Stormwater Management Guidebook

<< Back to Stormwater Management main page

Overview

The Stormwater Management Guidebook (SWMG) provides technical guidance on how to comply with the District’s Stormwater Management Regulations.

Download here:

• 2020 Stormwater Management Guidebook – clean copy
• DOEE Response to Public Comments for the 2020 SWMG
• 2020 Stormwater Management Guidebook – changes tracked from February 2019 draft

Older versions and information about updates to the SWMG may be found here.

Any project that is currently under review by DOEE or submitted by February 29, 2020 may continue to use the Best Management Practice (BMP) specifications in the 2013 Guidebook and related errata. These projects also have the alternative of using the new Guidebook’s BMP specifications.

Training Sessions

DOEE holds free public training sessions on the requirements of the Stormwater Management Regulations and SWMG. DOEE has also made available presentations and other training-related documents.

Please RSVP by registering online or by contacting Brandon Hunt at [email protected] or 202-688-3415 to confirm that space is available in the session you would like to attend.

• View documents from training sessions

Submit Stormwater Management Plan Information Online

Use the Surface and Groundwater System (SGS) to submit required compliance calculations and supplemental information to DOEE for stormwater management plan review. 

DOEE will only review plans that are submitted in the SGS and have all filing fees paid. This applies to all projects, including projects that only require a walk-through plan review. After receiving a complete submission, DOEE will provide review comments within 30 business days.

Learn more about DOEE plan review fees and payment options.

Related Forms from the Guidebook

For convenience, some common documents that are required for plan submittal and approval are provided below.

• Covenant documents:
  • Declaration of Covenants Form and Instructions
  • Covenant Amendment Form and Instructions
  • Covenant Release Form and Instructions
• As-Built Certification Form
• Professional Engineering Design Stamp
• Pollution Prevention Through Good Housekeeping Notes
• Construction Inspection forms
• Maintenance Inspection forms
• Appendix S-Sample Form for Integrated Pest Management

Calculators and Spreadsheets

These calculators are provided solely as helpful tools to designers and are not intended to replace their own calculations on a stormwater management plan. DOEE does not guarantee the accuracy of these calculators.

• General Retention Compliance Calculator – [01-31-2020]
• Rainwater Harvesting Retention Calculator – [01-31-2020]
• BMP storage volume calculator spreadsheet – [01-31-2020]
• DDOT Maximum Extent Practicable Design Worksheet – [01-31-2020]
• Database BMP and SDA mass-upload spreadsheet  

Helpful Resources

• A searchable map of areas that drain to the Combined Sewer System and areas that drain directly or through the MS4 to waterbodies.
• Estimate how the stormwater management regulations will apply to your project
• DDOT Design and Engineering Manual
• DC Water Green Infrastructure Utility Protection Guidelines
• Green Area Ratio
• DOEE’s Erosion and Sediment Control Guidebook

• Surface and Groundwater System (SGS) Manual - Instructions for using the SGS for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control, Green Area Ration and Stormwater Management permitting, or to participate in the RiverSmart Rewards and Stormwater Retention Credit trading programs.

Plan Review Checklists

To help design engineers better anticipate plan reviewer comments, DOEE has provided a copy of the checklists reviewers use to conduct their plan reviews. While thorough, these checklists may not include all comments a project may receive.

• General Compliance and the MEP Process
• Green Roofs
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Impervious Surface Disconnection
• Permeable Pavement
• Bioretention
• Filtering Systems
• Infiltrating Basins and Trenches
• Open Channels
• Ponds
• Wetlands
• Storage Practices
• Proprietary Practices
• Tree Planting and Preservation
• Relief from Extraordinarily Difficult Site Conditions

Notification List

To be added to a notification list for news related to the Stormwater Management Regulations and SWMG, please email [email protected] or call (202) 807-8526.

Questions
If you have questions on the SWMG, please contact James Dunbar at [email protected] or (202) 573-4925.