Beyond Water Quality: Can the Clean Water Act Be Used to Reduce the Quantity of Stormwater Runoff?

The authors discuss how the Clean Water Act (CWA) could potentially impact urban and suburban implementation of a small best management practices (BMPs) program. An example of a small BMP is using rain barrels on individual properties throughout a watershed to collect stormwater. They hypothesize through such a program streambed and biota ecological conditions will be improved, a more natural hydrologic profile approximated, and a cost-effective reduction in stormwater runoff will occur. The authors also discuss, from an environmental impact perspective, storm water quantity and quality connections. Analysis of CWA background and how its legal distinctions affect its applicability to stormwater quantity are given. The United State Environmental Protection Agency's National Risk Management Research Laboratory's proposed case study of stormwater quantity reduction in the Cincinnati, Ohio area's Shepherd Creek watershed through indirect CWA application is discussed. The authors conclude that excess stormwater runoff environmental impact reduction may occur indirectly through CWA application.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/1768868
• Authors:
  • Prahalad, Punam Parikh
  • Clagett, Matthew P
  • Hoagland, N Theresa
• Publication Date: 2007

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 85-109
• Serial:
  • Urban Lawyer
  • Volume: 39
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: American Bar Association
  • ISSN: 0042-0905

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Environmental impacts; Jurisprudence and judicial processes; Runoff; Watersheds
• Identifier Terms: Clean Water Act; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Uncontrolled Terms: Quality; Quantities; Reduction (Decrease)
• Geographic Terms: Cincinnati (Ohio)
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; Law; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01049909
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 25 2007 10:35AM