Stormwater management webcasts

The Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) is presenting its third of four webcasts aimed at educating transportation officials on improving water quality through the use of innovative stormwater management techniques. The webcast, Alternative Practices for Highway Stormwater Management: Design, Construction, and Maintenance, Part 1, will be conducted on Oct. 26, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. (EDT).

According to the IWLA, design engineers, construction engineers, and maintenance supervisors will learn detailed information about how to design, construct, and maintain innovative stormwater management techniques that save money, comply with regulations, and improve water quality. These techniques, including context-sensitive solutions and low-impact development practices, often use existing rights-of-way immediately adjacent to the roadway. A panel of experts will present three case studies. Design criteria, specifications, lessons learned, and research results will be provided.

The moderator will be David Henderson, P.E., North Carolina Department of Transportation. The following speakers will be included:

• Matt Lauffer, P.E., North Carolina Department of Transportation-North Carolina’s Strategy for BMP Selection and Placement and Grass Filtration Strip Design, Construction, and Maintenance;
• Bob Gilbert, P.E., HNTB Corporation-Mize Boulevard Biorention in Lenexa, Kansas: Lessons Learned; and
• John Nieber, Ph.D., University of Minnesota-Effectiveness of Bioretention for Infiltration and Impact of Bioretention on Highway Infrastructure.

To register for the free program, visit www.iwla.org  and click on "Wetland Webcasts." The fourth webcast in the series, Alternative Practices for Highway Stormwater Management: Design, Construction, and Maintenance, Part 2, will run on Dec. 7, 2006. Previously aired programs are available on IWLA’s website and on DVD. The Center for Transportation and the Environment, the Federal Highway Administration, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are supporting the online training series.