Economic incentives for stormwater control

"Dealing with stormwater runoff in urban areas is a problem that is getting bigger and more expensive. As we cover porous surfaces with impervious structures--commercial buildings, parking lots, roads, and houses--finding places for rainwater and snowmelt to soak in becomes harder. Many landscapers, architects, planners, and others have proposed that the use of "green" localized management practices, such as rain gardens and bio-swales, may function as well as traditional "gray" pipes and basins at reducing the effects of stormwater runoff, and do so in a way that is more attractive in the landscape--and possibly also less expensive. To make stormwater management practices work, however, communities need to know the real costs and policy makers need to give people incentives to adopt the best practices. Economic Incentives for Stormwater Control addresses the true costs and benefits of stormwater management practices (SMPs) and examines the incentives that can be used to encourage their adoption. Highlighting the economic aspects, this practical book offers case studies of the application of various stormwater runoff control policies. It also presents the theory behind the different mechanisms used and illustrates successes and potential obstacles to implementation"--Publisher description

1. Background and introduction / Hale W. Thurston -- 2. Costs and effectiveness of stormwater management practices / Peter T. Weiss, John S. Gulliver, and Andrew J. Erickson -- 3. Economic costs, benefits, and achievability of low-impact development-based stormwater regulations / John B. Braden and Amy W. Ando -- 4. Accounting for uncertainty in determining green infrastructure cost-effectiveness / Franco A. Montalto, Christopher T. Behr, and Ziwen Yu -- 5. The economics of green infrastructure and low-impact development practices / Ahjond S. Garmestani [and others] -- 6. The property-price effects of abating nutrient pollutants in urban housing markets / Patrick Walsh, J. Walter Milon, and David Scrogin -- 7. Opportunity costs of residential best management practices for stormwater runoff control / Hale W. Thurston -- 8. At the intersection of hydrology, economics, and law : application of market mechanisms and incentives to reduce stormwater runoff / Punam Parikh [and others] -- 9. In-lieu fees : steps toward stormwater treatment cost-effectiveness / Chelsea Hodge and W. Bowman Cutter -- 10. Cap-and-trade for stormwater management / Haynes C. Goddard.