Advancing Climate-Resilient Stormwater Management

RAND is working with federal, state, and local agencies to create practical tools that help stormwater professionals build resilience across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Stormwater drain in Anne Arundel County, MD, with Chesapeak Bay written on the curb above the drain.

Photo by Matt Rath/Chesapeake Bay Program

Climate change has altered the frequency and intensity of rainfall across the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which has overwhelmed existing stormwater infrastructure and degraded water quality. Stormwater managers, engineers, and planners need practical resources to incorporate climate resilience into everyday decisions about design and management.

With funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this multi-year initiative is creating an integrated, easy-to-use suite of tools and resources to help practitioners understand vulnerability, apply future rainfall projections, and implement adaptive, climate-smart stormwater design and management strategies.

Tools and Resources We’re Building

Vulnerability Assessment Guide

Our vulnerability assessment guide helps users identify appropriate methods—such as modeling or structured expert judgment—for assessing climate vulnerabilities in stormwater systems. It includes practical guidance, case studies, and templates to support context‐specific assessments.

Chesapeake Stormwater Network created a Vulnerability Assessment Snapshot as a companion to the guide. It provides a concise, easy-to-use overview of how to select an approach for conducting a vulnerability assessment.

A Practical Guide to Vulnerability Assessments for Stormwater Agencies: Approaches, Applications, and Best Practices

Michelle E. Miro, Krista Romita Grocholski, Nihar Chhatiawala, David Wood, Michele Berry

Climate Data Decision Support Tool

This tool gives clear direction for using climate projection data in planning, design, and policy decisions. It features intuitive decision trees, case studies, and examples to help users select scenarios, time periods, and risk orientations suited to their objectives.

Decision Support for Selecting Projected Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curve Change Factors: A Guide for Stormwater Professionals

Krista Romita Grocholski, Michelle E. Miro, Sarah Fendrich

Resilient Design Manual

Our forthcoming resilient design manual links identified vulnerabilities to specific design adaptations. Organized like a traditional design manual, it presents actionable strategies for enhancing the resilience of stormwater best management practices (BMPs) and related infrastructure.

The manual is expected to be released in late 2026.

BMP Climate Sensitivities

This analysis will quantify how the performance and pollutant removal efficiencies of common urban and agricultural BMPs may shift under future climate conditions. We will provide climate sensitivity factors that can inform design standards, retrofit priorities, and maintenance planning.

This analysis is expected to be released in late 2026.

Our Approach

This effort uses a collaborative, co-production process that integrates scientific rigor with stakeholder experience. The project team is working closely with Chesapeake Bay Program partners to ensure that tools meet real-world needs and are practical for municipal, regional, and state users.

Through iterative engagement, knowledge sharing, and a climate and stormwater training program, the team is building technical capacity and ensuring users can apply the toolkit effectively in their plans and programs.

Dissemination and Training

Project tools, manuals, and supporting guidance will be widely shared through workshops, trainings, and presentations for regional and local governments, as well as at relevant national and regional conferences.

The project’s partner networks (including MARISA, the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, and Chesapeake Bay Program workgroups) will help maximize the reach and utility of these new climate resilience resources.