Katie Johns is managing editor for Storm Water Solutions. Johns can be reached at [email protected].
SWS is pleased to announce the 2021 Top Projects winners.
These awards aim to recognize innovative solutions to storm water and erosion control projects, and this year the projects span watershed improvements, erosion control efforts, pollution prevention and more.
Judges, made up of the SWS editorial team, scored the submitted projects, and the winning projects are below. For more information on each of the projects, check out our weekly video series, Dropping By, and the upcoming November/December issue of Storm Water Solutions.
The projects below are listed in no special order, except for the Vision for Pohokea project, which was our #1 project for the year.
#1 “Vision for Pohokea” Storm Water Management Project
This project came about because sediment-laden storm water from the Pohokea Watershed undermines the water quality in Ma’ alaea Bay and threatens coral reefs and marine wildlife. This project sought to improve near short water quality, the health of coral reefs, suppress wildfires in the watershed, monitor storm water runoff and more.
Mid-Coast Transit Corridor
Currently the San Diego Association of Governments has several projects going on to improve the railway public transit, including the Mid-Cost Corridor Transit Project, which is an 11 mile extension of the San Deigo Trolley. Two other projects are running along with this, and in order to complete them, the contractors must earn a notice of termination, which includes revegetation efforts.
City of Toledo Storm Water Improvement Program
In short, the purpose of this project was to update the storm water utility created for Toledo from 2000. Project goals included aligning city and county parcel data, developing a semi-automated workflow for monthly parcel data updates, leverage impervious surface mapping and machine learning technology, and more.
Clean Water Partnership Micro-bioretention Storm Water Management Device Installation
The goal of this project included improvements to the existing infrastructure and community benefit. The scope of construction for the project included the installation of one micro-bioretention device in the public right of way belonging to the municipal Town of Fairmount Heights.
Stalcup Restoration Project
The purpose of the project was to repair the erosion to the slopes of the channel in Fort Worth, Texas, and restore the slopes with a design that could withstand heavy and continuous water flow. Goals included repairing the slopes and regrade to original design, armor toe of the flowline, seed slopes for vegetation growth, install erosion control blankets and more.
The Outfall Based Trash Capture Project
The main goal of this project was to capture trash and debris at the point where an underground storm sewer system discharges into an open channel. The project was brought out as both a preventative measure for future state and federal storm water permit requirements and as a necessary addition to bolster pollution prevention.
Storm Water Trash Capture Project
The Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District sought to achieve the trash reduction requirements included in the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, NPDES Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, Section C.10. The team installed three trash capture devices throughout the city.
Darien Crossing Storm Water Retrofit Project
This project included the demolition of a vacant portion of an existing warehouse, the installation of an 18.8 million-gallon underground SMP, and the construction of a new parking lot with green expressions such as trees, grasses and bioswales. The existing drainage network was retrofitted with four large bioswales.
College Avenue Storm Water Improvements
This project aimed to mitigate downstream flooding and bank erosion that frequently occurred along a section of a local stream by replacing pipes and installing a detention basin. The goal was to improve the frequency of downstream flooding, water quality by reducing stream velocity and reducing/eliminating downstream bank erosion.
Modjeska Park Underground Storm Water Detention & Infiltration System
The project goals included solving localized flooding in the neighborhoods adjacent to Modjeska Park, to protect and enhance regional water quality, to manage storm water runoff and to increase local water supply. The final design aimed to increase accessibility and beautify the parking lot.
To view past Top Projects winners, click here.
