Trees and Stormwater Runoff

What is Stormwater Runoff and Why Do We Need to Reduce It? Stormwater runoff is rainfall that flows over the ground surface. It is created when rain falls on roads, driveways, parking lots, rooftops and other paved surfaces that do not allow water to soak into the ground. Stormwater runoff is the number one cause of stream impairment in urban areas. Where rain falls on paved surfaces, a much greater amount of runoff is generated compared to runoff from the same storm falling over a forested area. These large volumes of water are swiftly carried to our local streams, lakes, [...]

2020-02-12T20:19:36-05:00September 11th, 2017|

Retrofitting into the New Year

After working with the Center for Watershed Protection (the Center) for almost eight years, I recently took a position back in June as a program manager for Anne Arundel County’s Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (WPRP). I really enjoyed my time at the Center, and after working with many local governments on watershed and stormwater projects, I wanted to experience local government life first-hand. What better a place than the County I have lived in most of my life! At the Center, I wore many hats, one of which was helping to conduct stormwater retrofit assessments. Retrofits help restore watersheds [...]

2017-09-18T06:12:43-04:00January 5th, 2015|

A Consistent BMP Performance Evaluation Process

When compared to other water pollution sectors, addressing stormwater pollution remains a relatively young discipline. Our collective knowledge of stormwater BMP performance is comprised of a patchwork of studies that relies upon many different methods and protocols in arriving at the reported results.  While we have undoubtedly learned a lot about many different types of BMPs, many unknowns remain and comparing different types of BMPs side by side can be particularly difficult as a result of differences in monitoring methodology.  There are numerous variables that can impact actual BMP performance as well as our ability to accurately measure said performance. [...]

2017-09-18T06:39:04-04:00April 2nd, 2014|

Speaking Up for Non-Native Plants

I love native plants, and the many, well-documented services and benefits they provide, including increased habitat for birds, insects, and wildlife, adaptability to local conditions, and limited fertilizer and water requirements. These benefits, among others, are certainly worthwhile and valuable.  I have many native plants throughout my yard (the purple cone flower was beautiful in July, followed by the black-eyed susans coming in strong in August) and in my shady rain garden (the red osier dogwood seems very happy).  However, I get concerned when native plants are specified as the only acceptable choice for use in bioretention and related stormwater [...]

2017-09-18T06:47:51-04:00December 13th, 2013|

Advocating for a System-based Approach to Stormwater Management

When considering the question of using native vs non-native plants in bioretention and other stormwater management practices, I find myself struggling a bit.  First off, I am not one to militantly state that “native plants should ALWAYS be used in a bioretention facility.” I think my bigger struggle with this question is that it seems very reductionist and perhaps instead, we should be asking ourselves, “How can we incorporate a more systems-based approach into our stormwater designs?” With stormwater management practices in urban and suburban environments, one of the primary goals is to mimic pre-development hydrology.  Using native plants facilitates [...]

2021-02-04T12:22:17-05:00December 13th, 2013|

Climate Change & Stormwater Management: Capacity for Community Adaptation Planning

Stormwater infrastructure – be it pipes, ponds, or rain gardens – is typically designed to convey or capture runoff flows associated with a design storm, the magnitude of which is based on a probability distribution of observed rainfall events.  One of the underlying assumptions of this design approach is that the rainfall probability distribution is static.  However, recent climate trends across much of the country indicate large events are occurring with greater frequency, casting doubt on (1) the notion of a rainfall distribution that is static in time and (2) that stormwater infrastructure designed by our current design storm approach [...]

2017-09-18T09:41:35-04:00November 5th, 2013|

“Let it Rain”- A Raingarden Project in Central Ohio

Raingardens - A New Stormwater Management Tool After over two decades of designing subdivisions, commercial sites and roadways in central Ohio, I thought I had mastered the art of stormwater design. Piping the runoff, with a little detention and water quality treatment, had always been a good recipe. It was fast and efficient, and getting stormwater to the rivers as quickly as possible, after all, had always been the main goal. It took a while for the raingarden concept to catch on with me. At first, I wasn’t too impressed with the landscaped depressions that didn’t drain anywhere. I couldn’t [...]

2017-09-18T09:15:59-04:00August 20th, 2013|

The Need for Headwater Protection and High-Elevation Stormwater Controls

Headwater streams and wetland areas are the birthplace of our surface water resources.  They constitute the greatest percentage of total stream length in a river system.  They are vitally important for providing clean and cold water, habitat, and flood control; however, they can only provide such services if they are protected from disturbance.  Headwater streams offer the greatest opportunity for interaction between water and land; and it is with this interaction that numerous biological, chemical, and physical processes are constantly occurring to clean stormwater runoff.  These are the processes which are responsible for maintaining water quality downstream. I am a [...]

2017-09-30T10:58:31-04:00July 11th, 2013|

What is Green Infrastructure?

About a year ago, I wrote in the Center’s Runoff Ramblings about some thoughts on green infrastructure . . . Before "Green Infrastructure," there was low impact design, environmentally sensitive site design, conservation design, smart growth, and new urbanism. These concepts are certainly not all synonymous with each other, but they do share similar tenets of reduced environmental impacts…The different definitions of Green Infrastructure have been at the center of this morass. Recently, EPA defined green infrastructure as "an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly" (retrieved on December 27, 2011 from (http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298). The traditional [...]

2017-09-30T10:39:40-04:00April 18th, 2013|
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