Costs Of Urban Stormwater Control

Cost of Maintaining Green Infrastructure reports findings from effort to capture and quantify the expenses associated with operating and maintaining sustainable stormwater-management technologies.

Dealing with stormwater runoff in urban areas is a problem that is getting bigger and more expensive. As we cover porous surfaces with impervious structures—commercial buildings, parking lots, roads, and houses—finding places for rainwater and snowmelt to soak in becomes harder. Many landscapers, architects, planners, and others have proposed that the use of "green" localized management practices, such as rain gardens and bio-swales, may function as well as traditional "gray" pipes and basins at reducing the effects of stormwater runoff, and do so in a way that is more attractive in the landscape—and possibly also less expensive. To make stormwater management practices work, however, communities need to know the real costs and policy makers need to give people incentives to adopt the best practices. Economic Incentives for Stormwater Control addresses the true costs and benefits of stormwater management practices (SMPs) and examines the incentives that can be used to encourage their adoption. Highlighting the economic aspects, this practical book offers case studies of the application of various stormwater runoff control policies. It also presents the theory behind the different mechanisms used and illustrates successes and potential obstacles to implementation. The book covers: Efficient use of "green" SMPs Low-impact development (LID) style new construction Green infrastructure Property prices and incentive mechanisms to encourage homeowners to retain stormwater on their property Legal, economic, and hydrological issues associated with various incentive mechanisms In-lieu fees and cap-and-trade incentives Primarily concerned with the sociodemographic and economic aspects of people’s participation in stormwater runoff control, this accessible volume explores opportunities available to municipalities, stormwater managers, and stakeholder groups to enact sustainable, effective stormwater management practices.

The purpose of this book is to disseminate contemporary knowledge and practical experiences concerning problems and solutions related to urban hydrology and drainage. Although the main focus is on developing countries, the book draws from experiences in many other parts of the world. Based upon numerous practical examples and case studies, the book provides information to assist in the management, planning and engineering design processes. Urban Stormwater Management in Developing Countries covers a wide range of methods and approaches to improve the understanding and ability of local stakeholders to solve stormwater problems within the framework of integrated urban water management. As well as structural interventions, the book describes various non-structural approaches for flood mitigation and pollution control. This book encourages the reader to adopt an integrated approach towards stormwater management and considers the importance of institutional arrangements, participation of local stakeholders in planning, as well as aspects of financing and cost recovery. This comprehensive and topical book: Addresses the broad range of issues related to urban stormwater management with a specific focus on developing countries. Covers the main aspects of planning, design, operation and maintenance of urban drainage systems as well as socio-economic and institutional issues related to urban stormwater management. Presents structural and non-structural approaches for flood mitigation and pollution control within an integrated water resource management framework. Provides extensive examples and case studies of "best practice". Contents Urbanisation and urban hydrology Impacts of flooding on society Integrated framework for stormwater management Institutional structures and policies Planning for urban stormwater management Approaches to urban drainage system design Ecological approaches to urban drainage system design Applications of computer models Operational performance and maintenance Flood mitigation and response strategies Participation and partnerships Economics and financing Full Contents List (27KB)

The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.