Jan 15, 2025

Standard will enable assessment of pollutant removal ability.

A new ASTM International standard, soon to be published as E3400, will enable the assessment of the pollutant removal ability of stormwater control measures. ASTM’s stormwater control measures committee (E64) developed the new standard.

“Historically, the majority of stormwater runoff in the United States has been unmanaged – allowed to discharge untreated into our waterways, damage aquatic habitats, and degrade water quality,” says ASTM member Carla Milesi, emerging stormwater technologies coordinator, University of Washington. “There is an ever-growing effort to better manage stormwater, including installing stormwater control measures to treat stormwater and reduce pollutant concentrations in the runoff.”

The new standard provides a way to collect data to assess the pollutant removal ability of stormwater control measures to ensure the products being installed are effective at removing the pollutants of concern.

Manufacturers of stormwater control measures can use data resulting from the new standard to develop and/or support performance claims of their products. Regulatory bodies and consumers will find this data helpful in selecting stormwater control measures that provide the water quality benefit required to meet their permit requirements or project goals.

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6 on clean water and sanitation.

Milesi notes that this standard is intended to be used as part of the Stormwater Testing and Evaluation of Products and Practices (STEPP) program, a national-level program in the U.S. working to provide robust, credible, and objective performance evaluation and verification of stormwater control procedures.

Media Inquiries: Gavin O’Reilly, tel +1.610.832.9618; goreilly@astm.org
Committee Contact: Frank McConnell, tel +1.610.832.9686; fmconnell@astm.org

Release #11956

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