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Integrated Water Management Services
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Integrated Water Management Services |
The practice of Integrated Water Management involves perceiving water of any quality as a potential resource. Water sources for a typical land development project might include:
Traditional site development has been focused on moving stormwater and wastewater off the site as quickly as possible. These practices are responsible for many of the adverse impacts of traditional development. For instance, stormwater concentrated by storm sewer systems results in high-energy discharges to local streams, leading to bank erosion and degradation of aquatic habitats and stream aesthetics. In addition, moving stormwater quickly out of a watershed denies the small, local streams the recharge - called base flow - that is provided by rainfall seeping into the soil and moving slowly down slopes toward the streams. This disruption of natural hydrology causes small streams to dry up during the warm season. |
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Further, traditional developments depended on water treated to drinking quality for all uses, including many for which lesser quality water would be adequate. This dependence on costly potable water not only imposed higher costs on residents or tenants, but it also aggravated water shortages during times of drought.
An integrated approach to water management could bring important benefits to land developments.
Most states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York, have modified their stormwater management requirements in response to U.S. EPA water quality rules that took effect last spring. Site developers are required to collect the volume of stormwater that would be attributed to the changed state of the site - that is, the increased impermeable area - and to infiltrate this volume, rather than releasing it to local streams. This collected water might be available to use for nonpotable purposes.
Increased concern for the detrimental effects of traditional site development on water supplies and aquatic resources is becoming evident in project reviews carried out by state regulatory agencies and by local planning and zoning bodies. Water issues will continue to evolve as important considerations during these reviews. Owners and developers who adopt an integrated approach will be able to meet concerns of regulators and local governments while providing their residents and tenants with useful alternatives to treated, potable water.
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