Municipal Housekeeping

Is your municipal maintenance facility a poster-child for good pollution prevention practices?  Probably not, so here are some tips for reducing pollutants generated on public lands through improved spill prevention, outdoor storage practices, and employee training.  Many of these practices can be applied in commercial and industrial settings.  The following provides a program manager everything they need to streamline their programs.

National Guidebooks

Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual No. 9: Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Practices (Version 1.0)
Authors: M. Novotney and R. Winer Released: 2008
Download for Free: Manual 9

This manual provides "how to" guidance, and outlines the Center's most recent ideas on how municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping practices can be used to address local water quality issues and watershed restoration goals. The manual is intended primarily for use by smaller NPDES Phase II communities and other unregulated communities interested in protecting and restoring local water resources.

Deriving Reliable Pollutant Removal Rates for Municipal Street Sweeping and Storm Drain Cleanout Programs in the Chesapeake Bay Basin
Authors: N. Law, Center for Watershed Protection, K. DiBlasi and U. Ghosh, University of Maryland Baltimore County Released: 2008
Download Research Project Report Literature Summary Technical Memo Summary of Municipal Practices Survey Tech Memo

This research project report provides information to support pollutant removal efficiencies for street sweeping and storm drain cleanout practices for Phase I and II communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Information and data was gathered for this project through a comprehensive literature review, a basin-wide municipal survey of existing street sweeping and storm drain cleanout practices, and an intensive field monitoring program within two study catchments located in Watershed 263 in Baltimore, MD and additional sites in Baltimore County.

Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual No. 8: Pollution Source Control Practices (Version 2.0)
Authors: T. Schueler, C. Swann, T. Wright, S. Sprinkle Released: 2005
Cost: $35 Add to Cart
Download for Free: Manual 8

This manual presents several methods to assess subwatershed pollution sources in order to develop and target education and/or enforcement efforts that can prevent or reduce polluting behaviors and operations. Manual 8 outlines more than 100 different "carrot" and "stick" options that can be used for this purpose. The manual also presents profile sheets that describe 21 specific stewardship practices for residential neighborhoods, and 15 pollution prevention techniques for control of storm water hotspots.

Municipal Audits

Smart Watershed Benchmarking Tool
Authors: P. Rowe, T. Schueler Released: 2006
Cost: $30 Add to Cart
Download for Free

Using lessons learned from around the country, this self-assessment tool helps local program managers make better decisions on watershed restoration priorities to maximize the performance of staff and financial resources. Local watershed groups can also use this tool by determining how their community compares to others and work with their local governments to encourage adoption of practices that would strengthen watershed resotration efforts. It includes an overview of smart watershed programs, its benefits and applications for local communities; step-by-step guidance on how to complete the tool and interpret community scores; case studies and tips for implementing the programs; and further details on restoration budgeting. Hard copy is a spiral-bound guidebook with CD of a PDF form that you can fill out electronically and save.

The Codes and Ordinances Worksheet
Authors: Center for Watershed Protection Released: 1998

The Codes & Ordinances Worksheet, or COW, is a simple worksheet that you can use to see how the local development rules in your community stack up against the model development principles outlined in Better Site Design. This PDF will allow you to enter data in the fields and save.

Watershed Protection Program Audit (8 Tools Assessment)
Authors: Center for Watershed Protection Released: 2001

This tool provides an example audit designed to identify regulatory and programmatic tools and gaps in your watershed protection planning strategy and is organized by the Center for Watershed Protection’s Eight Tools of Watershed Protection. These tools roughly correspond to the stages of the development cycle from initial land use planning, site design, and construction.

Needs and Capabilities Assessment (NCA)
Authors: T. Schueler, A. Kitchell Released: 2005

This tool helps communities to quickly organize known programs and resources that can be potentially applied to watershed protection and restoration, as well as identify potential resources that may not have been considered.

The Practice of Watershed Protection Articles

Below are articles from The Practice of Watershed Protection that pertain specifically to this topic. To purchase the hardbound book or CD of these articles, please visit our store. For citing these articles, add the article author and title to the following: The Practice of Watershed Protection. 2000. T. Schueler and H. Holland, eds. Center for Watershed Protection. Ellicott City, MD. Authors of each individual article are listed as initials at the end of the article, with full names as follows: Carol Anne Barth (CAB), Ken Brown (KBB), Ted Brown (EWB), Whitney Brown (WEB), Deborah Caraco (DSC), Richard Claytor (RAC), Hye Yeong Kwon (HYK), Jennifer McClean (JMC), Ron Ohrel (RLO), Janet Pelley (JP), Eric Reeves (ER), Chris Swann (CS) and Jennifer Zielinski (JAZ). To view comprehensive list of all downloadable articles from this book, visit the Practice of Watershed Protection Articles page.

7. Sources of Urban Stormwater Pollutants Defined in Wisconsin
9. First Flush of Stormwater Pollutants Investigated in Texas
134. Minimizing the Impact of Golf Courses on Streams
135. Groundwater Impacts of Golf Course Development in Cape Cod
136. Practical Pollution Prevention Practices Outlined for West Coast Service Stations
137. Practical Pollution Prevention Emphasized for Industrial Stormwater
138. Milwaukee Survey Used to Design Pollution Prevention Program
139. Rating Deicing Agents: Road Salt Stands Firm
140. Pollution Prevention for Auto Recyclers

Links

National Management Measures to Control Nonpoint Source Pollution from Urban Areas (EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds)
Guidebook provides guidance to citizens and municipalities regarding management measures that can be used to reduce nonpoint source pollution from everyday urban activities. This guidance document also is intended to provide technical assistance to program managers on the best available, most economically achievable means reducing nonpoint source pollution.

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