Stormwater Planning - Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a historic community along the Mississippi River in Des Moines County, Iowa, with a long history of manufacturing, lumber milling, and distribution. As one of the first Main Street communities in Iowa, Burlington set a precedent for downtown revitalization and preservation of historic buildings and culture. Although the city’s municipal stormwater is not managed under a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit, Burlington does have coverage under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater discharge permit to monitor nitrates and phosphates released into the Mississippi River. Additionally, the city has a combined sewer system (CSS) with overflows that are regulated by a consent order decree. The city has been working since 1999 to reduce its combined sewer overflows and in 2019 the city drafted a wastewater and stormwater integrated management plan. The city has also been negatively impacted by flooding in recent years.
The pilot project effort in Burlington led to the development of a site suitability assessment, Burlington Site Suitability Assessment (pdf)
Burlington's Long-Term Stormwater Planning Goals |
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Mitigate Localized Flooding in Downtown Burlington |
Develop an Asset Management Program |
Create and Implement Stormwater Development Standards |
Integrate Stormwater Techniques in the Redevelopment of Downtown Burlington |
Decrease Impact of Transportation Development |
Finance the Stormwater Program |