Webcast 2. Emerging Contaminants in Urban Runoff: Risk, Regulation, and Remediation

Speakers:
Brianna Datti, Craftwater Engineering
Tim Fairbanki, Craftwater Engineering

Webcast Description:
The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Southern California—driven by climate change and human activity—pose growing threats not only to public safety and infrastructure but also to stormwater systems and watershed health. In January 2025, the Los Angeles region experienced a series of destructive fires. The Eaton Fire began on January 7, 2025, in Eaton Canyon located in the San Gabriel Mountains near Altadena. Fueled by severe drought and strong Santa Ana winds, the fire burned over 14,000 acres and destroyed more than 9,400 structures. This event underscores the growing challenges of fires influence on watersheds and urgent need to address preparation and post-fire impacts on stormwater quality and management.
 
Recognizing these emerging risks, the Safe, Clean Water Program in Los Angeles had previously funded the Upper Los Angeles River Watershed Fire Effects Study to investigate how wildfires alter hydrology and pollutant loading within the watershed. The resulting Fire Effects Watershed Model incorporated post-fire landscape data to simulate pollutant transport and assess the resilience of planned stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) under fire-affected and climate-stressed conditions. This collaborative effort engaged stormwater managers, regulators, NGOs, researchers, and community stakeholders to build awareness around the intersection of fire and water quality.
 
Following the Eaton Fire, the City of Pasadena rapidly expanded post-fire monitoring efforts to capture stormwater data downstream of burned areas during subsequent rain events. These observations provided critical insights into pollutant mobilization, BMP performance, and infrastructure vulnerabilities. The integration of this data with the Fire Effects Model enabled a more comprehensive evaluation of both immediate and long-term stormwater impacts, informing the design and optimization of capture projects, pretreatment strategies, and maintenance protocols.  This information was used to guide outreach and design elements of the Brookside Park Stormwater Capture Project in Pasadena, for instance, including engineering adaptations—enhanced pretreatment, adaptive maintenance, and community-informed planning—for climate-resilient stormwater infrastructure.
 
As wildfires increasingly disrupt watershed systems, this work highlights the need for adaptive stormwater infrastructure and proactive planning to mitigate fire-related water quality degradation. By leveraging rapid-response data and predictive modeling, stormwater programs can better prepare for and respond to the compounding effects of fire and climate change on urban watersheds.

Webcast 3. Navigating MS4 Regulations - Compliance, Challenges, and Best Practices 

Speakers:

Nancy Schumm, City of Gaithersburg, MD
The City of Gaithersburg is relatively new (only 12 years into its permit) for its Phase II implementation and there are a lot of lessons learned that brought us to this point. Nancy Schumm, Environmental Services Division Chief will cover details of our permit, some of the goals of the Maryland MS4 Phase II permits, regulations that we keep up to date, compliance challenges and best practices or lessons learned. Some of our greatest challenges have included staff changes, and good housekeeping, as well as outreach and education and staff education. Staying on mission, to do the best we can, wherever and whenever we can has led to amazing outcomes and community support to strive to keep our water clean and protect the greater regions watersheds.  

Craig Miller, City of Charlotte, NC
The City of Charlotte is now over 32 years into implementing its Phase I MS4 Permit. The City’s MS4 Permit Supervisor will present about Charlotte’s key programs for achieving compliance, overcoming challenges, and implementing best practices. Included will be an overview of the large network of teams that contribute toward achieving permit requirements and how the MS4 Permit team oversees that work and collaborates with the staff network. Unique programs and best practices will also be highlighted to show how Charlotte overcomes challenges and leverages limited resources to achieve (and often goo above and beyond) permit requirements.

Refund Policy
If a registrant is unable to attend a webcast, there are three options:

1. Watch the archived recording. All webcasts are recorded, and registered attendees are provided with the link and all relevant materials. No action is required if selecting this option.
2. Email webcast@cwp.org to let us know, and select another webcast to attend in place of the one you will miss.
3. Request a refund. Refunds are provided as long as the cancellation request occurs more than 48 hours in advance of a webcast. The amount charged for the webcast will be refunded, except for a $30 processing fee.