D21 – Managing Stormwater Costs to Meet NPDES Requirements

Project Description

The EPA governs a federal mandate known as the NPDES permit which was established to reduce nonpoint source pollution of stormwater. Many communities struggle to meet the fiscal demands of the NPDES permit regulations. Our IQP team worked with members involved in the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition (CMRSWC) to help towns better prepare for their future stormwater budgets. Through examination of quantitative budgetary information of three Massachusetts towns, our team was able to derive issues causing towns involved in the CMRSWC to struggle with staying compliant with the NPDES permit. From this data analysis, our team formed recommendations to help communities involved in the CMRSWC stay in compliance with the NPDES permit in the future.

Project Goal and Objectives

Our team’s goal was to help the towns of Central Massachusetts prepare for their stormwater budgets by conducting a case study of the towns of Ashland, Framingham, and Palmer through a cost analysis that compares real and estimated future costs needed to meet stormwater requirements. Our team developed objectives to achieve this goal. The objectives were as followed:

  • Gather quantitative data on each case study towns’ stormwater program budgets and funding
  • Interview representatives from each case study town and the CMRSWC
  • Predict future stormwater program budgets for each case study town
  • Form recommendations to help towns involved in the CMRSWC stay in compliance with the NPDES permit

Team Members

Peter Fagerholm (Mechanical Engineering)
Kaelyn Hicks (Industrial Engineering)
Benjamin Brady (Aerospace Engineering)
Charles Considine (Civil Engineering)

Project Sponsor

The Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition, originally formed in 2012, is a partnership between 30 Massachusetts towns providing public education and aiding funding of stormwater regulations. Check out their website here.

Project Deliverables