FLOOD03407

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of Colorado
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Stormwater Management in the United States - A Study of Intsitutionl Problems, Solutions and Impacts
• Date: 9/1/1980
• Prepared By: Office of Water Research and Technology
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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OVERVIEW, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1

The Study

Stormwater management, as viewed in this study, encompasses both control and
devel.opmental activities. The "control" activities are principally those of regula-
ting local flooding, water pollution, soil erosion and sedimentation; whereas, the
"developmental" activities relate to enhancing social values, improving the ecology,
physical environment and aesthetics of local areas, and developing beneficial uses
of stormwater.

The study was focused on urban and metropolitan areas of the United States.
Generally, it was designed to examine current problems that either delay, prevent
or frustrate local governments and other public agencies in the timely development
of effective and economical stormwater management programs and facilities. Institu-
tional problems investigated were those that arise in creating, supporting and
operating local stormwater management organizations and programs. Also included
were problems associated with technical activities such as planning and engineering,
and construction, operation and maintenance of physical facilities. All of these
problems can be characterized generally as legislative, legal organizational,
administrative, political, jurisdictional, social, env1ronmental, ecological, eco-
nomic, financial, scientific and technical.

Of special interest were those problems which develop when the stormwater
management arm of a local government or public agency interacts with the private
sector, other local public agencies, and various state and federal agencies. In-
cl.uded are problems of overlapping jurisdiction and authority, non-uniform policies
and regulations within a metropolitan area, disputes concerning the intent of duly
enacted legislation, problems in joint-financing of facilities and programs, and
others. In the process of investigating the institutional management problems of
these local organizations, efforts were made to identify, analyze and evaluate the
impacts attributable to the implementation and operation of stormwater management
programs and facilities. These impacts can be considered as the secondary effects
imposed upon people and/or nature by virtue of the primary activities of the manage-
ment organization. They can be classified in four major groups: social, economic,
political and physical (environmental and ecological).

The study methodology was founded upon conducting personal interviews in selected
urban and metropolitan areas across the United States. Detailed case studies were
made in the Denver metropolitan area, and in Cook County, Illinois, Fairfax County,
Virginia and the City and County of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Included in the groups of per-
sons interviewed were elected officials and staff personnel of local and state
governments and other public agencies, personnel of federal agencies, planners,
engineers, land developers, lawyers, educators and civic leaders.

Objectives, Purpose and Goal

Objectives of the study were to identify, analyze, assess and report major
problems of local governments and public agencies in providing and operating effec-
tive stormwater management programs and facilities in urban and metropolitan areas.
Solutions applied to resolve such problems were to be investigated in selected
~tudy areas. As a corollary to the primary objectives, significant social, economic,