Compost Based Stormwater Best Management Practices Webinars
Introduction
Compost-based stormwater best management practices (BMPs) combine two important EPA initiatives:
- Sustainable Materials Management
- National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater regulations
EPA is helping change the way our society protects the environment and conserves resources for future generations. Building on the familiar concept of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, this approach changes how we think about environmental protection and recognizes the impacts of the vast amount of materials we consume.
Recycling organic materials, such as green yard waste and food waste, is an way to change the impacts of the materials that we use for stormwater management. As more commercial composters have entered the market to recycle municipal solid waste, EPA recognized the need to develop new markets for compost.
NPDES regulations require that municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) control the quantity and quality of stormwater reaching nearby water bodies.
Control of stormwater quality is particularly important at construction sites, where there is often a large disturbed area that can contribute sediment and other contaminants to stormwater.
Compost-based BMPs, such as compost blankets, compost filter berms, and compost filter socks, provide effective treatment of stormwater when used in construction and post-construction stormwater BMPs.
Why use them?
- Compost retains a large volume of water, thus helping to prevent/reduce erosion, reduce runoff, and establish vegetation.
- Compost improves downstream water quality by retaining pollutants such as heavy metals, nitrogen, phosphorus, oil and grease, fuels, herbicides, and pesticides.
- Nutrients and hydrocarbons adsorbed and/or trapped by compost are decomposed by naturally occurring microorganisms.
- Compost improves soil structure and nutrient content, which reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Compost-based BMPs remove as much or more sediment from stormwater as traditional perimeter
Videos for this section:
An Introduction to Soil and the Compost BMPs
Mr. Chris Newman of U.S. EPA Region 5 presents a short introduction to soil and the compost BMPs. Mr. Newman is an Environmental Scientist with EPA Region 5 in Chicago, IL.
Technical Details, What the Compost BMPs Do
Dr. Britt Faucette, of Filitrexx International, delves into many of the details of compost and the BMPs, providing information about what the BMPs can do, and how they do it.