University of Wisconsin - Extension

Contact: Suzanne Wade, suzanne.wade@ces.uwex.edu, 920-674-8972

Madison, Wis.--Imagine needing to communicate complex new information about stormwater management to everyone involved in designing or approving a new subdivision, including engineers, consultants, developers, zoning, land use and state agency staff.

To get the information to the right people, University of Wisconsin-Extension basin educator Suzanne Wade, Department of Natural Resources runoff management staff, and a number of consulting firms with special expertise developed a web-based tool to provide easy access to Wisconsin’s new regulations on post-construction stormwater management.

"Since these are new technical standards, it’s important that the information be disseminated across the state so everyone involved can hear the same message, learn what each of these technical standards are and how to implement them," says Wade.

To reduce the amount of runoff entering streams, rivers and lakes, Wisconsin for the first time requires developers to consider infiltrating runoff from storms instead of just holding it back in stormwater ponds. However, not until the technical standards were completed were there specified practices to meet the rules.

Now developments must essentially ensure that no more water leaves the development than would have left it before construction took place. The new technical standards for infiltration, based on ch. NR 151, Wis Adm Code, affect any place in Wisconsin where more than one acre of land is being disturbed for homes, commercial or industrial buildings.

To educate people about the new rules, Wade and her colleagues turned to the WisLine Web, an Internet-based conferencing service similar to a teleconference that offers a web component for visual materials. Any type of graphic that can be presented in person can also be presented using WisLine Web.

Wade and DNR staff conducted four WisLine workshops on ways to build infiltration into a stormwater management plan, as well as specific techniques to use. Attendees could sit in via computer from anywhere around the state.

"More than 400 people attended the four workshops," says Wade. "The evaluations reported that this was the best teaching method for getting across the information. Additionally, using the Wisline Web allowed people from across the state to hear each other’s questions and learn from each other," she says.

One of the biggest benefits of using the WisLine Web is that anyone who missed the workshop or needs to review part of it can access the archived files on the web at http://runoffinfo.uwex.edu/workshops/index.htm Wade explains.

"People can get the information when the timing is best for them and not just when DNR and UW-Extension host the workshops," she says.