Nonprofit Releases Free Urban Storm Water Retrofitting Guide

Until now, no definitive guidance has been available on the art and science of urban retrofitting. The Center for Watershed Protection's new manual reflects more than two decades of Center experience in retrofitting more than 25 urban watersheds across the country.

As a country, we have degraded many of our small urban watersheds. Nearly 80 percent of them were developed without effective storm water practices. The key to restoring these watersheds lies in the practice of storm water retrofitting, which involves subwatershed detective work, storm drain forensics and imaginative design.

This manual outlines the basics of retrofits, describes the 13 unique locations where they can be found and presents rapid methods to find, design and deliver retrofits to meet a wide range of subwatershed objectives.

The concepts of retrofitting are illustrated in more than 75 figures, 150 photos, 60 tables and nine appendices. The manual contains updated costs for retrofit practices; updated pollutant removal data for storm water treatment options; a design point method to estimate individual retrofit removal rates; and practical tips to support the design, permitting and construction of retrofit projects.

In short, the manual provides all the resources needed to develop an effective local retrofit program. This 400+ page guidance is avaiable as a free download on the Center Web site, www.cwp.org. A hard copy of this manual will soon be made available.

Source: Center for Watershed Protection