Dr. Robert Traver, Director of the Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership (VUSP) and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Villanova University recently sent out an update on the activities of the VUSP that we thought we would share. Dr . Traver writes:

Hello all!  It has been a wild ride this year, and my apologies for taking so long to update everyone.   This is to let you know our most recent year end report is available on the VUSP website.

PaSWM - Well the symposium exceeded our wildest dreams.  We received great reviews, and the attendance was only slightly off from the past - approximately 300.  I forgot how energy it takes, but it is simply a great event and thanks for your participation.  We had great speakers and great participants!

Stormwater Control Measure Research -I think overall the work is going well.  Our latest research update is available from the VUSP website.  Our only challenge is to focus on a subset of what is possible.  As of last count, we have MANY rain gardens, multiple porous surfaces, two green roofs, an infiltration trench, a historic seepage pit, a dry and wet detention pond, rain barrels, a SWW and are building a bio swale.  I wish we had the resources to study them all!

319  - We are continuing to focus on the Pervious Concrete and Porous Asphalt (PCPA) Site, the Bio Infiltration Rain Garden, and the In filtration Trench.  We are looking harder at the soil nutrients, and temperature effects.  Dr John Komlos is using this data to look at how long can the soil remove P before it is exhausted.  The first estimate I think is over 20 years for the top several inches.  Dr. Andrea Welker has a problem… the pollutants moving through the PCPA are so low it is hard to measure (Now that is a problem I like!)  She is concentrating on the temperature, flow, and chlorides.  We are also studying the opposite end of the spectrum that being the Infiltration Trench which is real dirty.  The contrast of the sites plus the extreme nature of the IT allows for good comparisons.  Dr. John Komlos is piggy backing on these projects with a study looking at stormwater toxicity which we are hoping will be renewed and expanded (EPA Edison) .  A critical point is all this work would not be moving forward without the student support from the 319 program.

CiCeet - We are still working on a CiCeet grant from NOAA that is allowing us to compare the results of Bio Infiltration/Bioretention sites from Univ. of Maryland and NC State.  The results so far are dramatic.  When viewing the error band for peak flows the results are scattered (though all reduced) but we are amazed at the repeatability and narrow error bands when we simply look at Volume in and out.  I have to bite my tongue; we are even able to relate the performance to a reduction of the NRCS Curve number.  We have submitted a publication to ES&T, which we hope to receive comments on soon, and I put a few of the graphs in the yearend report.  This grant unfortunately dies out in Fall 2010, and we are hoping to continue this work through other sources.  Through this grant, Ryan Lee is working on a more physics based approach to simulating the hydraulics of a rain garden.  All of this work is founded on the continuing 319 data collection efforts.

319 & ET Dr Wadzuk is about finished redesign of the stormwater wetlands using a GGII grant. We hope construction starts soon!  It will be much more circuitous then before with a series of gates to extend the contact time.  I am curious how much better it will work then my original design using a sketch.  The field has advanced!  We build two new rain gardens and soon a bio  swale using an older GGII grant, and as of now we have 11 rain gardens on campus, and are hoping to have four of them instrumented (need four more students!).  Dr Wadzuk is leading the charge, on our ET grant, looking at Green Roofs, Bio Retention/infiltration and a mini stormwater wetland.  The first Thesis on the green roof ET will be out soon.

TVSSI- William Penn - We continue to partner with temple, and this time we are focusing on monitoring and the longevity or performance of Green Infrastructure systems.  We are looking at designing a simple measuring device for rain gardens to help municipality know how they are working.  Dr. Andrea Welker is looking to work with a student to visit many older or recent BMPS (SCMS) and check their status as an effort to educate the work force on ho w they do after construction!

ARRA -Rain barrels and Rain Gardens - Well we almost finished our Rain Barrels and Rain gardens ARRA project, we are at the 99% mark but halted by the snow.  I believe we installed 28 Barrels and 6 new rain gardens on campus.  Note this is not a research project, but one to reduce NPS pollution and to be a good neighbor ( and some employment).  I am tempted to throw in a pressure transducer in the barrels, but I think I will wait till I find an undergraduate to work on it for a course.  I see many potential projects on campus, but one step at a time.

EPA III Green Highways  — EPA Stormwater Regs - We have met and given sem inars at EPA III on Stormwater Green Infrastructure, and are looking at how  we can aid and get more involved with the green highways program (I have been contacted to conduct a free webinar through EPA on the subject in April).  We continue to see this as a great need, and many of our projects translate well.  I also presented testimony in DC to EPA regarding proposed national stormwater regulations.

