The center for watershed protection (CWP) proposes to establish a coastal stormwater center (CSC) to improve stormwater management in the southeast (SE) coastal plain

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $962,889 Project Grant under the Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technologies Grant Program (CFDA 66.490) to the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. to establish a Coastal Stormwater Center (CSC) in the Southeastern U.S. The CSC will conduct applied research on innovative stormwater management approaches, provide technical assistance to state, tribal, and local governments, and develop a comprehensive suite of resources accessible through a national stormwater clearinghouse. Key activities include funding pilot studies with partners at the University of Florida and East Carolina University to map infrastructure, monitor water levels, and integrate forecasts to optimize stormwater systems and reduce flood risk. The CSC will leverage a network of university extension and nonprofit partners to deliver outreach, training, and support to communities across the Southeastern coastal region from Virginia to Alabama, with a focus on underserved areas. The project will run from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026.

Description

The center for watershed protection (CWP) proposes to establish a coastal stormwater center (CSC) to improve stormwater management in the southeast (SE) coastal plain. Urbanization, coupled with shallow water tables, flat topography, tidal influence, and saltwater intrusion can pose significant challenges to managing stormwater runoff in coastal cities. These challenges are exacerbated by changing precipitation patterns, sea level rise, and anticipated urban expansion. Drawing on 30+ years of stormwater research expertise, CWP will lead the CSC, funding applied research to identify gaps and addressing barriers to local adoption of effective and resilient stormwater management technologies. This will include adapting successful strategies from other regions, resulting in a comprehensive suite of resources accessible through a national stormwater clearinghouse. Research partners include university of florida and east carolina university, who will conduct pilot studies to develop and deploy low-cost approaches to map stormwater infrastructure and groundwater, monitor water levels, and integrate real-time forecasts to optimize stormwater systems and reduce flood risk. A core team of six university extension and nonprofit partners will provide outreach, technical assistance, and training for state, tribal, and local governments across the SE, from virginia to alabama. The CSC will leverage and build upon the partners' existing infrastructure by adding new content focused on coastal stormwater management, connecting communities to a network of coastal stormwater experts, and helping coastal communities fund and implement effective stormwater strategies. Cross-marketing technical assistance offerings with other established centers will allow for a large reach of communities. Additionally, collaborative efforts with partners will involve meetings with local community leaders to identify key needs and barriers; identifying funding for priority coastal stormwater research projects; sharing results through webinars, state and regional conferences and trainings, and published papers; hosting a coastal stormwater conference; and creating materials for the national stormwater clearinghouse. Collaborative activities will primarily take place within the coastal SE but will bring in coastal stormwater experts from across the country. Outputs include research results, low-cost approaches, training, outreach, and regional partnerships, making effective and resilient stormwater management more cost-effective and accessible, particularly for communities with limited resources such as underserved communities. The long-term outcome is improved stormwater infrastructure across the region to protect public health, safeguard the environment, and increase climate resilienceactivities:conduct research on new and emerging stormwater control infrastructure technologies: the CSC will fund applied research on effective stormwater management, with a focus on new and emerging approaches that can be adopted by a wide range of coastal communities. CWP will lead research to develop a set of targeted resources for coastal communities to address stormwater problems in existing developed areas and to minimize stormwater impacts from new development, while considering expected climate impacts. CWP will also convene interested coastal stormwater research partners to discuss and identify research gaps to prioritize for future funding. Possible future research topics include: strategies for mitigating harmful algal blooms, modeling effects of BMP design adaptations, saltwater migration into the stormwater system, methods to predict compound flooding. Provide technical assistance to state, tribal, and local governments: a core team of six university extension and nonprofit partners will provide outreach, technical assistance (TA), and training for state, tribal, and local governments across the SE. The CSC will serve as an