Investigation of a National Program to Test and Evaluate Stormwater Products and Practices

Investigation of a National Program to Test and Evaluate Stormwater Products and Practices – Overview of the STEPP White Paper

03/05/2014 – 1:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern

Introduction:

To help reduce or remove barriers to innovation in the stormwater sector, WEF hosted a meeting at WEFTEC 2012 to discuss the topic of testing and evaluation programs for stormwater devices.  This meeting resulted in the genesis of the Stormwater Testing and Evaluation of Products and Practices (STEPP) Workgroup.  It became clear among the meeting participants that there was a need to consider the development of a national, standardized testing and evaluation program for proprietary stormwater products and practices.

A steering committee was formed within the Workgroup to develop a white paper to investigate the feasibility of a national testing and verification program for the stormwater sector.  This white paper, released on February 6, 2014, provides a thorough review of the current status of the industry along with past and existing programs at the national, regional, state and local level.

Challenges to the establishment of a national program as well as potential solutions and frameworks to move ahead will be presented during this webcast, along with conclusions, recommendations and future efforts. More information can be found at www.wef.org/STEPP.

This webcast is sponsored by Contech Engineered Solutions.

Relevance of the Topic:

Stormwater and wet weather regulatory pressure are driving action in this sector. Economic challenges across the country requires that stormwater solutions be as cost-effective as possible as well as providing high levels of performance. Current barriers in the stormwater product/practice industry limit competition and innovation in the sector. A national testing/evaluation program could help to increase competition and open markets that should drive costs down and efficacy of products up.

This webcast will provide an overview of the various state/regional testing and verification programs, what the state of the stormwater manufacturing industry, and some possible solutions to inject higher amounts of innovation into the stormwater sector. Lastly, this presentation will provide the results of the white paper on this topic recently released by WEF and the STEPP Working Group and Steering Committee.

Topics:

• Learn about the stormwater product/practice industry and testing/verification programs in this sector

• Understand existing challenges for testing/verification programs as well as manufacturers trying to break into new markets

• Gain an understanding of proposed solutions to address challenges and establish a national testing programs

Speakers:

• Chris Kloss, EPA (invited)
• Ryan Janoch, Terraphase, Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association (SWEMA)
• Gary Belan, American Rivers
• Doug Howie, Washington State Dept. of Ecology, TAPE program
• Seth Brown, WEF Stormwater Program and Policy Director

Registration Information:

This webcast is being offered at no charge, and is available for sponsorship. Please register through GoToWebinar.

There will be 2.0 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) offered for this webcast. Please check with your state accreditation agency to determine if you qualify. Log-on information will be emailed to you 24 hours prior to the webcast. Included in this email will be information regarding attendance verification, PDH distribution, and procedures to follow during the live event.

Cooperating Organizations:

WEF’s Stormwater Committee
Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association

Questions about this webcast should be sent to webcasts@wef.org.