PREP Reports & Publications

Abstract

TTG Environmental Consultants, LLC (TEC), under contract to the New Hampshire Estuaries Project and in conjunction with the Northwood Water Resources Sub-Committee, has prepared this report on stormwater technologies appropriate for the Town of Northwood, NH. This report is divided into two (2) main sections with a number of subsections. The first section describes the need for stormwater management, and the second section describes stormwater management technologies that are appropriate for Northwood. Stormwater management has been evolving for many years, from a need to convey stormwater away from or through a developed site, to the realization that land development has a significant impact on the rate, volume, and quality of stormwater runoff, and that these impacts to the runoff leads to corresponding impacts on downstream properties and receiving water bodies. Much of this increased awareness has been growing since the 1970’s with the passage of the Federal Clean Water Act in 1972, and subsequent revisions. It is now understood that stormwater runoff is one of the leading causes of water quality violations in many of our water bodies. The State of NH has had an evolving stormwater program for more than 25-years, the NH Department of Environmental Services, Alteration of Terrain program (AOT). The latest iteration of this evolution is evident in the proposed program rules. The revisions to the rules, expected to be implemented late this year (2008) will create a state-of-the-art stormwater management program and address many of the current issues associated with stormwater from land development. It should be noted that the AOT program only regulates larger developments. In addition to the Alteration of Terrain program, the University of New Hampshire has a very active Stormwater Center at its Durham campus. The Center, funded by various grants, performs research and education on many of the various stormwater treatment technologies in use today. According to the Center’s 2005 report, the “Center… evaluates the effectiveness of different stormwater treatments in a side-by-side setting, under strictly controlled conditions. It is the only testing facility of its kind in the nation.” The Town of Northwood Water Resources Sub-Committee, understanding the importance of adequate stormwater management, and wishing to address these issues on a local level, has instituted this report. This report will attempt to explain the need for proactively dealing with stormwater issues, and describe the various technologies currently available to address these needs. One of the major thrusts of this report is to identify stormwater management practices suitable for a rural/suburban community such as Northwood.

Department

Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

Publication Date

11-13-2008

Publisher

Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership, Durham, NH

Document Type

Report

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