Photo courtesy Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission
The EFC’s work with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission (NSVRC) focused on helping several counties in the region address new state stormwater regulations that require each jurisdiction to develop (1) a stormwater ordinance, (2) a stormwater staffing plan, and (3) a stormwater financing strategy. With support from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the EFC examined the potential economic impact associated with stormwater best management practices for communities in the Northern Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. The goal of the project was to provide data and analysis that enabled localities in the region to make evidence-based decisions on where and how to invest limited stormwater resources. This project used economic modeling to glean insight on how and where stormwater investments may generate greater benefits when implemented under a more coordinated, regional approach.
Combining economic modeling, cost analysis, stakeholder engagement, IMPLAN analysis, and Excel dashboards, the project team conducted meetings and analyzed WIPS, VAST data, and IMPLAN regional data. IMPLAN results and economic analysis suggest that a regional approach to urban stormwater BMP implementation could benefit Northern Shenandoah Valley localities. The analysis provided a simple approach to identifying and illustrating which BMPs are viable candidates for regionalization. Further details about the regionalization findings can be found in the project memo in the Related Documents section below.
After the analysis and with feedback from presentation to stakeholders, the Excel dashboards were developed to provide a simple and interactive approach for users or groups or users to access the analysis data in order to identify, illustrate, and discuss which urban BMPs would be viable candidates for further regionalization discussion and planning.
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