This comprehensive resource provides engineers, managers, compliance specialists, construction professionals, and students with the tool they need to understand and comply with the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40 Chapter 122 stormwater regulations. This guide covers the full spectrum of stormwater issues, including the new Stormwater Phase II Rule, which mandated compliance March 10, 2003.

The rapid conversion of land to urban and suburban areas has profoundly altered how water flows during and following storm events, putting higher volumes of water and more pollutants into the nation's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. These changes have degraded water quality and habitat in virtually every urban stream system. The Clean Water Act regulatory framework for addressing sewage and industrial wastes is not well suited to the more difficult problem of stormwater discharges. This book calls for an entirely new permitting structure that would put authority and accountability for stormwater discharges at the municipal level. A number of additional actions, such as conserving natural areas, reducing hard surface cover (e.g., roads and parking lots), and retrofitting urban areas with features that hold and treat stormwater, are recommended.