This week, it’s Tropical Storm Fay that’s on many stormwater
managers’ minds. The storm has made landfall a record-setting four times in
Florida, causing extensive floods. Much of the Midwest and other parts of the
country have also had more than their share of flooding this year.
Where flood control was once the main focus of many
stormwater programs—back before many cities were using the term “stormwater” to
describe the functions their various departments performed—water-quality goals
have now become a dominant theme. (See Andy Reese’s article “Stormwater
Paradigms,”
tracing the history of stormwater management in the US.) No matter how
thoroughly we’ve modeled the hydrology or how carefully we’ve selected the BMPs,
a storm of enough size eventually comes along that’s bigger than the system can
cope with.
In addition to coping with the flooding itself, large storm
events can lead to extensive maintenance—cleaning leaves and other debris out of
storm drains and ponds, repairing damaged infrastructure. When the flooding
exceeds the design storm your conveyance system or your water-quality BMPs were
intended to handle, what’s your first priority once the immediate danger has
passed? How long does it take to get back on track with water-quality goals?