Nathan Lacy, UCI Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) student, received the American Planning Association – Orange Section (OC-APA) Academic Award of Merit for his capstone project, a professional report titled, “Stormwater Design as a Guiding Principle: an exploration of stormwater infrastructure performance in Orange County.” Nathan’s client was Orange County Public Works (OCPW) in the Watersheds Division, and he worked with Jennifer Nowaczewski who ensures OC National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) compliance. His Faculty Advisor was Dr. Nicholas Marantz.
As California continues to build more infrastructure and expand its urban development areas, there exists a great need for innovative approaches to stormwater management. The implementation of these approaches stem from many different sources, each with its own management priorities. There is no exact guidance for how stormwater should be managed when a new project or development is constructed, allowing for greater flexibility throughout the process. These exist as recommendations within the separate regulatory regions that comprise California’s water resources landscape. Nathan’s report provides more insight into the performance of local stormwater infrastructure best management practices (BMPs).