Improving ditches & maintenance

Roadside ditches are prevalent and required maintenance is expensive which leads to delays and potential build-up of water quality contaminants. This project will evaluate maintenance and retrofit techniques such as reshaping and planting plans to reduce long-term costs and optimally improve stormwater quality. In this project, the Washington State University – Puyallup (WSU-P) will test retrofitted ditch shapes and plant palettes for improved pollutant removal, conveyance of higher storm flows, and lower long-term maintenance effort.

Study questions

Can alternative retrofit strategies mitigate pollutant loads and peak flows in roadside ditches?
Can alternative plant palettes mitigate pollutant loads and peak flows in roadside ditches?

Study findings

This study is on-going until April 2024.

Project tasks and deliverables

Scope of Work

Task 1: Project management

1.1: Semi-annual Project Report
1.2: Semi-annual Project Report
1.3: Semi-annual Project Report
1.4: Semi-annual Project Report
1.5: Semi-annual Project Report

Task 2: Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)

2.1 Draft QAPP
2.2 Final QAPP

Task 3: Site instrumentation

3.1: Instrumentation installation memo

Task 4.0: Evaluating alternative planting palettes

4.1: Draft report including total effort associated with the successes and failures of the vegetation plantings.
4.2: Final Report

Task 5.0: Quantifying effects ditch maintenance and retrofit on water quality and quantity

5.1: Six months raw data with semi-monthly report
5.2: Six more months raw data with semi-monthly report
5.3: Draft water quality report and presentation that includes effort associated with water quality remediation by ditch treatment a total of 12 ditch sections.
5.4: Final water quality report

Task 6.0: Communication of findings

6.1: Draft report of complete study findings
6.2: Final study report with complete appendices and Excel file of all QA/QC'd data collected over the project
6.3: Stormwater Work Group presentation and a regional stormwater related conference or workshop
6.4: Draft SAM fact sheet

Contact information

Brandi Lubliner
Stormwater Action Monitoring Coordinator
brandi.lubliner@ecy.wa.gov
360-407-7140

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