Not So Strange Bedfellows: The Role of Stormwater in the Franklin, Tennessee Integrated Water Resources Plan

Traditional water resource management approaches to resolve water quality and supply issues have historically focused on large infrastructure improvements related to water supply and wastewater treatment. However, with the increased focus on total maximum daily load (TMDL) development and nonpoint pollutant sources, it's becoming more important to develop integrated solutions to water resources management issues, which include consideration of stormwater management alternatives. While TMDL allocations can sometimes be met exclusively and cost effectively though reductions in pollutant loads from point source discharges, the result is often localized and provides limited benefit to overall water quality across a community. By integrating progressive stormwater management approaches to meet water resource challenges, improvements can be achieved city-wide, while also reducing the potential cost of expensive infrastructure upgrades at water and wastewater treatment plants. The results of this project provide a quantifiable cost-versus-benefit analysis of stormwater management alternatives as compared to water and wastewater treatment plant improvements.