UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant is working with communities to be a solution to stormwater pollution on the coast.
The goal of the stormwater program is to design and implement science-based solutions for better stormwater management.
Contact: Jessica Brown,
Stormwater Specialist
Phone: 912-264-7341
Email: jtrbrown@uga.edu
Land use changes can increase stormwater runoff and degrade water quality, which has a negative impact on Georgia’s waterways. Our stormwater program uses proven, science-based strategies and tools to treat polluted runoff and reduce flooding. Low impact development strategies and green infrastructure tools are used to protect, mimic and restore the natural water cycle. They decrease the sediment, nutrients, temperature, pathogens and other sources of pollution entering our water. They also manage the quantity of runoff, promoting infiltration and reducing flooding.
The goal of the stormwater program is to design and implement science-based solutions for better stormwater management. With this program, we hope to better manage 1,000,000 gallons of stormwater in coastal Georgia!
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s stormwater program serves as a top resources for coastal communities by working with decision makers to implement stormwater management strategies and engaging water resources professionals in using cutting-edge science to better design stormwater practices. We also work to inform coastal communities about stormwater best management practices through education and outreach.
Brunswick Rethinking Runoff Plan
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant worked with the City of Brunswick and Goodwyn Mills Cawood, LLC to create a green infrastructure plan that will mitigate flooding and improve water quality.
The plan identifies 28 sites in Brunswick that would benefit from green infrastructure practices. It provides fundamental information for planning and future implementation.
Adaptive Stormwater Management Plan for Hinesville, Georgia
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant worked in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division to create a sustainable, innovative and cost-effective stormwater management plan by identifying stormwater green infrastructure opportunities in the city of Hinesville. The plan will serve as a guide to begin implementing green infrastructure practices and allow the local community to more effectively manage stormwater runoff.
Stormwater Operation, Inspection and Maintenance Tools
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s stormwater specialist, Jessica Brown, developed a suite of photo-based resources for inspectors and maintenance staff engaged in stormwater management. The newly created resources include a six-minute video highlighting permeable pavement maintenance and the role of stormwater green infrastructure in coastal Georgia, inspection checklists with photos of varying levels of performance, as well as fact sheets on coastal Georgia’s most common stormwater green infrastructure practices. These resources were developed in part through a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Provisions of Section 319(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended. Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, State of Georgia, March 2020.
Stormwater Practice Fact Sheets
Stormwater Maintenance Checklists:
To access all packaged resources, click here.
Video: Maintenance of Stormwater Practices in Coastal Georgia video
Green Infrastructure Project at Howard Coffin Park
Marine Extension and Georgia Sea is improving water quality and reducing stormwater runoff in coastal Georgia through the installation of the first a low impact development stormwater practice at Howard Coffin Park in Brunswick, Georgia. The project serves as a case study and educational demonstration of the first bioretention cell in the city. A bioretention cell is a stormwater best management practice that captures and treats stormwater runoff using different times of permeable soils, mulch and vegetation. The stormwater runoff from the park drains directly into a tidal ditch that sits adjacent to the soccer fields. The bioretention cell is reducing the volume of runoff and capturing and treating the runoff, resulting in a higher water quality in the tidal ditch, which drains directly into the sound. This project helped build capacity for implementation and maintenance of this type of stormwater practice with municipal employees, alongside other community partners and state agencies. Results from the project are being shared with a variety of audiences illustrating the environmental, social, and economic benefit of utilizing low impact development to manage stormwater.
Creating an Inventory of Low Impact Development Stormwater Practices
The Coastal Low Impact Development Inventory includes information about 308 green infrastructure practices in Georgia’s eleven coastal counties. Practices range in size and scope yet manage 133 million gallons of stormwater runoff annually. The inventory is foundational to greater understanding of how these systems function in coastal environments and is an intended resource for practitioners, educators, and stormwater enthusiasts. The Coastal LID Inventory development is a collaborative effort among UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, the Georgia Coastal Management Program (Georgia Department of Natural Resources), Goodwyn Mills Cawood, LLC and coastal municipalities.
Stormwater Factsheets and Maintenance Checklists
Photo-based operations, inspection and maintenance tools for stormwater green infrastructure practices in coastal Georgia.
Adaptive Stormwater Management Plan for Hinesville, Georgia
A sustainable, innovative and cost-effective stormwater management plan was created by identifying stormwater green infrastructure opportunities in the city of Hinesville. The plan serves as a guide to begin implementing practices and allow the local community to manage stormwater runoff.
Coastal Georgia LID Inventory
A Low Impact Development (LID) inventory for coastal Georgia was created in collaboration with Georgia DNR. The inventory includes best practices for managing stormwater from 11 of Georgia’s coastal communities.
Rain Garden Program
Created with the goal of improving stormwater management and protecting Georgia’s water resources. As part of the program, several resources have been developed for residents or small businesses interested in installing rain gardens in coastal communities.
Rethinking Runoff Plan
The plan identifies 28 sites in Brunswick that would benefit from green infrastructure practices. It provides fundamental information for planning and future implementation.
