September 27, 2018
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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The National Municipal Stormwater Alliance (“NMSA”) announced the publication of a report titled:
2018 NMSA State of Stormwater (“Report”)
The Report analyzes the effectiveness of MS4 programs in 14 states.
The Report discusses potential changes (i.e., regulatory, social, technical, etc.) that each state is theorized able to make to better protect the health of urban waterways.
Some of the conclusions in the Report include:
- Despite differences in climate, population density, and approach to stormwater management, many MS4 communities face similar challenges
- MS4 programs often lack dedicated funding sources and/or adequate staffing
- The previously referenced factors hamper states’ ability to build necessary stormwater infrastructure and conduct monitoring to determine the effectiveness of activities
- Climate change, urbanization, the presence of nonpoint source pollution sources in some regions complicate benchmarking efforts
- Regulations that are unclear on specific treatment requirements, quick to change or lack top-down guidance can be problematic
- A need for increased visibility of stormwater management programs to better the understanding of ratepayers of the need for stormwater fees
The states addressed in the Report include:
- Arizona
- California
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Virginia
A link to the 46-page Report can be found here.
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