A top attraction for the kids in my old neighborhood was a storm sewer that ran one block down 42nd Street and emptied into a woodsy swamp.

Guarding the end of the pipe was a set of vertical metal bars. In their wisdom the city fathers spaced them widely enough that we could easily slip through and walk the pipe all the way to the concrete terminal bulkhead under Tannery Road. My friends and I made that subterranean trip quite often.

Times Have Changed

Of course those were the days when managing stormwater meant, simply, “Get it out of here.” So storm sewers piped water directly into lakes and streams or, as in the case I’ve just described, wetlands. We now know that runoff, especially the first flush after a rain event, is often polluted enough to require some form of treatment.

In that respect the pipe outlet in my neighborhood was perhaps not in a horrible place. The swamp and an adjoining hummocky marsh extend about a quarter mile to a river. So the stormwater got a significant measure of treatment before it reached the stream, which flows into Lake Michigan.

However, the days of handling runoff by merely piping it to the nearest water body are largely over. Highlighting that reality, six organizations last fall received 2024 National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards.

These awards recognize high-performing stormwater management agencies that go beyond minimum regulatory requirements and display design ingenuity, cost-effectiveness and excellence in engaging the public.

A look at the Winners

Stormwater management increasingly dovetails with wastewater treatment since both help protect surface waters from degradation. Here are a few highlights from the award-winning communities and departments.

Innovation Awards

Department of Public Works, Howard County, Maryland. The county, near Chesapeake Bay, is looking to minimize releases of road salt into waterways. Toward that end, the DPW developed a vehicle tracking system that enables staff to monitor plow truck locations and the amounts of salt they dispense. This makes it possible to control rates of application and avoid excessive salt spreading. The department is also substituting brine for solid salt — it has a lower salt content and deices roadways faster.

City of Kirkland, Washington. The city has an Interactive Creek Health Dashboard that gives residents in-depth data about water quality in streams. It quantifies the impervious surface and tree canopy in the city’s watersheds. It also includes water-quality data and an inventory of insects and other life in the creeks. The city’s 132nd Square Park Stormwater Retrofits and Renovation project boosts infiltration in a highly developed area. It includes an underground vault to store runoff. So far the project has absorbed all runoff from the target area.

Program Management Awards

Department of Water, City of Dayton, Ohio. The city was cited for its extensive public outreach program, which focuses on reducing litter and conserving water. In 2023, the city’s messaging on those subjects reached more than 84,000 people at community events and some, 6 million by way of billboards throughout the city. The department leads citywide river cleanups that in 2023 kept nearly 6,500 pounds of trash out of waterways. Neighborhood cleanup events eliminated half a million pounds more.

Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The city’s Far West Stormwater Improvement Project includes multiple practices that align with conservation plans for the Great Lakes by limiting untreated runoff to the Rouge River. In addition, an Improve Detroit smartphone app helps residents report water-quality issues, flooding and illicit discharges. The department also has an extensive post-construction runoff control program.

Overall Performance Awards

Department of Public Works, Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. By way of a special fee assessed through property taxes, the county has invested $260 million in stormwater management. Pollution monitoring and control plans cover all 13 watersheds within the service area. Residents trained as Master Watershed Stewards implement community-scale projects — 689 of them in 2023 alone. In the same year they planted 31,000 native plants and removed 740,000 square feet of invasive vegetation.

Stormwater Management, Alexandria, Virginia. Driven by the need to protect Chesapeake Bay, the city uses a progressive stormwater utility fee based on the amount of impervious surface instead of property tax assessments. Residents can reduce their bills by installing various green infrastructure with the city’s help. In 2023, the city boosted the maximum benefits by up to 50%, sharply increasing participation. These efforts, along with city-installed projects on public land, prevent releases of more than 3,500 pounds of nitrogen, 650 pounds of phosphorus, and 278,000 pounds of sediment per year to the bay.

What has your community done lately to help manage stormwater responsibly? Share your successes by emailing to editor@tpomag.com.