Operations Phase
Topics: Environment | Hiring an Expert
Every Wal-Mart project must propose a stormwater management system designed to maintain quality and quantity of stormwater runoff to pre-development levels. These projects often have stormwater ponds, which is a land depression created for the detention or retention of stormwater runoff. The goal of stormwater quality control is to remove pollutants from stormwater runoff through the use of stormwater management practices. Most of the pollutants come from the surging effects of parking lot runoff during a storm and include contaminants such as petroleum-related organic compounds benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, MTBE (where it is allowed) and xylene--a large group of suspected carcinogens. Improper stormwater facilities can do a great amount of damage in a very short time. Your group is unlikely to have expertise in the analysis of stormwater management, known as BMPs (best management practices), but you may be able to get low-cost reduced rate expertise to help you conduct a “peer review” of any study that Wal-Mart produces. Any review process will need to evaluate the particular choices made in Wal-Mart’s stormwater management proposal. Establishing the predevelopment hydrology of the area is important since Wal-Mart is required to perform to that standard. You will want your expert to cast doubt on the feasibility of their stormwater design. A site plan can be rejected if the stormwater management plan is flawed, but you need a professional to reveal the holes in their plan.
