Option

Strengthen stormwater management standards and capacity requirements

Details

Focus of action
Standards
Option

Strengthen stormwater management standards and capacity requirements

Focus of action
Standards

Examples from plans

This option appears in resilience plans from around the country.

Option from plan Hazards Sort descending Assets Region Source Plan
Design program policies to promote stream and wetland restoration. Ensure adequate retention, drainage and diversion of stormwater. Such policies could also encourage green infrastructure such as grassy Flooding – CoastalFlooding – General Urban Landscape and Tree CanopyWater Infrastructure – WastewaterWater Infrastructure – Stormwater National HUD Community Resilience Toolkit (p. 15)
Strengthen stormwater management regulations to account for future sea level rise conditions. Flooding – Coastal Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Charleston, South Carolina - All Hazards Vulnerability & Risk Assessment (p. 180)
Implement Best Management Practices for stormwater when constructing or rehabilitating housing and public facilities. Flooding – General PropertyWater Infrastructure – Stormwater National HUD Community Resilience Toolkit (p. 15)
Develop uniform watershed-based stormwater policies across jurisdictional boundaries. Flooding – General Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast State of Louisiana Regional Adaptation Strategy (p. 104)
Develop or update stormwater rules. Flooding – General Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Southeast Florida Compact Regional Climate Action Plan - Energy and Fuel
Increase stormwater management requirements for retaining water. Flooding – GeneralFlooding – Rainfall-induced Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Planning for Climate Resilience—City of Asheville, North Carolina (p. 115)
Require or incentivize additional stormwater detention efforts (e.g., green streets, swales, underground storage tanks). Flooding – GeneralFlooding – Rainfall-induced Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Triangle Region, NC Regional Resilience Assessment (p. 201 (pdf p. 213))
Increase drainage and storage design standards for private development. Flooding – GeneralFlooding – Rainfall-induced PropertyWater Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast West Palm Beach, FL - Rethink Paradise: Sustainability Action Plan
Require hydrologic matching before and after new developments for commercial properties. Flooding – GeneralFlooding – Rainfall-induced Property Southeast Planning for Climate Resilience—City of Asheville, North Carolina (p. 115)
Develop and adopt a cohesive regional stormwater ordinance. Include baseline best practices and the option for communities to go beyond minimum requirements. Flooding – GeneralFlooding – Rainfall-induced Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Miami Forever Climate Ready Strategy
Enhance existing stormwater ordinance to detain 25-yr storm. Flooding – Rainfall-induced Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Planning for Climate Resilience—City of Asheville, North Carolina (p. 115)
Develop policy to increase capacity beyond a 3-year event (2-3 inch storm) for stormwater without a timeline that is adopted by the Commission, identify Flooding – Rainfall-induced Critical Facilities Southeast West Palm Beach, FL - Rethink Paradise: Sustainability Action Plan
Reduce threshold for stormwater quantity control and consider improvements to streams: increase quality control, improve incentives for current roles to increase quantity and infiltration Flooding – Rainfall-induced Water Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast Planning for Climate Resilience—City of Asheville, North Carolina (p. 116)
Require higher stormwater treatment design standards for water quality related to outputs and surface water assets. Water Quality Aquatic and Marine ResourcesWater Infrastructure – Stormwater Southeast West Palm Beach, FL - Rethink Paradise: Sustainability Action Plan
Set a goal to become stormwater neutral by increasing the ability of the jurisdiction to capture, infiltrate, retain or evapotranspirate the first inch of rainwater. This achievement would benefit local Water QualityErosion and Shoreline RecessionFlooding – GeneralFlooding – Rainfall-induced Urban Landscape and Tree CanopyWater Infrastructure – WastewaterNatural Areas and WildlifeWater Infrastructure – Stormwater National