ASFPM National Conference - Reminder

The registration page for the National ASFPM Conference is Here

The GENERAL REGISTRATION includes admission to the Sunday welcome reception, the Monday through Thursday conference program, exhibits, the early bird sessions, Tuesday and Thursday luncheons , Tuesday and Thursday evening events, refreshment breaks, conference materials, participants list, a reserved electronic copy of the proceedings, AND 1 Supplemental Training Opportunity (choice of workshop or technical field tour). 

That is quite a lot of value!  The early bird discount window closes April 3rd, so don't delay if you are interested!

FPF - Damage of Flooding

Have you ever wondered how much damage a flood could cause to an individual home?  Check out this new demonstration from FloodSmart.gov. 

This enactment of a flood allows you to choose the size of the home and the depth of the flood to get an estimate of the damages resulting from a flood.  The estimate is broken down into detailed categories such as furnace repair, personal items, and furniture by room.  If you ask me, some of the estimates seem low, but it adds up quickly.

9th Circuit Court Holds Municipal Permittees Liable For Stormwater Releases

You can view the original source Here.  For those following the ongoing struggle to regulate numeric water quality standards for TMDLs through MS4 Permits, consider this ruling as additional precident setting.

March 10, 2011: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a decision today finding the Los Angeles County’s Flood Control District responsible for the billions of gallons of untreated stormwater runoff it allows to pollute Southern California’s rivers and, ultimately, its most popular beaches. The decision stems from a 2008 lawsuit filed by NRDC and Santa Monica Baykeeper. In a March 10 ruling in Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), et al. v. County of Los Angeles, et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled that the county's flood control district is responsible for excess stormwater discharges into two rivers containing pollutants at levels above permit limits. The ruling comes as EPA is stepping up its efforts to regulate stormwater.

“This ruling holds LA County responsible for their massive water pollution problem,” said Aaron Colangelo, senior attorney with NRDC. “For years, the County claimed that it could never be held accountable for its toxic discharges, even if the water were so polluted that it literally caught on fire. All of that changes with this ruling. The result will be fewer illnesses, fewer beach closings, a healthier environment, and a healthier regional economy.”

This ruling affirms that the County must do more to improve water quality and protect public health and the environment. As a remedy for the violations identified by the court, NRDC and Santa Monica Baykeeper will seek a court order requiring the County to reduce runoff pollution to levels that protect public health and the environment.

In its decision, the federal court agreed with NRDC and the Baykeeper that Los Angeles County, through its Flood Control District, has been illegally discharging polluted water into the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers since 2003. Although the County’s monitoring in two additional rivers – the Santa Clara River and Malibu Creek – also showed violations of pollution limits, the court found that evidence did not pinpoint the County, as opposed to other dischargers, as the source of illegal levels in those waters. However, the Court left it open for NRDC and Baykeeper to revisit those claims. Specifically, the dischargers are responsible for permit exceedances of aluminum, copper, cyanide, fecal coliform bacteria and zinc that are discharged into rivers at monitoring stations owned by the municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s).

The court strongly rejected industry defenses that Congress did not intend the Clean Water Act (CWA) to apply as strictly to stormwater permits as to traditional National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. The 9th Circuit also confirms that stormwater channeled by man in any conveyance system is a point source under the CWA and subject to the water act permitting system."

Bruce Ferguson talks at UNL about Pervious Pavements in North America

On March 16, Bruce Ferguson with University of Georgia presented his observations about the evolution of porous pavements in North America to about 40-50 audience members at the UNL Water Center in Hardin Hall.  Bruce encouraged the audience that many of the questions that have circled porous pavements in the past are now being resolved and answered through good research.  He cited the great on-going work within the industry to define standards of practice that will help ensure the appropriate outcome once construction is completed.  Standards such as ASTM C 1688 for material density, ASTM C 1701 for infiltration, ASTM C 936, 902, and 1272 for block pavers will all go a long way to help ensure the stormwater BMP is effective for the longest amount of time.  Of course, a rigorous maintenance schedule is required to keep porous pavement working as designed. Bruce also highlighted some practical aspects of pervious pavements over standard pavements like developer cost savings and increased land use development densities.

During one segment of his presentation, he made the claim that using the correct installation techniques will create an underground environment where "oil ceases to exist".  I had to write the quote down to ask him to clarify during the question and answer period.  The bold claim honestly sounded a bit "Billy Mays-ish".  But, one of the looming concerns that always comes up in discussion about pervious pavement is the possible risk of contaminating groundwater when oils seep through the surface of parking lots.   Bruce referenced a 1990 Coventry Polytechnic (UK) study that could bring light to the subject of what soil micro-organisms do to oil in the soil column.  This is the hyperlink I found which you can read at your leisure.  What do you think?  Can we "buy the claim" that, if pervious pavements are constructed and maintained correctly the question of oil leaching to groundwater can be put to rest?  Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

If you missed this lecture, NeFSMA encourages you to take advantage of the next free events scheduled Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30.  Highlighted speakers include Dr. John Gulliver speaking on Innovations in Stormwater Treatment on March 30, Bill Hunt speaking on Research and Design of Green Stormwater Management Practices on April 13, and Tom Liptan speaking on Integrating Water and Vegetation to Transform Our Cities: Experiences from Portland, OR.  Put them on your calendars now if you haven't already. We'll see you there.

Missouri Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association Annual Conference

The Missouri Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association, Inc. is holding their 16th Annual conference March 30 - April 1.  The conference is held at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach Missouri. 

This conference is closer to home than others and is a great value for tight travel budgets.  For more information, click here.