Leveraging the Intersection of Stormwater and Floodplain Management to Gain Permitting Efficiency and Site Management Efficacy

Title: Leveraging the Intersection of Stormwater and Floodplain Management to Gain Permitting Efficiency and Site Management Efficacy

Keywords: Erosion and Sediment Control, Floodplains, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans, Permitting

The management of stormwater and floodplains on construction sites shares a number of common elements, given that both relate to the hydrology of the construction site and surrounding areas, but these two facets of environmental management are often treated as separate topics. This presentation will provide an overview of ways in which combining stormwater management and floodplain analyses on sites within a floodplain can achieve efficiencies in the amount of effort necessary to obtain applicable permits, and improve the overall quality of both types of analyses.

When developing a stormwater pollution prevention plan, a key initial step is to gather information about the site where construction activities will be performed. Some information that is typically gathered during this phase, such as site topography, proximity to drainageways, names of nearby drainageways, and types of activities to be performed on the site, can also be used to support the development of floodplain development permit application materials. Likewise, a critical evaluation of where and how flooding is expected to occur at the site can inform key elements of the stormwater management plan, such as location and type of sediment controls, sizing for diversion structures, and limitations on materials staging areas.

This presentation will review overlapping areas between stormwater and floodplain permitting and management and will provide examples of how stormwater professionals can perform relatively straightforward floodplain permitting with little additional effort beyond what is required to prepare a stormwater pollution prevention plan. Attendees will gain knowledge to expand their technical stormwater permitting and planning abilities into the floodplain realm.