Explore how innovations like GIS, forecast-based controls and real-time data are shaping the future of stormwater management. AQUALIS offers clients a smarter solution to optimize infrastructure and address evolving climate challenges.

Drinking water standards vary by state, but the goal is always the same: guarantee a clean water supply by removing contaminants from water. Dependable water treatment systems create a higher quality of life, so it’s essential to understand how water is contaminated, how it is treated and what part we all play in this process.

There is more than one way to fix a faulty sewer line, and depending on your circumstances, you may have the luxury of choosing a less disruptive or more cost-effective method. Technological advances have left us with two prominent sewer repair methods: trenchless sewer repair and traditional excavation.

Environmental due diligence is not just a requirement, it’s a beneficial process for clients involved in property acquisition and development.

These devices serve similar functions in the water treatment process and are often grouped. Lift station vs. pump station can be tough to discern, but we will answer all standing questions in this blog.

PFAS is the abbreviation for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances which are man-made chemicals that are difficult to break down due to the carbon and fluorine bond.

Industrial vacuumation and jetting trucks are multi-functional vehicles used for cleaning underground infrastructure. By using both suction and high-pressure water, these trucks are ideal for non-invasive maintenance.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts climate patterns for suture seasons based on existing conditions.

As cities and towns develop, more impervious surfaces are created, preventing stormwater from absorbing into the earth.

Retention ponds are one of the most well known stormwater control measures. Each component of the pond has a function to ensure proper treatment and storage of runoff.

Stormwater management for solar farms follows the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements for land disturbance of an acre or more.

Stormwater runoff can carry pollutants, such as sediment, nutrients, heavy metals and chemicals into our water bodies.

There are three types of underground sewers which include Sanitary Sewer System (SSS), Combined Sewer Systems (CSS) and Storm Sewer Systems.

A proposal of the standards is due before the end of 2023 and will be finalized by 2025 for official release.

Because stormwater systems vary so much, it is important to work with professionals that know local regulations and systems common in your area.

Learn why preventative maintenance is essential to the health of a stormwater system.

Most swine-raising operations keep animal waste from flowing into surface water bodies by building retention ponds.

Keeping poultry in confined spaces is common, but this practice may harm the natural ecosystem and get you into regulatory trouble without due diligence.

Stormwater systems can potentially face extensive damages if your property is unprepared for an influx of runoff due to snowmelt.

The National Weather service predicts parts of the Northeast and Central regions will also experience a yearly increase in precipitation.

The melting period in early spring is when many preventable stormwater system failures occur.

Flooding is a sign that filtration or stormwater systems are not working as designed.

The concept of the water year is based on the movement of water – or the lack thereof – through the environment.

Due to its popularity, rapid urban development threatens the very appeal that brought residents to the region.

Understanding the causes and proactively preventing erosion protects your property and the environment from intensifying erosion rates.

Sinkholes are a serious stormwater runoff threat, with damages to commercial property and loss of life that can result.

Pollinators are the reason for the show-stopping beauty and fragrance we associate with floral blooms.

Reports claim this facility left waste storage bins, vehicle parts and trash exposed to precipitation, allowing sediment-ridden stormwater to wash from the industrial site into Lake Waterford.

Due to an overload of non-flushable items including masks, gloves and wipes, lift stations across the country are failing at alarming rates.

Lift stations must receive preventative maintenance and routine cleanings to minimize expected wear and tear and extend the system’s life.

The NCCF’s 2021 Action Plan for Nature-Based Stormwater Strategies laid the groundwork to pioneer statewide nature-based stormwater strategies.

If your property is only reactively servicing lift station assets, it is essential to pay attention to these signs.

Every year, World Water Day is celebrated March 22 to appreciate the essential element of life: water.

Stormwater regulations are never stagnant for long, and with the recent transition to a new white house administration, changes are already in motion to existing water legislation.

As the snow begins to melt, it is vital to recognize continuing challenges to the water resource management infrastructure in these regions.

Implementing stormwater solutions that involve planting beneficial vegetation has become a popular stormwater management strategy.

Even with bare branches, plant life is still hard at work absorbing water and nutrients from the soil while bracing for the cold of winter.

A 100-year storm describes a significant rain event that is unfortunately becoming more common.

Without regular maintenance, stormwater systems will fail, often during the most inopportune times.

Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality due to unnatural changes in water temperature.