Villanova Center for the Advancement of Sustainability in Engineering.  Well, one last thing.  The College of Engineering has created VCASE in order to bring together say Energy and Stormwater, etc.  The College has granted me a course release for VUSP and to create the VCASE.  So I am now Director Squared.  This organization will allow us to diversify and I hope bring more resources to our research.

Rob

Robert G. Traver, Ph.D., PE, D.WRE

Visit VUSP on the web.

admin General bioretention, BMPs, economic stimulus, federal stormwater regulations, green highways, green infrastructure, green roofs, infiltration, Nonpoint source pollution, pervious pavement, porous pavement, rain barrels, rain garden, stormwater legislation

EPA has issued a Federal Register Notice (PDF) seeking stakeholder input to help EPA shape a program to reduce stormwater impacts.  Input will be provided through both written comments and during a series of public listening sessions.  As described in the FR Notice, EPA seeks input on the following preliminary regulatory considerations:

• Expand the area subject to federal stormwater regulations
• Establish specific requirements to control stormwater discharges from new development and redevelopment
• Develop a single set of consistent stormwater requirements for all MS4s
• Require MS4s to address stormwater discharges in areas of existing development through retrofitting the sewer system or drainage area with improved stormwater control measures
• Explore specific stormwater provisions to protect sensitive areas

Written comments must be submitted on or before February 26, 2010 to the address specified in the Federal Register notice.

The public listening sessions will offer a chance for the public to provide input on regulatory actions that EPA is considering.  Brief oral comments (three minutes or less) will be accepted at the sessions, and written statements will be accepted.  The dates and locations of the listening sessions are as follows:

January 19, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 5 Office, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL 60604

January 20, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 9 Office, 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105

CLOSED - January 25, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 8 Office, 1595 Wynkoop Street Denver, CO 80202-1129

January 26, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA Region 6 Office, 1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200 Dallas, Texas 75202

January 28, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at EPA HQ Office, Ariel Rios Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004

Interested individuals must register to attend by January 15, 2010. To register, click on the link above or visit www.epa.gov/npdes/training.  For individuals who cannot attend a specific listening session, EPA will make a conference call line available.  EPA encourages anyone who cannot attend one of the five listening sessions to sign up for the “virtual” listening session webcast below. However, if you would like to listen to a specific session via conference call, please contact Amber Marriott (amber.marriott@tetratech.com) for the conference call information.

Listening Session Webcast

EPA will hold a “virtual” listening session as a webcast on February 3, 2010 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Eastern time. After a presentation from EPA, this webcast will allow members of the public to call in and give brief (3 minute) statements. Audience members will be able to listen to the webcast and all public statements using their computer speakers. Click here to register for the Listening Session Webcast.

MS4 Survey to Gather Data to Inform the Process

EPA also is proposing to disseminate a survey to owners, operators, developers, and contractors of developed sites, owners and operators of municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), and states and U.S. territories, which is designed to inform this rulemaking to strengthen stormwater regulations.  EPA is proposing to require three separate questionnaires focusing on gathering data about current stormwater management practices, including those used at newly developed and redeveloped sites.  EPA’s proposed survey would gather data from three groups: 1) the owners, operators, developers, and contractors of newly and redeveloped sites; 2) the owners and operators of municipal separate storm sewer systems; and 3) states and territories.  The draft survey would require detailed information about stormwater management and control practices, local regulations, and baseline financial information.

On October 26, 2009, EPA signed a Federal Register notice announcing its intent to submit a Information Collection Request (ICR) for the three questionnaires to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).  EPA is requesting comments on the proposed Information Collection Request, including the associated burden estimate, but is NOT requesting completion of questionnaires at this time. The proposed ICR will be open for public comment for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

EPA has already issued policy statements in 2009 for federal projects including:

1. Requirements for stormwater sampling and monitoring during construction.

2. Requirements for treating stormwater VOLUME as a water quality pollutant.

These requirements have not yet been extended to private development at the state and local level, however many states and local agencies are drafting similar requirements.

For more information on this proposed rulemaking and these listening sessions, the potential rule and instructions for submitting written comments, go to http://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/rulemaking

It’s going to be interesting to see how this process synchs with what’s happening at the State level (or not…)

What are your thoughts?

admin NPDES / MS4, National, Stormwater Regulations clean water, federal stormwater regulations, land develeopment, MS4, Nonpoint source pollution, NPDES, stormwater, stormwater legislation, stormwater runoff, TMDL, US EPA, volume control, water quality