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TIR Toolkit

DOEE: Local Stormwater Ordinance

Washington D.C. Department of Energy and the Environment: Local Stormwater Ordinance

In Washington, D.C., the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) requires that development or redevelopment activity that disturbs a land area of 5,000 square feet or more must deploy localized stormwater infrastructure capable of managing the first 1.2 inches of rainfall (the 90th percentile rainfall event in the region). One distinctive feature of DOEE's onsite stormwater management requirements is that property developers have the option to comply with the stormwater management requirements onsite, or to meet half of their stormwater requirements onsite and purchase “credits” that represent stormwater management elsewhere in the District. For an overview of stormwater credit trading programs click here.

DOEE's onsite stormwater management requirements were put into place in 2013. DOEE reports that since 2013 over 700 projects have been successfully designed in compliance with the regulations, designing runoff-reducing green infrastructure that will capture stormwater from more than 770 acres of the District, while the annual average number of development projects increased by approximately 20%.

DOEE is currently in the process of updating these regulations for 2019. According to DOEE, though the regulations have generally achieved DOEE’s intent, compliance has been a disproportionate burden for certain types of projects such as affordable housing projects building single- and two-family houses, as well as projects to install or maintain playing fields, trails for walking and biking, and landscaping maintenance.  The proposed rulemaking provides compliance flexibility and exemptions to these projects for which compliance with the 2013 Stormwater Rule is a disproportionate burden. The amendments also make changes to the credit trading program among other changes.

Download the Proposed Amendments to the DOEE's Stormwater Management Regulations by clicking the link below.

 

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