A Tool to Evaluate the Effectiveness and Whole Life Cycle Costs of BMPs
Client – Urban Drainage and Flood Control District

Municipalities and other agencies responsible for managing stormwater are continually facing tighter budget and regulatory constraints. These constraints have created a need for decision makers to better understand the performance and whole life costs of stormwater best management practices (BMPs), so as to be able to adequately plan for and/or optimize the use of various BMPs to meet regulatory and budgetary objectives. However, most of the relevant information needed to make such decisions previously did not exist, was not applicable to Colorado, or was "buried" within the large volume of BMP literature in such a manner that it is not readily available. The objectives of this project are to: 1) Review the literature for relevant information and disseminate it in a concise manner, 2) Fill in gaps where relevant information is not currently available and/or applicable, and 3) Amalgamate the relevant information into a tool that can be used by municipal engineers, consultants, regulators, etc. for BMP planning purposes.

Presentation – Colorado Association of Stormwater & Floodplain Managers (Sept. 2008)
Model will be available at Urban Drainage and Flood Control District website soon
http://www.udfcd.org/downloads/down_technical.htm

An Evaluation of Graywater Reuse Utilizing a Constructed Wetland Treatment System
Client – US Environmental Protection Agency

Increasing demand for conservation of water resources has prompted the notion that the separation of graywater (excluding toilet and kitchen sources) from sewer effluents through the use of dual-plumbed systems may enable graywater to be reused. Little research has been conducted to determine their effectiveness specifically on graywater. In order to evaluate the potential of graywater treatment with such systems, a dual-plumbed facility and prototype graywater wetland have been constructed at CSU. This study aims to determine the viability and efficiency of constructed wetlands for graywater treatment, and assess the water quality produced from the system. Analysis considerations include the effects of graywater reuse on water budget and distribution, health and safety consequences, as well as legal and socioeconomic impacts. Preliminary findings show constructed wetlands significantly reduce many graywater contaminants including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), solids, and nitrogen species, and that implementation of such systems at CSU has the potential for significant water conservation and utility cost reductions.