Stormwater Utilities Use Stormwater as a Beneficial Urban Water Resource — The Key to Sustainable Development in the Cherry Creek Watershed

The urban stormwater runoff in the Cherry Creek watershed in the Denver Colorado metropolitan area is the greatest source of pollutants for Cherry Creek Reservoir, an important urban recreation amenity. Traditional stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) are not be sufficient to meet the reservoir water quality standards. In response to this challenge, the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority has implemented an aggressive watershed-based program for the management of urban stormwater nutrients. A key component of this strategy is an incentive-based, rather than a regulatory-based stormwater management program. The incentive-based program recognizes that urban stormwater can be managed as an asset to create green space, parks, wetlands, wildlife habitat and urban recreation opportunities rather than being managed as a nuisance for disposal. This approach produces visible benefits for the community and is more sustainable because it creates value for the land owner and is voluntarily implemented and maintained rather than in response to regulatory mandates. Three stormwater utilities in the watershed have played key roles in the implementation of these innovative management systems. The utilities were keys to the success of these projects since the utilities had the expertise and the programs to support innovative practices and to assist the development community during the review process by other government agencies. Four case studies are presented for developments totaling more than 4,000 acres. Each project has been constructed and can serve as illustrative examples of how similar methods could be used elsewhere.