While stormwater systems cannot prevent flash floods, managing stormwater as efficiently and effectively can help minimize the damage caused by large amounts of runoff.

Colorado Springs has begun implementing stormwater SCMs to improve water quality of surrounding creeks

This ecosystem on top of a grey infrastructure is a sustainable solution to protect the declining pollinator species.

Through our Root for Nature programs, we seek to improve the environment through stormwater management and beyond.

How to prepare for an influx in stormwater coming from melting snow and ice.

The Texas Stormwater Scorecard report was established to evaluate local government’s stormwater policies.

The winter months are often a time when stormwater systems are neglected and left to collecting dirt, debris and trash that can accumulate within your system.

A seasoned stormwater crew will know why each plant is there and how to care for each in the best way.

As total global populace grows, so do urban populations through natural growth and immigration into cities.

The National Wildlife Federation has identified that the Puget Sound is home to over 3,000 species of invertebrates alone.

The parking lot of your business is often the first vantage point potential customers see, making the investment in aesthetics and functionality important. It is also a major contributor to runoff.

For areas of heavy urbanization and agriculture, re-hydrating the landscape could be the main approach for staving off widespread hunger and thirst.

The Columbia River is the fourth largest river in North America and provides natural ecosystem services.

Stormwater systems and functioning infrastructure are important to control runoff from these largely developed areas.

The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most closely watched bodies of water in the U.S. because of the high productivity value offered from the estuary.

Wet detention ponds can be used to mimic natural ecosystems and can provide equal or additional benefits if maintained properly.

The CWA is responsible for managing discharge of pollutants that may end up in the Waters of the U.S., as well as regulating quality standards for surface water.

AQUALIS celebrated National Pollinator Week in a big way this year. In an effort to combat the recent decline of pollinators.

The Southeast US is going through a major growth spurt, and the growing pains the area is going through are exacerbated by the drastic increase in intense seasonal storms.

  Knowledge of how Stormwater SCMs work is crucial to have to recognize when one of your structures may be failing. Two very important disciplines within stormwater management are drainage and filtration. Filterra units combine drainage and filtration into a single aesthetically pleasing structure.

Stormwater in Los Angeles County has been neglected for a long time.  

Stormwater runoff may pick up heavy metals as it flows across roadways and parking lots.

In our modern day and age, the product quality and availability of a business isn’t all that’s going to cut it for consumers. The digital age has developed the consumer-business relationship into more than a faceless stream of products and services; consumers are consistently caring more and paying attention to the practices of the business […]

Getting a notice of violation (NOV) is never a fun experience. Having a violation found during a stormwater inspection means having to shift your focus from your business and spend time, energy, and money on becoming compliant with the relevant stormwater ordinance. You’ll also likely be hit with a hefty fine for being found non-compliant. […]

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the Restoration + Recovery office. Hurricane Florence brought on high wind speeds, torrential rainfall, and hurricane runoff that caused flooding in many parts of the Carolinas. This environmental disaster has left much of the coastline still reeling, with citizens displaced and their properties’ fate still up in […]

How far back into history does the first stormwater management system go? Our civilization has been implementing systems using low-impact development principles for hundreds of years. With some of these original techniques still in use today,1 one can wonder how there’s any room for new technologies in the industry.  

Brace yourselves. We are on the cusp of another fire season, and its year-to-year intensity is only increasing. Like many environmental issues, the increase in wildland fires has no quick fix. It depends not just on firefighters and foresters, but whole communities to take part in preventative and reactive actions.

The Technology Assessment Protocol – Ecology (TAPE) Program is the Washington State Department of Ecology’s process for evaluating and approving emerging stormwater treatment Stormwater Control Measures (SCMs). New stormwater treatment SCMs that are not in the current Stormwater Manual or have not been approved by TAPE must first be approved by Ecology’s TAPE Program, an […]

Rural stormwater management plans are growing in popularity. The proper development and maintenance of BMPs is important even in areas away from intense development, as runoff can still negatively affect water quality and surrounding environments. There are physical and regulatory differences to managing stormwater in rural vs. urban areas, and knowing how localities can use […]

A healthy stormwater system should be able to handle the most torrential of downpours with aplomb. These heavy downpours can dramatically swell the affected watershed; how do properties without the broad real estate for detention ponds keep from contributing to floods? Underground vaults.

