Nutrient Reduction: Findings from the International Stormwater BMP Database

The International Stormwater BMP Database (www.bmpdatabase.org) has been growing and evolving for over 25 years with the input and support of EWRI members and researchers and a coalition of sponsors led by the Water Research Foundation. The project is a voluntary, collaborative effort focused on providing science-based information to advance the state of the practice for urban stormwater management. The project’s long-term purpose is to provide scientifically sound information that informs improved design, selection, implementation, cost-effectiveness and ultimately performance of BMPs, also known as stormwater control measures. The Database includes voluntarily shared performance monitoring data and study site metadata in a consolidated, publicly accessible repository that can be used to support selection of BMPs appropriate to achieve stormwater management goals.

Reduction in nutrient loading in urban runoff is a high priority for protection of stream and lake water quality, as well as for waterbodies such as the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In Colorado, analysis of nutrient performance data from the BMP Database is being used to improve recommendations for BMP selection to reduce nutrient loading in stormwater runoff in the Cherry Creek Reservoir Basin in Colorado. This paper will summarize findings from a BMP Effectiveness Evaluation conducted by the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority using data in the BMP Database and serve as a case study for how others can utilize the BMP Database to support local study objectives.