Trends in Stream Restoration Crediting and Implementation in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Tom Schueler & David Wood
Chesapeake Stormwater Network
Baltimore, MD
The Chesapeake Bay TMDL has been a major driver for stream restoration projects across the mid-Atlantic region, with hundreds of miles of projects planned or constructed in the last five years. A 2013 expert panel established the protocols for crediting pollutant removal achieved by individual projects, due to reduced bank erosion, denitrification, and floodplain reconnection. These protocols have recently been revisited in response to new stream science, the rapid evolution in the practice, and regulatory concerns about unintended environmental consequences. Five groups from the public and private sectors and the research community have worked together over the last two years to resolve these issues. The groups developed specific visual indicators to inspect and verify the water quality functions of individual projects in the field over time. They also created a new protocol to credit outfall restoration projects in the headwater transition zone and recommended major improvements to the prevented sediment protocol, including limits on bank armoring. The group also refined the protocols for projects that enhance floodplain reconnection, either by removal of legacy sediments or raising the streambed. This presentation will summarize the consensus that was achieved within the profession, and outline the challenges that remain.
About Tom Schueler:
Tom has 35 years of experience in practical aspects of stormwater and restoration practices to protect and restore urban watersheds. Tom directs the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, a non-profit devoted to training and engaging the public and private sectors to build more sustainable practices. Our mission is to help restore the Chesapeake Bay and the thousands of miles of streams that drain our nation’s watershed.
Tom also serves as the stormwater coordinator for the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program, and has guided a dozen expert panels to consensus on the best practices to reduce runoff and pollutants from the urban sector. Some notable expert panels included stormwater retrofits, stream restoration, low impact development practices, urban nutrient management, street cleaning and floating treatment wetlands.
In his career, Tom has written more than 50 stormwater design manuals, research reports on best practices, and other watershed guidance documents. Tom founded the Center for Watershed Protection in 1992, and loves stream walks, floodplain reconnection, and kingfishers, in season.
About David Wood:
David Wood is the Stormwater Coordinator for the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, where he develops training programs and technical resources for a network of over 11,000 stormwater professionals from across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. David also serves as the Coordinator for the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Urban Stormwater Workgroup. David has worked on nearly a dozen BMP expert panels, including the most recent effort to revisit and update the Stream Restoration Protocols. Prior to joining CSN, David worked for the Chesapeake Research Consortium, supporting programs to improve tracking and implementation of practices to meet the Chesapeake Bay TMDL. David has his BA in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.