October 1996

Strategies for Changing Attitudes Toward Managing Stormwater

The following is an excerpt from "Managing Stormwater in a Coastal Community" by, Ron McClemore, PE, and Duncan Rose, AICP, a chapter in Innovative Governments, edited by Douglas Watson and soon to be published by Greenwood Publishers.

There are many elements necessary for the successful management of stormwater. The key to a successful strategy is integration - integration of innovative engineering strategies with other community strategies for building facilities or programs which may not be directly or entirely related to stormwater management. Needs for park facilities, preservation of water recharge areas, reclaimed water reuse, greenbelts, and the preservation of other natural areas must be folded into the long term stormwater management strategy so as to stretch each dollar invested by the city or county to its highest return.

An effective stormwater management program views stormwater not as something to be disposed of as quickly as possible but rather as a resource which needs to be carefully managed with respect to how much, where, and for how long it stays in a given area. Ineffective management leads to flooding, pollution and salt incursion into the drinking water; effective management strikes an appropriate balance between the needs of nature and the needs of the urban community

First and foremost, stormwater must be recognized as something more than a short term engineering problem; it constitutes a resources critical to the substance of the urban community and the biological community alike. Since both communities are interrelated and linked to each other, the target of a successful program must be to balance the impact of the management of this resource between the urban and natural communities.

Effective stormwater management builds upon the concept of multiple use as its key strategic component. The challenge to staff, elected officials and community leaders is to embrace a shift in paradigm so that stormwater is viewed as part of the management of a limited, potable water resource. When viewed as a resource as opposed to an engineering problem, the consideration of broader-scale solutions are possible, such as potable water recharge areas, conservation areas and passive and active park areas.

The interplay of the interest group agenda, innovative technical solutions and timing are critical for success. Some observations based on successful experiences:

• Getting all of the players around the table leads to a common definition of the problem and a shared vision of the solution. Both are usually bigger and more encompassing than that of one player.
• Complex problems require a multi-disciplined team that integrates engineering and environmental science, law, finance and management systems. A multi- disciplinary team will be able to overcome all structural hurdles.
• Where technical solutions are concerned, the professional community must first endorse the solution before the political actors can or will embrace it. Politicians must be able to develop a "comfort zone" regarding a proposed solution before they will be willing to consent to an approach.
• The search for solutions must be genuine and open-ended. The search for solutions will likely lead in directions that were not originally anticipated and the team must be willing to be receptive to new concepts in order to find innovative solutions. A closed approach or a hidden agenda will doom a project.
• Timing is critical. The keys to successful timing are patience, recognizing an open door, and moving forward when the door is opened.