Using Individual Parcel Assessments to Improve Stormwater Management

U.S. localities facing extreme challenges in meeting unfunded surface water quality mandates are increasingly turning to decentralized stormwater management. Planners, though traditionally removed from stormwater management decision making, possess the land-use management skills to significantly contribute to this effort. This article argues that conditions are currently favorable for U.S. localities to follow the example of many German cities and consider assessing the storm-water burden created by individual land parcels (1) to support public policy that provides incentives to manage storm-water on site, (2) to inform watershed planning efforts, and (3) to increase public awareness of the connections between individual land use choices and regional environmental problems.