Successfully managing stormwater in Massachusetts
At a glance
A main street reconstruction in Provincetown, Massachusetts that used porous pavement to help manage stormwater and runoff has improved both harbor water quality and the drainage in town, and was recently recognized with a Merit award from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).
The challenge
The search for a better way to manage stormwater in the Cape began with a recognition that dense development and large amounts of nonporous pavement in Provincetown Harbor had resulted in significant amounts of stormwater runoff reaching the harbor, consequently hurting shell fishing and reducing water quality, and landing the harbor on the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s list of impaired waters for pathogens caused by polluted stormwater runoff.
To improve water quality, the stormwater coming off of Commercial Street, the main street through town, would need to be treated. This narrow, highly traveled corridor hosts hundreds of businesses and provides primary access to the harbor. The solution was to reconstruct two miles of the road using porous pavement over a stone reservoir bed as well as retrofitting the drainage at 17 outfalls with porous pavement, accompanied by the installation of a new water main and granite curb.
This has resulted in cleaner water with a significant reduction in beach closings, and has had the added benefit of revitalizing the downtown and satisfying business owners with the lack of standing water during rain.
Funding for the project was provided through a combination of town investments and grant funds.
The impact
- Two mile road reconstruction using porous pavement
- Significant reduction in beach closures
- Community satisfaction with effective stormwater drainage
- Returns the harbor to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act