Baldwin County's coastal landscape is closely tied to its waterways, wetlands and watersheds, with rivers, bays, streams and coastal habitats shaping communities and supporting recreation, wildlife …
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Baldwin County's coastal landscape is closely tied to its waterways, wetlands and watersheds, with rivers, bays, streams and coastal habitats shaping communities and supporting recreation, wildlife and the local economy.
As development and stormwater runoff place pressure on water resources, managing how water moves across the landscape is an important part of protecting the county's waterways.
That local connection is part of a broader effort underway across the Southeast through the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast, one of four new Centers of Excellence created to advance stormwater control infrastructure technologies and help communities address water quality and infrastructure challenges.
Led by the Center for Watershed Protection, the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast works across coastal Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama. The center conducts research, provides technical assistance to state, tribal and local governments and collaborates with regional partners to deliver research and assistance to communities.
The center was established through a $5 million grant initiative announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on July 9, 2024, as part of the Biden-Harris administration's Investing in America agenda. The grants were made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
EPA announced plans to establish four Centers of Excellence for Stormwater Control Infrastructure Technologies along with a national electronic clearinghouse for new and emerging stormwater control technologies and funding approaches.
The four recipients selected to establish the centers were the University of New Hampshire, the University of Oklahoma, the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Center for Watershed Protection Inc.
EPA also selected the Center for Watershed Protection to establish the national electronic clearinghouse. The clearinghouse is intended to house research, best practices and outreach developed by each Center of Excellence and promote that information through other organizations to expand access to water technical assistance for states, tribes, local governments and disadvantaged communities. The National Stormwater Manager's Clearinghouse is listed as "coming soon" on the Coastal Stormwater Center of the Southeast webpage on Center for Watershed Protection website..
The Coastal Stormwater Center's core partners include Auburn University Marine Extension, Clemson University, East Carolina University, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Sea Grant and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
The center's work focuses on improving stormwater infrastructure through research and technical assistance. The centers are also intended to conduct research on new and emerging stormwater control infrastructure technologies and alternative funding approaches while supporting stormwater infrastructure improvements that protect the environment, improve stormwater management and climate resilience and advance environmental justice.
"Stormwater runoff carries pollution from streets and land into our waterways and poses a significant challenge for water quality," said then EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott in a 2024 news release. "Thanks to this investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are working with our partners to advance critical stormwater technology and solutions that will protect communities across the country."
The announcement was published by the EPA at www.epa.gov.
Pigott also said, "Our waterways are treasured resources and economic engines for communities, and at EPA we strive to make sure waterways are both fishable and swimmable."
Stormwater is a significant source of water pollution and a threat to waterways nationwide. Communities face engineering and financial challenges in managing stormwater, according to EPA.
Resources from the Coastal Stormwater Center are available at www.cwp.org/coastal_stormwater_center.php. The site includes information on coastal stormwater issues, research projects, technical assistance, Coastal Stormwater Center resources and contact information.
The center also promotes a Coast Post newsletter featuring updates, news, upcoming events, funding resources and helpful tools.
The Center for Watershed Protection, founded in 1992, is a nonprofit focused on clean water, healthy ecosystems, stormwater management and watershed planning. The organization has published more than 270 guidance manuals, articles and reports, developed management plans for 122 watersheds across 16 states and territories and worked on stormwater design manuals and Best Management Practices nationwide.
The center has also helped communities address polluted runoff and illegal sewage discharges and has reached more than 30,000 professionals through webcasts, conferences and training.
The Coastal Stormwater Center project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement RR-84098301 to the Center for Watershed Protection.
