Week One

1. Introduction to and review of hydrologic / watershed Concepts2. The Concept of Storm Water Management3. Human Experiences with Storm Water4. Storm Water and The Environment

What is Stormwater Runoff?

Think back to the water cycle…

STORMWATER simply refers to the various forms of precipitation… it’s the water from the storm.

STORMWATER RUNOFF, is the surface runoff of precipitation which has not infiltrated into ground or surface storage reservoirs.Occurs

During or after the storm when PRECIPITATION in the form of rain or snowmelt flows over the ground as RUNOFF.

Because The soil surface is incapable of absorbing more

precipitation The soil is already SATURATED Or the ground surface is IMPERVIOUS Surface reservoirs are at their capacity

Where does stormwater runoff go?All Storm Water falls within a WATERSHED.

A watershed is an area of land from which all rainfall drains to a common outlet point.

All land is a part of a watershed.Watersheds can be very large--like that of the

Mississippi River --or as small as a street or neighborhood.

This diagram shows a watershed in a natural, undeveloped area.

It is important to visualize the movement of water into and through the ground in addition to its movement across the surface in rivers and lakes

In a natural watershed, water can infiltrate easily into the ground, and this groundwater is often available for later use by plants and people. Our area’s water supply still comes partly from pumped groundwater reserves.

Pollutants in an undeveloped watershed do not become concentrated and are easily broken down by natural processes in the ecosystem (soil microbes and plants).

Here are the main watersheds of the St. Louis Metropolitan Region

Small, local watersheds are a part of larger watersheds. The River Des Peres and Dardenee Creek watersheds, Respectively are parts of the Middle Mississippi and Missouri River watersheds.

Since all of the watersheds shown drain to the Gulf of Mexico, they are all parts of this much larger watershed.

Why is stormwater runoff a problem?

• Stormwater can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, and other pollutants and deliver them to a storm sewer system or directly to a lake, stream, river, wetland, or coastal water.

• Anything that enters a STORM SEWER system is DISCHARGED untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing and providing drinking water.

When stormwater falls on IMPERVIOUS surfaces, it picks up and carries with it a wide variety of harmful pollutants.

• Impervious surfaces are areas covered with buildings or homes, streets and parking lots as opposed to ground surfaces (soil, grass, mulch, etc.)

• The amount of impervious area has a direct relationship to the quantity of pollutants contained in stormwater runoff.

Pollutants from our cars, lawns, and pets build up as they wash quickly across the pavements, into storm sewers, and into the ocean. As a result, our rivers and streams are usually not healthy places to visit after a storm.

Leads to an increase in the intensity of Storm/Flood events, increasing the flashiness of the system.

Human Experiences with Stormwater Flash flooding

Loss of Life Destruction of infrastructure

Public Health Concern Beach / Lake closures Bacterial / Viral infections

Economic Losses Loss of property Loss of productivity

Environmental Responses Erosion

Stream bank failure Stream channel incision Accelerated sedimentation of aquatic

habitats

Toxic Effects Excessive algae growth Oxygen Depletion/ Fish kills Aquatic species contamination

Habitat Loss See above

Human Impacts from stormwater

Environmental Impacts from stormwater

Stormwater Management Requires managing both:Stormwater Quality

Remember, what sits on the pavement often makes its way to a stream. If it goes out your car

window, it often winds up in a stream.

Stormwater QuantityIncreases in

impervious surfaces, increases discharge volume. Increases discharge

velocities, which increase erosion rates.

Case Study and DiscussionIs this a storm water problem?

Water Quality at the Lake of the Ozarks

Lake beach legislation still up in airMeasure would change how DNR tests, reports

E.coli bacteriaBy Ceil Abbott

Sunday, May 5, 2013Despite assurances to the contrary, state Rep. Rocky Miller says he still isn’t sure if

the MissouriDepartment of Natural Resources will change its policy on testing for E.coli

bacteria at state park beaches, before the beginning of the tourist season.Now, I’m being told to just leave my bill attached to House Bill 881, and when it

comes acrossthe governor’s desk, the DNR won’t object to the changes, and it will automatically

becomelaw,” Miller, R-Tuscumbia, said last week.

Miller was referring to a bill he introduced in the Legislature last January. It would change the DNR’s policy on testing for high E.coli levels at state park beaches, and for closing those beaches to the public when the readings from those tests are elevated.The House Tourism and Natural Resources Committee took testimony on his bill on Feb. 14, but never recommended it for full House debate. The House passed the second bill on April 25, and it’s scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the Senate’s Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee.To become law, both houses of the Legislature must approve the same language on a bill before 6 p.m. Friday, and the governor has to sign that bill.

Under the terms of Miller’s bill, the DNR would be required to use the Environmental Protection Agency’s Method 1603, or an equivalent method, to determine if E.coli bacterial levels at state park beaches are too high for public safety.

The DNR would be required to take several samplings of the water at public beaches over a 30-day period. Then, if the test results consistently exceed the EPA-established geometric mean standard for public safety, the DNR would post a sign reading, “Swimming Not Recommended” rather than using “yellow crime scene tape” to close the beach, Miller said.Miller sought input from the DNR when writing the legislation, and his language reflected their recommendations.

He said he also received a promise from the DNR that the agency would change its testing policy to reflect safety standards set by the federal government more directly.Miller said he wrote the bill because “Missouri has the strictest standards for E.coli levels of any state in the nation, and even exceeds the levels the EPA considers safe for public use.”

The Tuscumbia Republican said he had been contacted by a number of business owners and tourism organizations that believe the DNR’s beach closure policy is damaging the economy in tourist areas.

Jim Divincen, Tri-County Lodging Association administrator, was one of the lake area representatives who expressed concern about the effect of the DNR’s policy on the local economy. When the DNR closes a beach because of elevated E.coli levels, it often gives visitors the idea that the water quality in the entire lake presents a health hazard, Divincen said.

“As important as it is that the method of testing be changed, it is equally important that the DNR change the way in which it notifies the public of a beach closing,” Divincen said.In March, Divincen and others testified before the House Committee on Tourism and Natural Resources in Jefferson City.

“The last lakewide sampling conducted on the Lake of the Ozarks, based on 285 samples from areas around the lake, has proven scientifically that the Lake of the Ozarks is one of, if not, the cleanest bodies of water in the state, in terms of bacteria.” Divincen said.In mid-April, Miller said DNR personnel told him the testing policy would be changed and that signs would be used when a beach was closed.

He was told the policy would be in effect before state park beaches open on Memorial Day weekend.

Bill Bryan, the DNR’s director of state parks, did not return phone calls seeking a comment for this story.