Frameworks for Managing Diverse Risks within Constructed and Natural Stormwater Assets

Stormwater program managers are increasingly embracing risk-based protocol for defining appropriate levels of capital and operational investments. An asset management program for stormwater systems, which are composed of constructed and natural assets, comes with unique challenges not encountered by other utilities, such as balancing structural, flood, erosion, habitat, and pollution risks and recognizing asset ownership by multiple parties. This paper presents a foundational framework for managing risks associated with stormwater management, supported by examples of asset management programs being implemented by several stormwater programs throughout the United States and emerging standards for federal investments in stormwater infrastructure.