CONTECH Written

Written

In the nearly 35 years since the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase I Stormwater Rule was implemented, there has been an incredible amount of progress in the field of stormwater management. Advances in regulations and stormwater management solutions have enhanced the effectiveness of stormwater control measures (SCMs). These developments have established robust standards and best practices for managing stormwater runoff from new and redevelopment sites, ultimately reducing the quantity of pollutants and excess runoff entering receiving waters.

However, the new and redevelopment centric approach to stormwater management has left a major source of stormwater pollution largely unaddressed. Prior to the adoption of modern stormwater standards, millions of acres of impervious surfaces were created that, for the most part, still lack effective SCMs. It’s difficult to know exactly how much existing impervious area lacks modern stormwater management, but research published in 2009 by Theobold et al. estimated the amount of existing impervious surface in the United States in the year 2000 was greater than 20 million acres (83,749 km2)1.

As seen in the September 2024 issue of Informed Infrastructure magazine.