Credit for Going Green: Transfer of an Expert Elicitation Method to Develop Pollutant Load Reduction Rates for Buffers that Count Toward MS4 Permits - NERRS/NSC(NERRS Science Collaborative)

The Credit for Going Green project team worked with a panel of experts to generate science-based recommendations to calculate the pollutant removal rate of buffers in development, redevelopment, restoration, or other land use change projects. Communities can use this information to receive pollutant removal credits under permits issued by stormwater permit programs. The project has provided municipal staff and boards with the information and tools to better promote buffers as a way to protect water quality, while also enhancing habitat and protecting communities from flooding. This science transfer project was funded by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative to promote the use of science. It did not produce any new data.

The Chesapeake Bay Program developed protocols and methodologies for a process that creates consistent and scientifically-defensible performance estimates for stormwater best management practices. Through reviewing data, literature, and expert testimony on quantifying best management practice performance, the expert panel will produce a consensus-based report of pollutant load reduction performance curves that meet the needs of New Hampshire communities and the standards established by regulators under MS4 permits. The project team will disseminate these findings through a report; targeted communication products; three workshops in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island; and a simple roadmap for the expert elicitation process.