A Fresh Design Outlook: Update of the WEF/ASCE Manual of Practice ''Design of Urban Runoff Controls''

Abstract

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are collaborating in the development of the Manual of Practice (MOP) “Design of Urban Runoff Controls” as an update to WEF’s MOP 23 and ASCE’s Manual and Report on Engineering Practice 87. The focus of the manual will be to provide a defensible technical document that addresses the design and maintenance of stormwater controls, for new development as well as retrofit and redevelopment. The MOP provides a contemporary outlook based on recent improvements in stormwater management, for example: • Emphasis will be placed on the combined hydrologic, water quality, geomorphic and ecologic effects of urban drainage systems and integration of these considerations in site planning and design. • Sizing guidance will be based on unit process principles. • A taxonomy of runoff controls will be provided to unify terminology • Numerical design examples will be provided for each of the featured controls. Two audiences are identified: 1) Engineers designing stormwater management infrastructure for developers, and reviewers of those designs; and 2) non-technical government officials who need to know what to ask their engineering staffs regarding the adequacy of a proposed urban runoff control plan, or the development of stormwater management policies. The MOP will reflect the collective knowledge and experience represented in an international task force of over 100 practitioners including designers, manufacturers, planners, regulators, and academics. Vetted by WEF’s and ASCE’s industry-wide review process, the MOP will be an authoritative reference of the state-of-the-practice in stormwater design.