On October 23, I attended a free webinar hosted by the EPA on their National Stormwater Calculator (NSC). The NSC analyzes rainfall and runoff for individual sites anywhere in the US. More information on the NSC can be found on the EPA's website here.
I have used other programs for calculating stormwater runoff, such as Win TR-55 and ArcGIS. This program by far is the simplest that I have used. It only works for individual sites, where as the others can be used for large areas, but the NSC is very user friendly. Most of the data is provided for you or collected from multple databases by the program, so the amount of work required by the user is very little. It's also very useful because you can compare techniques to reduce runoff. There are a variety of tools that can be considered for reducing the runoff at the site, such as rain gardens or pervious concrete, and the NSC will calculate what size you need it to be based on the site and the reduction in runoff.
The NSC could be particularly useful in Blacksburg and the Stroubles Creek watershed because Blacksburg has proposed a Stormwater Enterprise Fund. Once approved, the Fund will act as a utility fee to raise money for stormwater management in the town. The proposed fee will be $6 per month for every 3300 square feet of impervious surfaces. Residential properties with individual water meters will be charged $6, but properties such as commercial, industrial, and multifamily units could be charged $6 for every 3300 square feet of impervious surface that is owned. This could add up quickly. However, properties like those can reduce their runoff to reduce their monthly fee. The NSC would be a great way to determine how much runoff needs to be reduced and the best way to do that. You can read more about the Enterprise Fund on Blacksburg's website here.
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