The Stormwater Report

The crew of the R/V Pelican, which serves as the flagship research vessel for the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON), set off on its annual voyage into the Gulf of Mexico on July 25 to measure the size of this year’s summer dead zone. Based on predictions made by the team in June that considered […]

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED. PLEASE VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION. On April 27 and 28, 2020, water professionals and clean-water advocates from around the U.S. will convene in Washington, D.C., to make their voices heard during the annual Water Policy Fly-In. The event, organized by the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.), […]

A look at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 study When stormwater professionals design projects to prevent flooding from rainfall, they need to know how much precipitation their area can expect to receive during both common rain events and exceptionally intense storms. While modeling systems are invaluable tools to help develop […]

Study claims stormwater infrastructure design standards fail to keep pace with today’s precipitation Stormwater management regulations have come a long way since U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972. Back then, stormwater dischargers were largely exempt from National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit requirements until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency developed specific regulations […]

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts the Gulf of Mexico’s annual summer dead zone – a low-oxygen area which can cause mass death of marine life – will grow over 40% this year compared to last summer, approaching the size of Massachusetts. The effects of this year’s dead zone on the local […]

In 2010, a smartphone-based campaign that called on motorists to report roadkill sightings in California via text message inspired University of Buffalo (UB; N.Y.) hydrogeologist Chris Lowry to undertake an experiment. If it didn’t require any prior knowledge or specialized equipment besides the small computers we carry in our pockets, could ordinary people help gather […]

When Hurricane Harvey inundated eastern Texas late last August, the eye of the storm loitered over land for nearly a week rather than dispersing as it moved farther from the ocean, as most hurricanes do. The result was a stronger, more destructive storm, which dropped a record-breaking 127 cm (50 in.) of rain and directly […]

Occupying less than 81 ha (200 ac) between the White River and a canal on the northwestern edge of Indianapolis, flood protection is a serious matter for the small town of Rocky Ripple (Ind.). Lacking any infrastructure of its own to contain overflow from the river, the town’s less-than-700 residents routinely pay thousands of dollars […]

While sea levels across the world have long been expected to rise steadily as temperatures increase and ice caps melt, an alarming report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns that almost all U.S. coastlines risk more dramatic changes in sea level than the global average. The Jan. 19 report frames potential changes […]

In direct response to a call by the Obama administration for innovations in the conservation of domestic waterways earlier this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its partners on Aug. 16 unveiled a comprehensive forecasting model to predict the movement of rivers and streams across the continental U.S. The National Water Model […]