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Camden County Soil Conservation District |
Watershed Program
Development of Regional Stormwater Management Plans
The Burlington, Camden, Cape-Atlantic and Gloucester Soil Conservation Districts have begun a project to develop Regional Stormwater Management Plans (RSMP) for five watersheds in southern New Jersey. This project is funded by a grant administered by the NJ DEP Division of Watershed Management and is scheduled to run for three years from the starting date of March 1, 2001. The process of developing a RSMP is discussed in upcoming draft NJDEP Stormwater Management rules. How these plans will be created, adopted or approved and implemented is a component of this project. Funding has been provided to bring each of the five Stormwater Management Plans to the “brink of implementation”.
A Regional Stormwater Management Plan (RSMP) is a tool that will be available to planners, regulators, and developers, local, county and state governments, landowners, and other stakeholders, to better manage the water resources of a watershed. The RSMP will provide guidance and direction in the management of stormwater runoff from existing and proposed developments and address water quality issues that are affected by stormwater runoff.
To accomplish this task, we are developing a characterization and assessment (C&A) of each watershed including, as necessary, detailed hydrologic, hydraulic and water quality models of specific reaches. Utilizing this information, a RSMP will be developed addressing issues such as mitigation of increased volume and rates of runoff from new and existing developments, and the impact of these increases on the receiving waterways. Additional issues such as reduced base flows, the effects of increased connected impervious areas, stormwater related non-point source pollution (NPS), stream corridor maintenance or restoration, existing structure restoration and impairment resolutions may also be considered in the Regional Stormwater Management Plan. The ability to effectively implement the RSMP is of primary importance to the success of this project and the RSMP will be prepared accordingly.
The districts will serve as the Lead Planning Agency for the development of the Regional Stormwater Management Plans. The stakeholders of each watershed will be involved in the process through the creation of a Regional Stormwater Management Committee (RSMC). The RSMC will provide the districts with guidance in setting the goals for each work area, determine the direction of the management plan and provide technical guidance of the project and ensure the implementation of the management plan.
