Post-Construction Stormwater Management in New and Re-Development
After construction activities are complete, runoff from new development and redevelopment sites is controlled through the use of post-construction best management practices (BMPs). Examples of such BMPs include the use of vegetated filter strips; bioswales; infiltration systems; permeable pavers; manufactured systems such as oil and grit separators and hydrodynamic separators; various types of detention basins and ponds; green roofs; cisterns; and rain barrels. Post-construction runoff controls help to reduce pollutant loads from being transported off of a developed site, as well as decreasing the quantity of water being delivered to water bodies during storm events. In March 2008, DuPage County published an addendum to Appendix E, Technical Guidance for the DuPage County County-wide Stormwater and Flood Plain Ordinance, to provide guidelines on the selection of permanent BMPs at newly developed and redeveloped sites, as required by associated Ordinance revisions.
Examples of Post-Construction Best Management Practices
In the summer of 2009 our Department of Environmental Concerns and the grounds maintenance section of the Division of Transportation installed a native plant garden on County grounds at the Administration Building at the east facing Heritage Gallery entrance. Signage was posted next to the native plants to provided educational information on the plant species to the public and County staff. More detailed information and pictures of the native garden can be viewed here.
DuPage County Division of Transportation has installed a total of nine Stormceptor units throughout the Villages of Bartlett and Oak Brook to assist with the collection of oil and particles entering the storm sewer system and catch basins adjacent to the roadways. Learn more about the County's use of manufactured BMPs, such as the Stormceptor sediment and oil separator.
In the Spring of 2009, DuPage County Division of Economic Development and Planning partnered with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County to begin the construction of a wetland mitigation restoration project at the Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in Naperville. Thirty three acres of new wetlands were created in the Springbrook Prairie. Additional information regarding the Springbrook Prairie constructed wetland project can be viewed at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County plans and projects website and the Springbrook Prairie wetland mitigation fact sheet (PDF). Learn more about wetlands.
Other DuPage County stormwater projects that include habitat restoration components, such as two National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded projects (Deep Overwintering Pool and the Vernal Pool, both located in the Blackwell Forest Preserve), have recently been completed.
Potential Funding Sources
For the past decade, DuPage County Stormwater Management has partially funded various water quality improvement projects. Financial assistance, provided through the County's Water Quality Improvement Program, has been granted to projects seeking to implement green infrastructure improvements. These grant projects have included the installation of best management practices such as permeable pavers, green roofs, bio-retention, constructed wetlands, and habitat and stream restoration. Applications are due December 1, 2010.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) recently initiated an Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant (IGIG) Program for Stormwater Management (PDF), which are available to local units of government and other organizations to implement green infrastructure BMPs to control stormwater runoff for water quality protection in Illinois. Projects must be located within a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) or Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) area. Funds are limited to the implementation of projects to install BMPs. The total amount of funding available under IGIG is approximately 5 million dollars annually. This is a reimbursement program. Grant recipients must perform the work, pay project costs, and submit invoice(s) (periodically throughout the project period) with supporting documentation before IEPA will reimburse recipients for any approved costs. Applications are due December 15, 2010.
Additional Resources
- International Stormwater BMP Database
- EPA Post Construction Stormwater Management Minimum Control Measure Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) Managing Stormwater in Your Community A Guide for Building an Effective Post-Construction Program (PDF)
- EPA Tools and Guidance for Developing Your Post-Construction Stormwater Management Program webcast (PDF)
- USEPA National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP)Stormwater Technology Hydrodynamic Separators
- Green Roof Solutions
