The Department of Environmental Protection this week launched a new StormwaterPA website to help municipalities throughout the Commonwealth apply the most effective, proven techniques in stormwater management.

Flooding, erosion, polluted waterways and economic loss caused by stormwater affects communities all across Pennsylvania. Communities must match the tools available to the problems they have and that’s where StormwaterPA comes in.

StormwaterPA is an essential reference that provides case studies, resource materials, and no-nonsense guidance to municipal officials, planners, engineers, builders, and other interested parties—all derived from experts working around the state to implement stormwater best management practices that improve our environmental, economic, and public health.

The website is based on the Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual developed by DEP that contains a wealth of technical information on practices communities can adopt.

Several online videos highlight case studies on BMPs communities can use. They include:

· Plymouth Creek Restoration Project: An eight acre drainage basin manages runoff from six square miles of parking lot and road adjacent to a large open air shopping center before it passes into Plymouth Creek (and into the Schuylkill River a few miles downstream). A collaborative effort that included the DEP, Montgomery County Conservation District, the owner of the shopping center, and the TreeVitalize program pooled human and financial resources in a basin retrofit. The project offers flood control and improves water quality, while returning the basin to a more naturalized state. Watch Video.

· Project Headwaters: A Watershed Approach: What started as an epiphany to Trout Unlimited’s Mike Wilson has evolved into a model approach to stormwater management that involves a broad base of stakeholders and focuses on action. While working on a streambank restoration project in the lower Pennypack Creek, Mike began thinking about the larger Pennypack watershed and realized that his efforts would probably have a greater impact if they were taking place further upstream. Watch Video.

Dozens of individuals and organizations provided valuable input and support in the early stages and continue to make their materials, advice, and expertise available as the project continues to evolve.

The conceptual development of StormwaterPA was guided by a Core Advisory Team comprised of members of Cahill Associates, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Clean Water Action, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and North Coventry Township.

StormwaterPA is a production of GreenTreks Network, Inc., a Philadelphia-based non-profit communications organization whose mission is moving people towards a more sustainable world.

For more information, visit DEP’s Stormwater Management Program webpage and the StormwaterPA website

7/25/2008