WASHINGTON — As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the National Stormwater Calculator, an innovative addition to the administration’s virtual climate resilience toolkit, according to a press release.
EPA’s new calculator will help property owners, developers, landscapers and urban planners make informed land-use decisions to protect local waterways from pollution caused by stormwater runoff.
Preventing stormwater runoff, which can impact drinking water resources and local ecosystems, protects people’s health and the environment.
The calculator, which is phase I of the Stormwater Calculator and Climate Assessment Tool package announced in the President’s Climate Action Plan in June, is a desktop application that estimates the annual amount of stormwater runoff from a specific site, based on local soil conditions, slope, land cover and historical rainfall records.
“EPA’s research is providing innovative solutions to protect our nation’s water resources,” said Lek Kadeli, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “The Stormwater Calculator demonstrates different types of green infrastructure approaches which can result in protection from flooding, energy savings, improved air quality, increased property values, healthier communities, and cost savings for the American people.”
Read the entire press release here.
