The UNH Stormwater Center co-created to help New Hampshire communities meet water quality standards through the use of buffers. Project engaged a panel of experts to generate science-based recommendations for calculating the pollutant removal rate of restored or constructed buffers in development, redevelopment, and restoration projects, and others involving land use change. Communities can now use this information to receive pollutant removal credits under permits issued by the NPDES Stormwater Permit Program. Municipal staff and boards can promote these recommendations as a way to protect water quality, while achieving other benefits like habitat provision and flood mitigation. The project was sponsored by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative.
Access an outreach toolkit to support sharing this project’s results and process >
A technical memorandum that summarizes panel’s results >
A non-technical summary of the panel’s results >
A summary of the panel process
