Stormwater Effects Handbook

A stand-alone working document, Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers assists scientists and regulators in determining when stormwater runoff causes adverse effects in receiving waters. This complicated task requires an integrated assessment approach that focuses on sampling before, during, and after storms. The Handbook supplies assessment strategies, sample testing and collection methods, and includes illustrative figures and tables.

The authors introduce an innovative design that can be tailored to address a wide range of environmental concerns, such as:

• ecological and human health risk assessments,
• water quality or biological criteria exceedences,
• use impairment,
• source identification,
• trend analysis,
• determination of best management practices,
• stormwater quality monitoring for NPDES Phase I and II permits and applications,
• and total maximum daily load assessments.

They provide case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of this approach and the data that can be compiled. Containing reviews of emerging technologies that hold promise for more effective receiving water evaluations, this book gives you detailed information on selecting methods and carrying out comprehensive evaluations. It includes guidance for the experimental design measurements, as well as standard and advanced statistical methods for data evaluations. Despite the complexity of stormwater management, successful and accurate assessments of their impact are possible by following the integrated approaches described in Stormwater Effects Handbook: A Toolbox for Watershed Managers, Scientists, and Engineers.

Contents

• Introduction
• Overview: The Problem of Storm Water Runoff
• Sources of Pollution
• Regulatory Program
• Stormwater Effects in Receiving Waters
• Heterogeneity
• Stressor Categories and Their Effects
• Assessment Strategies
• Rationale for an Integrated Approach
• Study Design Overview
• Study Design and Implementation
• Beginning the Assessment
• Sampling
• Ecosystem Component Characterization
• Hydrology
• Habitat
• Biology
• Fish
• Toxicity and Bioaccumulation
• Appendices
• Habitat Characterization
• Benthos Community Assessment
• Fish Community Assessment
• Toxicity Testing
• Glossary
• References