Citation:

MORRISON, M. A., W. D. SHUSTER, AND R. M. Webb. A Streamlined Monitoring Framework for Sustainable and Low Impact Development Stormwater Management Practices - 2. Presented at 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage, Edinburgh, SCOTLAND, August 31 - September 05, 2008.

Impact/Purpose:

The objective of this research is to develop a streamlined monitoring framework that aids in the selection of monitoring strategies to assess the performance and effectiveness of sustainable and low-impact development stormwater management projects.

Description:

The problems of urbanization and stormwater management, as they pertain to monitoring the condition of water and environmental resources, are grounded in issues of scale, connectivity, temporal and non-linear change. Given our current understanding of these issues, the challenge of developing a monitoring protocol to quantify change in condition, and thus the benefits of low impact development (LID) projects, is daunting. We present the parameters for a streamlined monitoring framework that aids in the development of strategies to assess the performance and effectiveness of sustainable stormwater management projects. The framework addresses hydrology, water quality and ecological monitoring, as well as site-specific, community and watershed scales. We introduce the framework through a discussion of the Shepherd Creek Pilot project in southwestern Ohio, USA, which provides economic incentives to urban residential landowners to adopt LID stormwater practices (rain barrels and rain gardens). We then discuss monitoring constraints related to site location, project objectives and finances via a case study of four demonstration project sites in the Chagrin River watershed. We conclude that LID project objectives and monitoring efforts should focus on site hydrology, carefully consider trade-offs, and actively cultivate opportunities for collaboration with local agencies and stakeholders.

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