Adventures of Finding, Planning, Designing and Constructing TMDL Projects in a Rapidly Developing County
In a rapidly developing regions, finding and implementing TMDL projects can be challenging. Once a project finds support and proceeds forward, the watershed and site conditions can often change in the time it takes to plan, fund, design and construct. Several projects in Loudoun County have been impacted by development (privately funded and publicly funded) during various phases of the process. Sometimes the impacts were negative, such as having to push a project to later years to allow other projects to be completed first, resulting in the loss of funding. Other project impacts were more beneficial such as efficiency savings from combining workspace or leaving the access prepped and in place for a future project. Understanding how to manage expectations and adapt to “unforeseen” development surprises and keeping an open and creative mindset are critical to the success of TMDL projects in rapidly developing areas.
Author Bio
Michele has been working at Loudoun County for over 5 years managing stormwater capital projects. Prior to joining Loudoun she spent 12 years working in the private sector all over the US on projects ranging from oil pipelines to FEMA flood studies to the Wonder Woman ride at Six Flags America. She loves working for Loudoun because no day is ever the same and the citizen interactions make things challenging but also very fun!
