
Many cities are moving toward decentralized stormwater management—particularly encouraging or requiring forms of infiltration such as rain gardens or swales—to reduce the overall volume of runoff and remove some of the burden from the storm sewer or combined sewer system. The decentralized approach has much to recommend it, not least in avoiding—or at least delaying—the need for costly new centralized stormwater infrastructure or water treatment facilities.
Many cities are moving toward decentralized stormwater management—particularly encouraging or requiring forms of infiltration such as rain gardens or swales—to reduce the overall volume of runoff and remove some of the burden from the storm sewer or combined sewer system. The decentralized approach has much to recommend it, not least in avoiding—or at least delaying—the need for costly new centralized stormwater infrastructure or water treatment facilities. [text_ad] But the idea doesn’t fly everywhere. At least some of the planning commissioners in an Oregon city are leaning toward a more centralized approach. This article from the Lake Oswego Review covers Lake Oswego commisioners’ and citizens’ objections to certain green infrastructure installations, as well as to the city’s new stormwater regulations overall. The city has proposed that properties with 1,000 square feet or more of impervious area, or revisions creating more than 500 square feet of new impervious area, be required to comply with stormwater management measures, possibly by installing a rain garden or similar feature. One resident speaking at the meeting suggested changing the proposed regulations so that only 1,000 feet or more of new impervious surface triggers compliance requirements for a homeowner. This would be well within the state Department of Environmental Quality’s standards. One commissioner opined that, because of the burden the stormwater regulations will place on developers and homeowners, the city’s code “should meet the barest minimum of requirements for the state Department of Environmental Quality.” Several citizens at the meeting last week also expressed their frustration with green infrastructure features on their properties, such as rain gardens that don’t drain quickly enough and attract mosquitoes. Some said the city should take on more of the stormwater burden, and one commissioner agreed, saying, “I have to wonder if we don’t want to have a citywide collection system?” But perhaps the clearest objection came from the vice chairman of the Development Review Commission, David Poulson. “The principal problem with a distributed and decentralized approach is that the on-site system requires ‘adult supervision’ that is often lacking,” he said. “In my opinion, this issue of ownership and maintenance is the most significant consideration when developing a stormwater manual. If these systems are required, they should be dedicated to the city, designed to allow public maintenance access…. I am supportive of the new stormwater manual. My primary criticism is that it does not go far enough to clarify ownership and maintenance responsibilities.” Does your city require—or offer stormwater fee credits for—green infrastructure on individual homeowners’ properties? If so, how does it handle inspection, maintenance, and long-term viability of these features? The StormCon Deadline Is Here! Wednesday, December 9, is the last day to submit an abstract for StormCon 2016. The conference will be held in Indianapolis, IN, August 22–25, 2016. We are looking for abstracts in the following conference tracks:- BMP Case Studies
- Green Infrastructure
- Stormwater Program Management
- Advanced Research Topics
- Water-Quality Monitoring
- Industrial Stormwater Management
- Stormwater Management for Solid Waste Facilities
But the idea doesn’t fly everywhere. At least some of the planning commissioners in an Oregon city are leaning toward a more centralized approach. This article from the Lake Oswego Review covers Lake Oswego commisioners’ and citizens’ objections to certain green infrastructure installations, as well as to the city’s new stormwater regulations overall. The city has proposed that properties with 1,000 square feet or more of impervious area, or revisions creating more than 500 square feet of new impervious area, be required to comply with stormwater management measures, possibly by installing a rain garden or similar feature.
One resident speaking at the meeting suggested changing the proposed regulations so that only 1,000 feet or more of new impervious surface triggers compliance requirements for a homeowner. This would be well within the state Department of Environmental Quality’s standards. One commissioner opined that, because of the burden the stormwater regulations will place on developers and homeowners, the city’s code “should meet the barest minimum of requirements for the state Department of Environmental Quality.”
Several citizens at the meeting last week also expressed their frustration with green infrastructure features on their properties, such as rain gardens that don’t drain quickly enough and attract mosquitoes. Some said the city should take on more of the stormwater burden, and one commissioner agreed, saying, “I have to wonder if we don’t want to have a citywide collection system?”
But perhaps the clearest objection came from the vice chairman of the Development Review Commission, David Poulson. “The principal problem with a distributed and decentralized approach is that the on-site system requires ‘adult supervision’ that is often lacking,” he said. “In my opinion, this issue of ownership and maintenance is the most significant consideration when developing a stormwater manual. If these systems are required, they should be dedicated to the city, designed to allow public maintenance access…. I am supportive of the new stormwater manual. My primary criticism is that it does not go far enough to clarify ownership and maintenance responsibilities.”
Does your city require—or offer stormwater fee credits for—green infrastructure on individual homeowners’ properties? If so, how does it handle inspection, maintenance, and long-term viability of these features?
The StormCon Deadline Is Here!
Wednesday, December 9, is the last day to submit an abstract for StormCon 2016. The conference will be held in Indianapolis, IN, August 22–25, 2016. We are looking for abstracts in the following conference tracks:
- BMP Case Studies
- Green Infrastructure
- Stormwater Program Management
- Advanced Research Topics
- Water-Quality Monitoring
- Industrial Stormwater Management
- Stormwater Management for Solid Waste Facilities
Janice Kaspersen
Janice Kaspersen is the former editor of Erosion Control and Stormwater magazines.