Abstract |
Many communities across the United States face the challenge of balancing water quality protection with the desire to accommodate new growth and development. These cities and counties are finding that a review of local ordinances beyond just stormwater regulations is necessary to remove barriers and ensure coordination across all development codes for better stormwater management and watershed protection. Local policies, such as landscaping and parking requirements or street design criteria, should complement strong stormwater standards and make it easier for developers to meet multiple requirements simultaneously. EPA's Water Quality Scorecard was developed to help local governments identify opportunities to remove barriers, and revise and create codes, ordinances, and incentives for better water quality protection. |