A CRITICAL REVIEW OF BMP MODELS AND GUIDANCE FOR SELECTION

Characterization of pollutant loads from land uses is critical to implementation of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) or Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permits that require pollution control and water quality improvement practices (called Best Management Practices, BMPs). Understanding the performance of a wide-range of BMPs and their explicit inclusion in the planning process is vital to design cost-efficient and goal-oriented pollution control practices.Often mathematical models are used to support the pollution assessment and control tasks. With respect to the BMP models, a number of off-the-shelf models have been developed by organizations including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, non-profit agencies, universities, and consulting firms. Selection of appropriate models is a challenging task, but is often dependent on the study objectives. Both technical requirements and non-technical aspects such as regulatory, public outreach, and stakeholder preferences can greatly influence the model selection process.In this paper, some general and specific criteria that guide a model selection process are discussed with respect to both urban and rural landuses. A comparison of commonly used BMP models is presented based on these criteria to facilitate model selection for a case study in Long Island Sound.