Final Scope
Due to the lack of stormwater control facilities on many existing highways, some state departments of transportation (DOTs) are required to retrofit the stormwater system with improved flow control and treatment facilities to comply with regulatory requirements. The main drivers include National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permits, state water quality/stormwater regulations, Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation, and/or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) prescribed actions. As stormwater runoff quality and quantity are increasingly being addressed, state DOTs are seeking information on effective watershed-based strategies. To comply with regulatory requirements in a more cost-effective manner, some DOTs have partnered with third parties, or are considering doing so. However, due to a lack of guidelines, state DOTs are devising diverse mechanisms to implement these partnerships.
The objective of this synthesis project is to document practices used by state DOTs regarding stormwater retrofit partnerships with third parties.
Information to be gathered includes (but is not limited to):
· The main drivers for retrofit practices in stormwater systems;
· The description of stormwater retrofit practices used;
· Written DOT policies, guidance, and legal documentation regarding third party-partnerships for stormwater management;
o Types of third-parties and their spatial distribution
o Funding mechanisms for the third parties
· The existence, type, purpose, and scale of stormwater retrofitting;
o Third-party partnerships for design, site selection, construction, operation, and maintenance
· Documentation of performance measures both for DOTs and third-party partnerships and for stormwater retrofits; and
· Identified existing and potential barriers and benefits of using third-party partnerships in stormwater management.
Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.
Information Sources (Partial):
TRB Staff
Arefeh Nasri
Phone: 202-334-2763
Email: anasri@nas.edu
Meeting Dates
First Panel Meeting: September 26, 2023, Washington, D.C.
Conference Call: October 30, 2023, 4:00-5:00 pm EST
Second Panel Meeting: June 20, 2024, Washington, D.C.
Panel Members
Gregory Granato, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Becky Humphreys, Ohio Department of Transportation
Sarah Jones, Georgia Department of Transportation
Andrew McDaniel, North Carolina Department of Transportation
Lindsey Merrifield, Maine Department of Transportation
Jennie Morgan, Oregon Department of Transportation
Hung Pham, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Jose Vasconcelos, Auburn University
Brian Roberts, Transportation Research Board
