US EPA Stormwater Best Management Practice Design Guide
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United States Office of Research EPA/600/R-04/121 Environmental Protection and Development September 2004 Agency Washington DC 20460 Stormwater Best Management Practice Design Guide: Volume 1 General Considerations EPA/600/R-04/121 September 2004 Stormwater Best Management Practice Design Guide Volume 1 General Considerations By Michael L. Clar, P.E. Ecosite, Inc. Ellicott City, Maryland, 21042 Billy J. Barfield, P.E., Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Department of Agricultural Engineering Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma Thomas P. O’Connor Urban Watershed Management Branch Water Supply and Water Resources Division National Risk Management Research Laboratory Edison, NJ 08837 Order No. 1C-R059-NTSX Project Officer Thomas P. O’Connor Urban Watershed Management Branch Water Supply and Water Resources Division National Risk Management Research Laboratory Edison, NJ 08837 NATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH LABORATORY OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CINCINNATI, OH 45268 Notice The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development partially funded and collaborated in the research described here under Order Number 1C-R059- NTSX to Ecosite, Inc. It has been subjected to the Agency’s peer and administrative review and has been approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. ii Foreword The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged by Congress with protecting the Nation's land, air, and water resources. Under a mandate of national environmental laws, the Agency strives to formulate and implement actions leading to a compatible balance between human activities and the ability of natural systems to support and nurture life. To meet this mandate, EPA's research program is providing data and technical support for solving environmental problems today and building a science knowledge base necessary to manage our ecological resources wisely, understand how pollutants affect our health, and prevent or reduce environmental risks in the future. The National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL) is the Agency's center for investigation of technological and management approaches for preventing and reducing risks from pollution that threaten human health and the environment. The focus of the Laboratory's research program is on methods and their cost-effectiveness for prevention and control of pollution to air, land, water, and subsurface resources; protection of water quality in public water systems; remediation of contaminated sites, sediments and ground water; prevention and control of indoor air pollution; and restoration of ecosystems. NRMRL collaborates with both public and private sector partners to foster technologies that reduce the cost of compliance and to anticipate emerging problems. NRMRL's research provides solutions to environmental problems by: developing and promoting technologies that protect and improve the environment; advancing scientific and engineering information to support regulatory and policy decisions; and providing the technical support and information transfer to ensure implementation of environmental regulations and strategies at the national, State, and community levels. This publication has been produced as part of the Laboratory's strategic long-term research plan. It is published and made available by EPA's Office of Research and Development to assist the user community and to link researchers with their clients. Lawrence W. Reiter, Acting Director. National Risk Management Research Laboratory iii Abstract This document is Volume 1 of a three volume series that provides guidance on the selection and design of stormwater management Best Management Practices (BMPs). This first volume provides general considerations associated with the selection and design of BMPs. Volume I provides guidance on the following elements: • wet weather flow impacts on receiving waters • regulations • BMP design concepts and guidance • BMP types and selection. BMPs can be designed to meet a wide range of goals and objectives. These can range from a single parameter approach such as flood control or pollutant removal, which is typical in older developed watersheds, to multiple parameter ecological sustainability of receiving systems, which is more readily applied to developing watersheds. These management goals will determine the requirement for proper design and the mix of ecological and engineering principles that must be considered. These will typically include hydrology and inflow hydraulics, soil characteristics/ infiltration rates, site-specific water quality and location, as well as the condition of the receiving waters. BMP control practices also vary by local regulation and standards. A brief review of currently available design goals and objectives is provided. Hydrologic concepts and control strategies, criteria and associated standards are summarized. The hydrologic concepts that are presented include: • rainfall frequency spectrum • large storm hydrology • small storm hydrology • ground water recharge hydrology. Control strategies for peak discharge control and water quality control are also summarized. Currently used BMP types are described and guidance is provided on their selection and suitability for the various goals and objectives. BMPs can be classified in a number of ways, typically based on function, which include the following broad categories: pollution prevention, runoff control, end-of-pipe treatment control, source control, micro management control, regional control and structural or non structural control. iv A brief summary of the suitability of the various BMP types to address the identified impact areas is provided. Also provided is BMP selection guidance with respect to the following design factors: • watershed factors • terrain factors • physical site factors • community and environmental factors • location and permitting factors. v Contents Notice……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………ii Abstract………….……………………………...………………………………………………………………………iii Forward………….…………………………………...…………………………………………………………………v Contents…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......ix List of Figures….……..…………………………………………….…………………………………………………..x List of Tables…..…………………………………………………………….…………………………………...…….xi Acronyms and Abbreviations……………………………………………………..……………………………………xii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..xiv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………...............1 Section 1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................................1-1 Section 2 Wet Weather Flow Impacts on Receiving Waters.....................................................................................2-1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 2-1 Background............................................................................................................................................................... 2-1 Overview .................................................................................................................................................................. 2-2 Physical Impacts....................................................................................................................................................... 2-2 Hydrologic Regime Alterations............................................................................................................................ 2-3 Geomorphology and Stream Channel Stability .................................................................................................... 2-6 Flooding Impacts .................................................................................................................................................. 2-8 Thermal Impacts................................................................................................................................................... 2-9 Chemical Impacts ................................................................................................................................................... 2-10 Regional Data for Major Pollutants.................................................................................................................... 2-10 Regional Differences Based Primarily on Rainfall............................................................................................. 2-10 Cold Region Snowmelt Data .............................................................................................................................. 2-12 Impacts to Receiving Waters.............................................................................................................................. 2-13 Impacts of Urbanization on Biological Community............................................................................................... 2-15 Overview of the Biological Impacts................................................................................................................... 2-15 Section 3 Regulations That Impact Stormwater BMP Design ..................................................................................3-1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................