Design of a Decision Support Tool for Nutrient Credit Exchange Feasibility in Stormwater Regulatory Compliance

016631812015Final ReportPDFTech ReportBest practicesDetention basinsGeographic information systemsRunoffSustainable developmentTracking systemsWater quality managementResearch HubClean Water ActHydraulics and HydrologyPlanning and ForecastingLow impact developmentEnvironmentGISUnited StatesVirginiaMid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability University Transportation CenterSheffield, Stuart F.Goodall, Jonathan L.Fitch, G. MichaelUniversity of VirginiaVirginia Center for Transportation Innovation and ResearchUniversity of Virginia. Center for Transportation StudiesUniversity of Virginia. Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringMid-Atlantic Transportation Sustainability University Transportation CenterUniversity Transportation Centers Program (U.S.)US Transportation CollectionVirginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP) regulations require transportation projects to account for stormwater runoff impacts from increased impervious surfaces in order to prevent water quality reduction, erosion, and flooding. Organizations like the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) have traditionally constructed onsite Best Management Practices (BMPs) to mitigate these stormwater effects. A relatively new alternative to onsite BMP construction, nutrient credit exchanges, are becoming a popular option with agencies like VDOT for stormwater compliance. Nutrient credit exchanges allow agencies to meet stormwater requirements by purchasing pollutant reduction credits from off-site sources that are equivalent to or more than what would be treated onsite. The objective of this research is to design a decision support tool for nutrient credit exchange feasibility. This document is limited to describing only the design of such a system because implementation of the tool would ideally require assistance from VDOT's information technology division. However, future work by researchers could further advance on this design work by building a proof of concept prototype tool for demonstration and testing purposes