Stormwater Ordinance

LID and stormwater management BMPs include a broad range of practices for various sites and development types, and can be applied to redevelopment or renovation projects as well as new construction. 

LID practices are often development-specific, and include the conservation of open space, vegetation, wetlands, and other natural features, as well as the use of green infrastructure for lands intended to be developed or otherwise disturbed. Green infrastructure includes natural landscapes or facilities that seek to mimic natural functions. Examples include rain gardens, permeable pavements, cisterns, bioswales, vegetated infiltration beds, and green roofs – all of which are designed to capture and absorb, store, or use stormwater runoff, versus conveying it from the site. 

Stormwater management BMPs are often managed by communities using a more holistic, systems-based approach with an emphasis on pollutant control and regulatory compliance. BMPs encompass a wide range of practices that are primarily intended to reduce or eliminate water quality impacts from stormwater runoff leaving a site. Examples include requirements for erosion and sediment control during construction and regulations for limiting post-construction runoff from the site, including LID and other design techniques for the on-site detention, retention, or treatment and conveyance of stormwater flows from impervious coverage. 

Applied on a broad scale, LID and BMPs can maintain or restore a watershed’s hydrologic and ecological functions and reduce the risk of downstream flooding triggered by excessive stormwater runoff that often accompanies community growth and urbanization. Additional hazard-related benefits include reducing an area’s susceptibility to drought conditions through regenerative design measures such as water reuse and maintaining groundwater recharge.

In addition to managing compliance with federal environmental regulations, SEMSWA reviews and approves various plans and reports for stormwater compliance through the planning and development process, including but not limited to land use cases, construction documents, drainage plans and reports, erosion and sediment control plans and reports, and floodplain development. They also plan and implement a variety of stormwater projects to ensure proper drainage, reduce flooding risks and property damage, and protect water quality. SEMSWA actively promotes the use of LID and stormwater BMPs for development projects throughout its service area, especially through minimizing impervious surface areas that are directly connected to the storm sewer system and maximizing pervious areas that receive stormwater runoff. Through its efforts SEMSWA has helped the City of Centennial, Arapahoe County, and Douglas County achieve among the highest credit scores in Colorado for stormwater management as assessed by FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS). 

Wheat Ridge promotes the use of LID and stormwater BMPs through specific requirements that must be followed by all proposed developments or re-developments. The City’s Site Drainage Requirements (2014) provide explicit information and guidance to development applicants that are based on the latest editions of the Drainage Criteria Manuals promulgated by the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District (UDFCD) and encouraged by the Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM). This includes utilizing the UDFCD Four-Step Process that focuses on (1) reducing stormwater runoff volumes; (2) employing BMPs; (3) stabilizing drainageways; and (4) the implementation of long-term source controls. The requirements document includes clear descriptive language on the mandatory criteria and recommended practices for various development categories and activities, along with a series of flow charts to help applicants navigate the process with the City’s Public Works Department.