The inefficiency of point-source regulation of stormwater flows in ex-urban communities

ABSTRACT Despite great success in coping with point-source pollution, over 55% of our waterways remain impaired; and are likely to remain that way so long as we continue to use point-source permitting strategies to address nonpoint source stormwater flows. Practitioners need to take the lead in making the case that watershed-wide restoration plans are justified as a matter of public policy and are far more likely to succeed than adherence to a regulatory regime based on a model of harm no longer relevant to our impaired water bodies.