Dealing with stormwater runoff in urban areas is a problem that is getting bigger and more expensive. As we cover porous surfaces with impervious structures--commercial buildings, parking lots, roads, and houses--finding places for rainwater and snowmelt to soak in becomes harder. Many landscapers, architects, planners, and others have proposed that the use of green localized management practices, such as rain gardens and bio-swales, may function as well as traditional gray pipes and basins at reducing the effects of stormwater runoff, and do so in a way that is more attractive in the landscape--and possibly also less expensive. To make stormwater management practices work, however, communities need to know the real costs and policy makers need to give people incentives to adopt the best practices.

Economic Incentives for Stormwater Control addresses the true costs and benefits of stormwater management practices (SMPs) and examines the incentives that can be used to encourage their adoption. Highlighting the economic aspects, this practical book offers case studies of the application of various stormwater runoff control policies. It also presents the theory behind the different mechanisms used and illustrates successes and potential obstacles to implementation.

The book covers:

• Efficient use of green SMPs
• Low-impact development (LID) style new construction
• Green infrastructure
• Property prices and incentive mechanisms to encourage homeowners to retain stormwater on their property
• Legal, economic, and hydrological issues associated with various incentive mechanisms
• In-lieu fees and cap-and-trade incentives

Primarily concerned with the sociodemographic and economic aspects of people's participation in stormwater runoff control, this accessible volume explores opportunities available to municipalities, stormwater managers, and stakeholder groups to enact sustainable, effective stormwater management practices.

Hale W. Thurston is an economist in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his PhD in Economics from the University of New Mexico, a Master's in International Affairs from Ohio University, and a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Bates College. His research currently focuses on nonmarket valuation of natural resources in the policy arena and the use of market incentives to promote low-impact development. He has been especially active in a research study that looks at the use of rain gardens and rain barrels to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff. Dr. Thurston worked on a reforestation campaign and a beekeeping project in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. He currently resides in Cincinnati with his wife and two fantastic kids.