You are here:
SUSTAIN - A USEPA BMP PROCESS AND PLACEMENT TOOL FOR URBAN WATERSHEDS
Citation:
LAI, DENNIS AND L. SHOEMAKER. SUSTAIN - A USEPA BMP PROCESS AND PLACEMENT TOOL FOR URBAN WATERSHEDS. Presented at WEF TMDL 2007 Conference, Bellevue, WA, June 24 - 27, 2007.
Impact/Purpose:
to present information
Description:
Watershed and stormwater managers need modeling tools to evaluate how best to address environmental quality restoration and protection needs in urban and developing areas. Significant investments are needed to protect and restore water quality, address total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), and evaluate and design sustainable stormwater management systems. A number of stormwater control strategies, commonly known as best management practices (BMPs), are used to mitigate stormwater runoff volumes and associated nonpoint source pollution. BMP types include ponds, bioretention facilities, infiltration trenches, grass swales, and filter strips. Another control option is “low-impact development” (LID) – or hydrologic source control – which strives to retain a site’s pre-development hydrologic regime by combining impervious area controls with small scale BMPs. Retaining and treating the stormwater runoff at or near its source is the prime objective of the LID concept. This source control helps create more sustainable development that manages stormwater while minimizing downstream effects.