Why We Don’t Infiltrate: A Regional Approach to Managing Stormwater in the Las Vegas Valley

This presentation will explore why infiltration is not suitable or encouraged in the Las Vegas Valley – the driest large MS4 community in the nation.

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Date: Presented at StormCon 2024 in Reno, Nevada on August 28, 2024
Speakers: John Tennert & Angela MacKinnon
Credits: 0.75 PDH / Approved for all Envirocert International, Inc. (ECI) Certifications: Approval #PDH-0042

Incorporating on-site infiltration best management practices emphasizes using natural processes and green infrastructure to address stormwater quality and quantity problems. These approaches encourage on-site infiltration to reduce the number of pollutants that reach receiving water from stormwater. Infiltration is also used to replenish local groundwater supplies, but stormwater management in the arid West presents unique challenges. This presentation will explore why infiltration is not suitable or encouraged in the Las Vegas Valley – the driest large MS4 community in the nation. Following a discussion of the unique hydrologic and geologic features of the Las Vegas Valley that make infiltration unsuitable, the presentation will explore how the Las Vegas Valley municipal stormwater permittees have developed a regional approach to post-construction requirements, and how that approach benefits water quality. More specifically, the presentation will discuss stormwater quality features in regional detention basins, and requirements for BMPs in large parking lots and other new development projects.

Session duration: 45 minutes

About the Presenters

John Tennert is currently the Environmental Mitigation Manager for the Clark County Regional Flood Control District where he is responsible for coordinating the environmental compliance activities of the District on behalf of its member agencies. John has worked in local government in the Las Vegas Valley for more than 20 years, focused on environmental and regulatory policy. John holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Policy from Virginia Tech.

Angela MacKinnon is the Northern California and Nevada Area Director at Brown and Caldwell. Ms. MacKinnon holds a BSc in civil engineering and an MBA. She has over 20 years of experience in design, planning, and construction of wet infrastructure projects. This includes the design of stormwater facilities across the US including Nevada, California, and New York, and abroad in New Zealand. Angela is the Project Manager for the Las Vegas Valley MS4 Permit.

Not Enrolled

Course Includes

  • 1 Lesson
  • Course Certificate