Topic: Public Lands — Water Resources
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2013-11-12 00:00:00

Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2013 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide competitive grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure. Defines "innovative stormwater control infrastructure" to mean any stormwater management technique that: (1) uses natural systems or engineered systems that mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspire, or capture stormwater; and (2) preserves, enhances, or mimics natural hydrology to protect or restore water quality.

Establishes the duties of each center, including: (1) researching innovative stormwater control infrastructure; (2) developing manuals and establishing industry standards on best management practices relating to state, tribal, local, and commercial innovative stormwater control infrastructure; (3) developing and administering testing and evaluation protocols to measure and verify the performance of stormwater infrastructure products and practices; (4) providing information about its research, manuals, and testing and evaluation to the national electronic clearinghouse center; (5) providing technical assistance and training on infrastructure; and (6) evaluating regulatory and policy issues relating to infrastructure.

Requires one of the centers to be designated as the national electronic clearinghouse center, which shall, in addition to its other duties, operate a website and a public database on such infrastructure.

Requires the Administrator to provide competitive grants to eligible entities that manage stormwater, water resources, or waste water resources to: (1) plan, design, and install such infrastructure projects; (2) develop standards and revisions to local zoning, building, or other local codes necessary to accommodate such projects; (3) develop fee structures to provide financial support for such infrastructure; (4) develop training and educational materials regarding such infrastructure; (5) develop and implement an innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard program; (6) protect or restore interconnected networks of natural areas that protect water quality; (7) monitor and evaluate the environmental, economic, or social benefits of such infrastructure; and (8) implement a best practices standard. Requires the Administrator to give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged; or (2) an eligible entity that will use at least 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community.

Requires the Administrator to: (1) ensure that EPA's Office of Water, Office of Enforcement and Compliance, Office of Research and Development, and Office of Policy promote the use of such infrastructure in, and coordinate its integration into, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; (2) ensure that the Office of Water supports establishing innovative financing mechanisms in the implementation of such infrastructure; (3) direct each EPA regional office to promote and integrate the use of such infrastructure within the region; (4) promote information-sharing with state, tribal, and local governments, tribal communities, the private sector, and the public regarding innovative stormwater control infrastructure approaches for reducing water pollution, protecting water resources, complying with regulatory requirements, and achieving other environmental, public health, and community goals; and (5) establish voluntary, measurable goals, to be known as the innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard, to increase the percentage of annual water managed by eligible entities that use such infrastructure.