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SAGE – Stormwater Analysis and GSI Tool
In Florida, we often have to calculate the annual nutrient loading resulting from stormwater, especially when comparing and permitting development projects. There are a few key, approved tools that are used for this work: The calculation methods in the FDEP Applicant’s Handbook Volume 1 are not complicated in nature. And now, all options that are…
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A Brief History of Florida Stormwater Regulation (Part 4)
The final installment of Florida’s history in stormwater regulations.
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A Brief History of Florida Stormwater Regulation (Part 3)
Florida Statute 373.016 (1): The waters in the state are among its basic resources. Such waters have not heretofore been conserved or fully controlled so as to realize their full beneficial use. In 1970, the first Earth Day began on April 22nd, and a revolutionary environmental movement was in full swing. Oils spills, rivers catching…
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A Brief History of Florida Stormwater Regulation (Part 2)
As population grew, problems arose, and Florida said: regulation of stormwater quality and quantity is needed on broader scales. Some of the earliest water management legislation began with the General Drainage Act of 1913 and the Pollution of Waters Act of 1913. Big year for regulations, as it goes. These early regulations grew out of…
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A Brief History of Florida Stormwater Regulation (Part 1)
The history of stormwater and drainage law in Florida is complex, but can be summarized down to this: Don’t flood your neighbors and don’t take all the water. In the early 1900’s, Florida followed the common-law doctrine and had few or no defined regulations around matters of stormwater and drainage. Essentially, landowners had absolute rights…
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Green Roofs
Green roofs, rarely called vegetated or eco-roofs, are rooftops that have been at least partially covered with vegetation and a growing medium. Sometimes this technology can be used solely for aesthetic purposes, but often (and for the purpose of this Case Study) green roofs are used at least partially for stormwater management benefits. Well designed…
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What is ‘stormwater’?
“You mean… rain?” Stormwater is a weird word. A conjunction of “storm” and “water” immediately implies that we’re talking about rainfall; however, stormwater is a technical term that is used to describe all rainfall that hits the land surface and begins to flow some other way. When we talk about stormwater in a technical sense,…
