Pathways for the Evaluation of Stormwater Quality Improvement Devices − the Experience of Six Countries

The benefits of nationally coordinated schemes to manage the introduction of new stormwater quality improvement devices (SQIDs) have been acknowledged in various countries. This review compares the existing frameworks used in Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United States. The review describes the framework and structure of each system, and their individual components are presented. The Australian and New Zealand protocols have yet to be formally adopted and remain largely untested. The Australian and New Zealand protocols are compared with successfully established processes operating in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Adequate resourcing of administrative processes and having the technical capability to review test results were found to be a critical component of the successfully adopted certification schemes. Based on the level of success of the introduction of alternative certification systems, the most successful have been integrated into the formal legislative frameworks found in each country. The creation of a successful SQID certification pathway in Germany has been driven by the implementation of new fees on the release of stormwater from private property, with exemptions where stormwater is actively managed at source. The review presented in this paper may be of benefit to countries considering the development of their own SQID evaluation and verification protocols.