The University of Florida, College of Engineering has just come out with a new study entitled Quantifying Nutrient Loads Associated with Urban Particulate Matter and Biogenic/Litter Recovery through Current MS4 Source Control and Maintenance Practices, or more concisely, “Maintenance Matters!”.

The study discusses the sediment and corresponding nutrient content (TN and TP) associated with street sweeping, catch basin clean-out and routine BMP maintenance across three different land uses: Residential, Commercial and Highway.

The goal of the study was to demonstrate that routine maintenance offers a better ‘bang-for-your buck’ in terms of pounds of nutrient removal per dollar then construction of new BMP facilities and to create a Florida-based metric to provide nutrient load credits for maintenance. As part of the study, an assessment tool for estimating load reductions associated with certain municipal stormwater practices in Florida was developed.

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