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Study suggests cost-effective way to capture storm runoff; Research published in UCR policy journal offers an alternative to traditional, costly detention basins and culverts

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 10, 2008 at 5:52 am

From the U.C. Riverside Newsroom:

Researchers at UC Riverside have proposed a cost-effective alternative to capture stormwater runoff that could help communities suffering water shortages and reduce the amount of pollution flowing into ecologically sensitive bodies of water.

In a study published today in Policy Matters, the policy journal of the University of California, Riverside, researchers connected with UCR studied the cost-effectiveness of implementing parcel-level capturing devices, such as porous pavement and infiltration trenches, using competitive bidding. They found that the cost of building and maintaining these smaller, decentralized devices in urban areas could be 30 percent to 50 percent cheaper than constructing and operating large, centralized stormwater facilities. They also found that the value of the water that could be captured and used to recharge aquifers could amount to 38 percent of the cost of the smaller devices.

“It’s a cheaper way to reduce the amount of pollution that typically ends up in the Santa Monica Bay or Los Angeles River, and reduce the damage to marine life and human health,” said Kenneth Baerenklau, a co-author of the study and an associate professor of environmental policy at UC Riverside. “It’s also a way to capture runoff and use it as a resource.”

The study, “Capturing Urban Stormwater Runoff: A Decentralized Market-Based Alternative,” was co-authored by Bowman Cutter, assistant professor of economics at Pomona College and an adjunct assistant professor in the UCR Department of Environmental Sciences; Autumn DeWoody, who received her M.S. in environmental sciences from UCR in 2007 and is programs director for Inland Empire Waterkeeper in Riverside; Ritu Sharma, a postdoctoral researcher in environmental sciences at UCR; and Joong Gwang Lee, an environmental and water resources engineer with TetraTech Inc. in Boulder, Colo.

Read more from the U.C. Riverside Newsroom by clicking here. You can download a copy of the report, Capturing Urban Stormwater Runoff: A Decentralized Market-Based Alternative, by clicking here.

November 10, 2008 · Filed Under Stormwater & Urban Runoff

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