EPA Stormwater Calculator Helps Reduce Stormwater Runoff, Pollution

Published on August 5, 2013 04:46 by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology

A new National Stormwater Calculator was recently released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help property owners, developers, landscapers, and urban planners make informed land-use decisions to protect local waterways from pollution caused by stormwater runoff.

Part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the calculator is an innovative addition to the administration's virtual climate resilience toolkit. EPA's new calculator will help prevent stormwater runoff, which can impact drinking water resources and local ecosystems, protects people's health and the environment.

The calculator, which is phase I of the Stormwater Calculator and Climate Assessment Tool package announced in the president's Climate Action Plan in June, is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific site, based on local soil conditions, slope, land cover, and historical rainfall records. Users can enter any U.S. location and select different scenarios to learn how specific green infrastructure changes, including inexpensive changes like rain barrels and rain gardens, can prevent pollution. This information helps users determine how adding green infrastructure can be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce stormwater runoff.

Media

Taxonomy

Envirionmental Data Management