About

Many towns are faced with flooding due to rain. When stormwater infrastructure is not properly maintained the water has limited space to drain and can cause stormwater to stay in an area longer or flooding to appear more quickly. For example, trash accumulating in a rain garden can block the flow of water. Maintaining the rain garden by removing the trash and ensuring the vegetation is healthy can improve drainage. When stormwater infrastructure is planned and constructed properly it can provide flood protection, improve water and air quality and provide community benefits. Learning how to maintain stormwater infrastructure is an important skill. If a pipe is properly maintained, it may work better and last longer! This section provides links and resources to training opportunities and programs so we can all be better prepared when rain comes our way.

What is Green and Gray Infrastructure?

Stormwater management systems include gray and green infrastructure and proper maintenance of these systems is necessary to maintain the continued effective performance of these systems. Gray infrastructure includes a network of piping, drainage systems, and treatment systems. Green infrastructure refers to methods of stormwater management that reduce wet weather/stormwater volume, flow, or change the characteristics of the flow into separate storm sewers, combined sanitary sewers, or surface or ground waters, by allowing the stormwater to infiltrate, to be treated by vegetation or by soils, or to be stored for reuse. Green infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, pervious paving, bioretention basins, vegetated swales, and cisterns.

To perform optimally in both the short and the long term, gray and green infrastructure programs need to include a routine operations and maintenance (O&M) program. As stormwater regulations evolve to encourage greater implementation of green infrastructure, as well as upgrades in gray infrastructure, the need for training on the O&M of both types of systems will expand.

The purpose of this portion of the Stormwater Infrastructure Toolkit is to provide information on:

• Various stormwater infrastructure training opportunities for municipalities and county/regional agencies, contractors and stormwater utilities
• Relevant certificate and certification programs for green infrastructure maintenance
• Opportunities for career development in green infrastructure O&M for public and private agencies

This website also provides training information based on how you provide stormwater management. See the Tool below.

Stormwater Maintenance Training by Organization Type

The content of stormwater maintenance training can be designed to meet the needs of various entities including municipalities and county/regional agencies, contracting companies and forthcoming stormwater utilities. Maintenance of some aspects of stormwater managements systems, such as gray infrastructure, can be similar to maintenance practices for sanitary sewer infrastructure, which have been implemented for decades. And while there are some web-based resources available for both structural and non-structural (e.g., green infrastructure) maintenance, maintenance for major development projects in New Jersey is required to follow the manufacturer’s requirements which were designed for each particular best management practice, where such manufacturer’s requirements exist.

In accordance with the Stormwater Management rules at N.J.A.C. 7:8-5.8, formal maintenance plans have been required to be developed and provided for major development project approvals in New Jersey since 2004. More details regarding maintenance plans can also be found in NJ Stormwater Best Management Practices Manual, Chapter 8: Maintenance of Stormwater Management Measures.

There are many examples of green infrastructure O&M training programs that are offered nationwide, by cities and counties in other states and through organizations promoting green infrastructure. The programs highlighted on this website provide examples of stormwater infrastructure O&M training programs that may be interesting and useful as towns enhance their stormwater management skill sets.