Data Reporting Guidelines for Certification of Manufactured Stormwater BMPs: Part II

Data Reporting guidelines presented here were developed as part of the ASCE/EWRI Task Committee on Guidelines for Certification of Manufactured Stormwater BMPs. This work is the collaboration of the Stormwater Infrastructure Committee of EWRI's Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater Council (WWSC) and the Wet Weather Flow Technology Committee of the Urban Water Resources Research Council (UWRRC). These guidelines were developed by review of the major manufactured treatment device certification protocol requirements drawing primarily from the Technology Assessment Protocol-Ecology (TAPE) and the Technology Assessment Reciprocity Partnership (TARP). These reporting guidelines have been broadened to support the International Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Database. With the increasing need for the field testing of proprietary devices comes the importance of consistent data reporting guidelines to be used when reporting to regulatory agencies or designers. The need for standardized reporting is underscored by the tremendous impact the range of testing factors can have upon testing results. These factors include the testing environment, experimental design, testing methodologies, statistical analysis, and data presentation. The need for consistency is underscored by the complex influence these factors have upon performance results. A clear and consistent data reporting approach can ensure that these biases are minimized, well understood, and that representative field testing can be effectively evaluated by the regulatory agency. A consistent reporting format is also needed to aid vendors to efficiently navigate the complicated application process for device certification. Finally, an independent third-party is needed to either conduct or review the testing to ensure testing impartiality. The committee membership includes stakeholders from the regulatory, academic, manufacturing, and design communities.