Local governments are using numerous sustainable strategies to help ensure a brighter, greener future for our communities. One of those strategies is innovative stormwater management.  Rain that is not absorbed into vegetation or soil, due to impervious surfaces like roadways, is stormwater.

• A good place to start in developing a sustainable stormwater program is with this Local Government Stormwater Financing Manual, which provides the foundation for effective stormwater management programs that maximize the value and impact of every dollar invested in their communities.
• The Urban Institute also has a great resource outlining effective stormwater management strategies.
• In the Knowledge Network you’ll find   this conference document from Arcadis on effective and innovative stormwater management.
• The next step you can take is to sign up for FREE access to the American Water Works Association’s Resource Communities, where you can access a multitude of resources on stormwater management.
• I also recommend checking out the Environmental Protection Agency’sresources on “green” stormwater management.

After doing some research on stormwater management, you may be ready to formulate a sustainable stormwater management program.  Take a look at some of these great programs:

• This article from the Urban Land Magazine covers how Raleigh, North Carolina, developed an “Innovative Stormwater Management Plan” (ISMP) through public-private partnerships.  The ISMP uses cauldrons that collect and filter stormwater for reuse in commercial businesses in the area.
• This conference document shows how Newburyport, Massachusetts, used stormwater management as a way for the community to go green.
• Read how Lake Tahoe, California, developed this stormwater best management practice.
• You can get a sense of the magnitude of the challenge of stormwater management by looking at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have an elaborate system of pipes, stretching roughly 3,000 miles long, that has to be maintained by the public works department.

Is your community using stormwater management to promote sustainability? Please share your stories below.

Douglas Shontz

Knowledge Network Intern