STORMWATER

Stormwater Management

A filled stormwater catch basin in the city of Boston.  The stormwater has nowhere to go, and so the streets flood and eventually drain into parks and waterways.

CRWA Stormwater Resources Read about CRWA's Stormwater Infrastructure Pilot Project along the Emerald Necklace Stormwater Financing Information Adopt a stormwater bylaw in your town! Tips on how to reduce non-point source pollution at home A Cleaner Charles River Campaign (DCR stormwater management) SmartStorm® Rainwater Recovery Systems Review presentations from the June 2006 Charles River Stormwater Sessions Workshop Learn about CRWA's efforts to assist the City of Newton to implement a stormwater utility Other Stormwater Resources Attend EPA NPDES training courses and workshops  EPA's stormwater management site DEP's stormwater regulation site

Stormwater Discharges and the Charles River

All operators of stormwater drainage systems, including municipalities and public agencies, are required to have stormwater discharge permits, which are administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection  (DEP).

The permit regulations call for operators to follow a basic set of practices including the adoption of a stormwater bylaw to ensure that stormwater discharges do not violate the Federal Clean Water Act. Though improvements have been made, stormwater remains one of the primary factors causing the Charles to violate state water quality standards for fishing and swimming. Testing of storm drain water shows that there are still serious problems in some communities.

Why should stormwater management be a budgetary priority for all municipalities and state agencies?

· Stormwater runoff is the most significant source of pollution to the Charles River. When it rains, oil, grease, gasoline, pet waste, cleaning agents, pesticides, fertilizers, and trash on streets, parking lots and other paved surfaces, wash into storm drains. From there, pollutants discharge into the Charles River.

· Stormwater is a major cause of water quality degradation, affecting fisheries, habitat, aquatic flora, recreational uses and aesthetic beauty.

How is stormwater managed?

· Effective stormwater management plans are critical to protecting valuable surface water resources from stormwater and ensuring sustainable water use. All municipalities in the Charles River Watershed are required to develop and implement effective stormwater management plans, and report annually on their progress.

· Storm drain operators are legally required to make sure in their plans that their stormwater discharges do not negatively affect water quality. They can do this by reducing stormwater discharges as much as possible, and reducing the pollutants in the remaining stormwater. 

· Certain areas of the Charles have been designated by DEP as “impaired” by pollutants including nutrients, metals, oil and grease, pathogens, and priority organic pollutants. Stormwater is the main source of these pollutants. The regulations require that stormwater plans specifically address these pollutants. 

· Healthy river flow during the summer is threatened by increases in impervious surfaces, which stop rainwater from seeping into the ground. Decreased groundwater supplies, combined with increased pumping from upstream water supply wells, make the river even less capable of absorbing polluted stormwater. Rain should be entering the river as clean groundwater; instead, it is entering the already-stressed river as polluted stormwater. Thus, the pollutants are more concentrated and do more damage to the ecosystem. Innovative stormwater management techniques, which reduce runoff at the source by using on-site controls that mimic predevelopment hydrology by decreasing impervious surface areas and promoting infiltration, storage and detention of runoff on site, should be adopted in order to address both pollution reduction and sustainable water use.

For more information on stormwater permitting, visit:

EPA's stormwater management site

DEP's stormwater regulation site

Adopt a stormwater bylaw