Hello,

We have curated several informative and entertaining news stories from the stormwater industry, as well as a few other items of interest. We appreciate you taking the time to read our ezine and hope that you find this stormwater related information as interesting and informative as we do.

Until next month, please work safe and stay well.

Sincerely,
The Construction EcoServices Staff

EPAs 2022 Construction General Permit
EPA

EPA signed its 2022 Construction General Permit (CGP) for stormwater discharges from construction activities on January 18, 2022. The 2022 CGP, which will become effective on February 17, 2022, replaces the 2017 CGP. The 2022 CGP provides permit coverage to eligible construction stormwater discharges in areas where EPA is the NPDES permitting authority.

Chemists Look to Adapt Green Infrastructure to Manage Emerging Contaminants
Chemical & Engineering News

Initially, environmental scientists studying the chemical pollution spawned by urban runoff focused their concern mostly on nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and metals. But studies over the past 5 years or so have begun picking up a wide variety of organic chemicals. The sheer diversity of compounds that this flow carries is dizzying, and researchers are only beginning to appreciate the scope of the problem, says Allen P. Davis, a civil and environmental engineer at the University of Maryland, College Park. Davis has been studying the issue in the Chesapeake Bay region for close to 3 decades. “At this point, if you can name a chemical, it can probably be found in stormwater,” he says. “As we continue to identify more and more different pollutants that we want to remove from our waters, we are going to have to look at novel ideas for making that happen.”

Stormwater Funding Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Not a Sure Thing
LinkedIn

Getting over $3 billion in stormwater-related funding authorized in the IIJA is a milestone moment for the stormwater sector. It is now up to the Appropriators in the House and the Senate to choose what they will include in the Appropriations package that is currently being developed and negotiated in both houses. NMSA provided a letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to include in the Appropriations Omnibus Package the stormwater provisions of the IIJA that have not been supported through appropriated funds as of yet. We will see this spring if these requests have been heard by the Appropriators, and if not, we will have opportunities in the future to request appropriations for the stormwater provisions – so this isn’t a one-shot opportunity for the stormwater sector. But the door will close eventually on this opportunity, so we must all work to urge members of Congress to activate the funds authorized before these funds are no longer available.

Federal Report Says Seas Will Rise 1 Foot by 2050
Spectrum Local News

Getting over $3 billion in stormwater-related funding authorized in the IIJA is a milestone moment for the stormwater sector. It is now up to the Appropriators in the House and the Senate to choose what they will include in the Appropriations package that is currently being developed and negotiated in both houses. NMSA provided a letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committee leaders urging them to include in the Appropriations Omnibus Package the stormwater provisions of the IIJA that have not been supported through appropriated funds as of yet. We will see this spring if these requests have been heard by the Appropriators, and if not, we will have opportunities in the future to request appropriations for the stormwater provisions – so this isn’t a one-shot opportunity for the stormwater sector. But the door will close eventually on this opportunity, so we must all work to urge members of Congress to activate the funds authorized before these funds are no longer available.

The FocalPoint Biofiltration System Attains NJCAT Verification and NJDEP Certification

January 6, 2022

The process to attain NJCAT verification and NJDEP certification for the FocalPoint System required laboratory testing to NJDEPs Lab Filter Protocol. Alden labs was retained by Convergent Water Technologies to carry out this detailed laboratory testing. We are pleased to announce the FocalPoint system is now an NJCAT verified and NJDEP certified technology, meeting the standards for 80% TSS removal and green infrastructure. FocalPoint was developed by Convergent Water Technologies and sold through our Convergent Value Added Reseller Network.

Trash Bash 2022 – Houston & Galveston
March 26th

It’s that time of year again for the TRASH BASH – just a few volunteered hours of your time on a Saturday (March 26), helping make the waterways within Houston metros parks cleaner. The River, Lakes, Bays ‘N Bayous Trash Bash is excited to welcome back volunteers to the 28th annual cleanup of our Galveston Bay watershed on Saturday March 26, 2022! Trash Bash is the largest, single-day waterway cleanup in Texas. To learn more about Trash Bash 2022 and public safety guidelines, visit the Trash Bash 2022 page and get ready to “Clean It Like You Mean It!” A very kid-friendly, family event with lunch included.

2022 Texas ASLA Conference. in San Antonio,
4.19 – 4.21

If the past few years have underlined anything, it’s that the landscape of the world is changing ever more rapidly — with and without our influence. Shifts in global, political, and social climates are garnering more attention than ever, and our role in shaping the human-landscape interface grows in complexity. At this year’s Texas ASLA Conference. in San Antonio, we celebrate all the paths to a strong and healthy tomorrow.

Upend (verb): To stand, set, or turn on one end; To change direction.

Construction EcoServices Lunch & Learns
At Your Convenience

If you and your team would like to learn more about any of the wide variety of stormwater related topics, schedule a LUNCH & LEARN today. We can discuss with your team anything from our turnkey compliance services during construction activity to our post-construction stormwater management systems; or our stormwater quality treatment to our erosion and sediment control solutions. Learn some key information while also earning yourself a PEU. Here are a few common LUNCH & LEARN topics we discuss with our clients:

• Cost-Effective Low Impact Development
• Sustainable Site Design Solutions
• Underground Detention Options
• Rainwater Harvesting Answers
• Erosion Control Issues & Answers
• Traditional SWQ Treatment Systems
• High Performance Bioretention & Biofiltration
• SWQMP or SWPPP Documents & Compliance Services

• By 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world’s population living in water-stressed regions.
• UN studies project that 30 nations will be water scarce in 2025, up from 20 in 1990.
• According to the U.S. Intelligence Community Assessment of Global Water Security, by 2030 humanity’s “annual global water requirements” will exceed “current sustainable water supplies” by 40%.
• The global middle class will surge from 1.8 to 4.9 billion by 2030, which will result in a significant increase in freshwater consumption.
• Water demand in India will reach 1.5 trillion cubic meters in 2030 while India’s current water supply is only 740 billion cubic meters.
• If current usage trends don’t change, the world will have only 60 percent of the water it needs in 2030
• By 2035, the world’s energy consumption will increase by 35 percent, which in turn will increase water use by 15 percent according to the International Energy Agency.
• The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) projects that in 2020, our state will have about 24.7 million acre-feet of available water, about half of it groundwater and half surface water.

Let’s Talk

We offer stormwater consulting and value-engineering services, turnkey SWPPP compliance services during construction activity, erosion control solutions for slopes and channels, and post-construction compliance services for stormwater management systems for detention and stormwater quality treatment. Need help? Contact us today.