILABLE: It was so much fun in 2002 that we're doing it again! The 2004 Stoneroller's Ball is scheduled for Saturday, November 6, 2004 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and features an open bar, SILENT AUCTION, dolphin show, and music by RUMBA CLUB and Caribbean Cocktail! Get more information and order tickets here: http://www.cwp.org/Stonerollers_Ball.htm

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PROJECT UPDATES:

As usual, staff are having no problems keeping busy. The Worcester County Coastal Bays roundtable is close to wrapping up, and a consensus document should be available by the end of the summer. The James City County Builders for the Bay roundtable in Virginia has reached the halfway point, with consensus expected in November, and the Builders for the Bay partnership continues to make progress starting a site planning roundtable focused on redevelopment and infill in Baltimore County, MD in late fall of 2004. The Center will begin a codes and ordinances review for the City of Lakeland, FL with an emphasis on stormwater and urban lake management. We are also working with Horry County, SC to conduct a stormwater codes and ordinances review to assess the effectiveness of their current practices relating to stormwater management in the coastal environment. This review will also provide a comparison of County practices with current state requirements along with other neighboring states (MD, NC, and FL) to provide a regional assessment of stormwater practices. For our summer vacation, staff will be traveling down to Edisto Beach, SC in July to help the town revise its development codes and develop its stormwater management plan.

The Center has just completed a conservation area assessment report for the James City County, VA portion of the Skiffes Creek watershed, and we're looking forward to working with Newport News to pursue watershed planning opportunities in the remaining portion of Skiffes Creek. The Center is gearing up to conduct watershed assessments in the Appoquinomink and Murderkill watersheds in Delaware, and is also part of a project team developing a Gross Pollutants Control Plan for the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Area. Our role is to research national and international efforts to control floatables and other gross pollutants in stormwater management systems, with a focus on the seasonal high flow regime typical of the southwest. We recently contracted to produce a stormwater design manual for the state of Minnesota, and were awarded an EPA grant to research methods of integrating wetland protection into watershed planning. Additionally, we will be working with MD Dept of Natural Resources to develop a guidance manual for developing and implementing watershed management plans in Maryland.

Staff just traveled to Puerto Rico to give a talk on erosion and sediment control practices in tropical watersheds. We also continue to get numerous requests for workshops: our upcoming schedule includes travel to the Seattle area, Pennsylvania and Iowa.

Our work helping smaller organizations improve their capacity continues, with projects with the South River Federation in Annapolis, MD; Friends of Sligo Creek near Washington D.C.; the Paxton Creek Watershed Education Association in Pennsylvania, and the Jones Falls and Gwynns Falls watershed associations in Baltimore, MD. The Center's been helping these groups do field assessment work, develop baseline watershed reports, and complete retrofit inventories. Members of other small watershed organizations interested in working with the Center on projects like these should contact Anne Kitchell at ack@cwp.org.

Finally, Center staff kicked off a fantastically well-received Stormwater Planning Institute (SPI) in Asheville, North Carolina, along with a special Watershed Protection Institute (WPI) in May during River Network's River Rally in Wintergreen, VA. The SPI provided technical and programmatic support to about 100 participants during sessions that offered practical guidance on detecting illicit discharges, writing an effective stormwater management manual, preventing pollution, and implementing watershed education and outreach. Our WPI offered practical and effective tools that the 120 participants can use to protect their local watersheds from the impacts of land development.

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UPCOMING WORKSHOPS/INSTITUTES:

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, or Stephanie Sprinkle at sls@cwp.org to inquire about availability.

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ARTICLE: The Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Guidance Manual

The Center for Watershed Protection has been working with Dr. Robert Pitt of the University of Alabama on a three-year project devoted to finding the best ways of identifying and correcting illicit discharges to water bodies. The team researched the most cost-effective and efficient discharge detection techniques currently in use around the country, and synthesized their findings into specific guidelines on illicit discharge identification.

The final product of this project is the "Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Guidance Manual," a comprehensive manual that outlines practical, low cost, and effective techniques to stop pollution at the source. The guidelines include details on the types of testing used to detect illicit discharges, information on estimating program costs in terms of capital and personnel expenses, and timelines that estimate how long program implementation will take. The manual provides valuable guidance for Phase II NPDES MS4 communities and others seeking to establish Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) programs and investigate non-storm water entries into storm drainage systems. The manual also has application for Phase I communities looking to modify existing programs, and for groups interested in conducting public outreach and awareness activities as part of watershed restoration projects.

This manual is currently available in draft form. With its completion, the Center for Watershed Protection and the University of Alabama are filling a critical need for communities in search of solid, proven strategies for detecting and correcting illicit discharges. You can download the DRAFT manual for free here: http://cwp.org.master.com/texis/master/search/+/form/IDDE.html

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ARTICLE: USRM Manual 8: Pollution Source Control Practices

The newest installment in the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual series is here! "USRM Manual 8: Pollution Source Control Practices" covers a wide range of stewardship and pollution prevention practices for subwatershed residents and businesses. These practices are designed to reduce or prevent pollution from residential neighborhoods and storm water "hotspots," which are business operations that tend to produce higher levels of storm water pollutants. The manual presents several methods for assessing subwatershed pollution sources and developing targeted education and/or enforcement efforts to prevent polluting behaviors and operations, and outlines more than 100 different "carrot" and "stick" options. Manual 8 concludes with a series of profile sheets that describe 22 specific stewardship practices for residential neighborhoods, and 15 pollution prevention techniques for controlling storm water hotspots.

This manual can be downloaded for free online for a period of six months from http://www.cwp.org/USRM_verify.htm. Color hard copies can also be ordered from the Center for $30 each.

Be sure to check our website, http://www.cwp.org to find out when other manuals in this series will be available!

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FYI:

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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