Overview
Stormwater runoff in urban areas is one of the leading sources of water pollution in the United States. Traditional urban areas typically include large areas of impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks and buildings. These impervious surfaces prevent rainwater from infiltrating into the ground, and as a result, stormwater runs off these urban areas at higher rates and volumes. These higher stormwater rates and volumes can cause increased flooding and erosion, and more pollution to surface waters, among other impacts.
Until recently, stormwater programs established to address water quality objectives have been designed to control traditional pollutants that are commonly associated with municipal and industrial discharges, e.g., nutrients, sediment, and metals. Increases in runoff volume and peak discharge rates have been regulated through state and local flood control programs. Although these programs have merit, knowledge accumulated during the past 20 years has led stormwater experts to the conclusion that conventional approaches to control runoff are not fully adequate to protect the nation’s water resources.
In December 2007, Congress enacted the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). Section 438 of EISA establishes strict stormwater runoff requirements for federal development and redevelopment projects. The intent of Section 438 is to require federal agencies to develop and redevelop applicable facilities in a manner that maintains or restores stormwater runoff to the maximum extent technically feasible. Federal agencies can comply using a variety of stormwater management practices often referred to as "green infrastructure" or "low impact development." As such, EPA works closely with other federal agencies to develop technical guidance on complying with Section 438.
This course is intended for civil engineers who are involved with projects that must incorporate sustainable building practices, with emphasis on water resources. Course material is based on publication EPA 841-B-09-001.
To earn PDH credits, you must pass a multiple choice quiz consisting of fifteen (15) questions.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Overview of EISA Section 438 and relevant definitions
- Understanding how development and redevelopment change the water balance of a site
- Runoff characteristics affected: volume, peak flow, duration, temperature, and contaminants
- Green infrastructure/low impact development (GI/LID) tools to implement Section 438
- Establishing design objectives using either 95th percentile rainfall event or site-specific hydrologic analysis
- Calculating the 95th percentile rainfall event
- Various mathematical models for determining runoff volume
- Case studies at 8 locations in the U.S. demonstrating the feasibility of implementing Section 438
Course
Click on the following link to the PDF document to review the course material before taking the quiz for credit.
Stormwater Runoff and EISA Section 438
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