StormCon 2025 sessions kicked off in Orlando, Florida, on August 27, 2025, with a keynote speech from Sarah Matin, a member of the American Society of Engineers (ASCE) who currently serves as the Region 5 Director. She noted that the U.S. received a cumulative GPA of a "C" on the 2025 ASCE Infrastructure Report Card, which was a slight improvement over previous report cards.
Despite the overall improvement, stormwater infrastructure was given a grade of "D," which is the same grade it received in 2021.
Matin attributed the grade to several factors, including aging systems and a lack of a comprehensive national database. Her presentation highlighted three major challenges:
- A majority of systems (over 60%) are outdated and undersized
- There is no national inventory of stormwater assets, making it difficult to assess needs
- There is a massive funding gap of $690 billion (which also includes wastewater)
Matin noted that investing in infrastructure is an economic multiplier. "For every dollar spent on mitigation and new code construction, the nation saves $11 in disaster repair and recovery costs," she stated.
Matin concluded with a call to action ro raise the grade by committing to data collection, proper design and dedicated funding for stormwater infrastructure. She stated that the public needs to view stormwater not as a cost, but as a vital economic asset.
"This 'D' grade is not our destiny, but it's a wake-up call," Matin said. "Let's not wait for the next flood to act, because the storm's going to happen. We're going to have that rainfall. We're going to have more intense storms. It's not going away. Let's commit to data, design and to dollars, and to deliver infrastructure."