The town of Bluffton, SC recently announced that it has begun inspections of all stormwater drainage and treatment systems in a program that will impact both neighborhood and commercial developments. The inspection program is in place to ensure that the Town of Bluffton meets the requirements of the federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System General […]

Let’s be real: Summer in the Pacific Northwest is not the time that its denizens are most vigilant about maintaining their stormwater facilities. It’s as dry as a bone and folks are doing everything they can to distract themselves from the looming winter rains.

In the summer, it seems like someone in a residential neighborhood is washing their car every day. Giant buckets of water are mixed with car soap  and the car is scrubbed clean. Cleaning the car is not the problem, the problem is what happens after the wash is complete. After they finish washing their cars, […]

  There are many factors that put pressure on water resources which effects the options and requirements for water management. Population growth is a main factor, creating demands for more water and producing additional wastewater and pollution. The increase can have significant negative impacts on local and regional water resources.

Legal Basis of the Clean Water Act:

The Restoration and Recovery team recently attended the North Carolina State University Wet Pond and Wetland Design Update in RTP.  As presented by university and state government employees, the course structured these design strategies within the framework of the recent drafts of Minimum Design Criteria (MDC) Rules for SCMs.  As it stands, MDC rules are […]

Vegetation establishment is an important component of many stormwater control measures (SCM).  Grasses, trees, shrubs, and other herbaceous plants help provide structural stability, conrol erosion, and naturally remove pollutants from rainwater runoff.  However, if proper maintenance is not performed, undesirable vegetation will invade vegetated areas of the SCMs.  If these undesirables go untreated, they can […]

Anyone walking along a degraded urban stream may see signs of the effects of urban development: heavily eroded stream banks, trash in overhanging tree branches, discarded tires, or remnants of stormwater conveyance infrastructure.  It is obvious that intense alterations to the landscape and water network occur when land is developed.   The most immediate consequences include […]

Headwater streams provide many ecologic and water quality benefits.  In a natural setting, these small drainage tributaries filter rainwater, recharge groundwater, and dissipate water velocity while transporting sediment from upland elevations downstream to larger water bodies.  It is not surprising that people tend to populate upland areas where flooding may be mitigated by hard surface […]

There are many preventative measures that can be taken into account for a site-specific stormwater management plan, but even well-maintained and regularly inspected systems can be prone to nuisance issues. Some problems are elusive and could go undetected for a period of time while others are more blatant and are visible to the untrained eye. 

Winter can often be very taxing on stormwater facilities for a variety of reasons.  First, these systems are often neglected during the winter months which can result in damages, as well as sediment, trash and debris accumulation.

Regardless of where your property is located, there are key strategies for proper management of your stormwater system (BMP) year-round. Continuous attention to the system, specifically in the form of inspection and maintenance, is critical in maintaining compliance, preventing failure, and ensuring water quality and quantity standards per design. Monthly, or even more frequent, stormwater […]

To clarify, LID is not something you place on top of your trashcan to keep out unwanted canines.  Since the buzz word, or phrase I should say, has come up in a few of our previous blog posts, I thought it would be worth a brief survey.  Low-Impact Development (LID) is a design and planning […]

A new development underway, Chatham Park, is the local buzz amongst residents of the Triangle area. The 7,100 acre project is located just west of Jordan Lake and the closest town is Pittsboro. According to the Planned Development District Master Plan, Chatham Park is envisioned as having five villages. Creeks and stream valleys will serve […]

I am in my second year on the Triangle J Council of Governments (TJCOG) Water Resources Advisory Committee.  So far it has been a great experience, and it has opened my eyes to a whole new side of water!  For our clients, I primarily focus on managing stormwater within specific property lines.  Once the water […]

On January 7, 2015, Water Environment Federation released an article, Year in Review: 2014 Under the Stormwater Lens, which summarized the trending topics relative to Stormwater in 2014. The top three Stormwater Report News Trends of 2014, based on Google Analytics, were the following:

A couple weeks ago the R&R Durham team completed an OSHA course entitled “Working Safely in Confined Spaces + Lockout/Tagout Procedures.” The course was held at one of the city of Durham’s municipal buildings, and other participants included folks from the construction and stormwater industry, equipment operators, and general contractors.  A confined space is defined […]

I recently participated in the NC Stormwater BMP Inspection and Maintenance Certification Update with Dr.

As the host for water professionals around the globe, the annual WEFTEC conference is an authoritative source for all things water, as well as a powerful engine of knowledge creation and exchange of ideas.