Road salts commonly used in the winter to melt ice and keep roads clear are not being effectively absorbed by mitigation measures, allowing the salt to reach groundwater and wells, according to Joel Snodgrass, professor and head of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Va.). “Current stormwater management practices don’t […]
In April, the CITGO Chesapeake Terminal in Chesapeake, Va., earned its fourth Sustained Distinguished Performance Award from the Elizabeth River Project, a nonprofit that leads community environmental restoration efforts along the river. Since partnering with the Elizabeth River Project in 2004, the CITGO Chesapeake Terminal has completed numerous environmental projects to achieve Model Level status, […]
On Dec. 4, President Obama signed the Fixing American Surface Transportation (FAST) Act into law. It is the first long-term transportation bill passed by Congress in 10 years. The FAST Act will increase funding for highway transportation infrastructure by about 11% over 5 years. The highway reauthorization bill also included a stormwater management provision that […]
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) plans to launch its first-ever statewide inventory of highway drainage systems. RIDOT estimates that it is responsible for 25,000 stormwater catch basins, 2000 outfalls, and 100 structural stormwater controls. However, this new endeavor will be the state’s first full inspection and inventory of its system. This inventory will […]
Nine case studies show how communities across the U.S. are developing tools to overcome stormwater challenges. These solutions will be presented at the 2015 Stormwater Congress.
On April 8, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) agreed to implement a statewide compliance program and to pay a $750,000 civil penalty to settle alleged Clean Water Act violations at two road construction sites. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, two sites inspected in 2010 and 2011 had significant erosion control issues, including […]
The use of road salt and other deicers for highway maintenance became widespread during the 1960s. And while salting allows for safer winter travel, sustained economic productivity, continued emergency services, and other benefits, salt has been silently accumulating in the environment ever since, threatening drinking water supplies and aquatic ecosystems. According to a U.S. Geological […]
On Dec. 16, federal government representatives, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, and others came together to recognize an innovative, market-based nutrient trading program run by Virginia to improve Chesapeake Bay water quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality lauded the trading scheme as a model […]
Cold-climate researchers at the Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) are looking at green alternatives to the salt, sand, and chemicals typically used for highway snow and ice control. The U.S. spends $2.3 billion each year on the removal of highway snow and ice plus another $5 billion to mitigate the hidden […]
In addition to required environmental work, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) will fund the Mariposa Supplemental Environmental Project. The project will provide real-time monitoring along a wild and scenic stretch of the Merced River to detect excess turbidity and pH levels during Caltrans’ Ferguson landslide rehabilitation project. Data will be collected both before and […]
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