Development Standards

Stormwater Development Standards

Stormwater development standards are regulations for locating, designing, constructing, and maintaining stormwater facilities, applicable to development of new and replaced impervious surfaces.


What is the Purpose of Stormwater Development Standards?

  • To protect life and property from flood and drainage hazards by maintaining the capacity of the city’s stormwater conveyance system through the establishment of destination regulations for stormwater runoff from development.
  • To reduce the impacts that urbanization is having on the city’s water quality by providing standards for the capture and treatment of stormwater runoff from development.
  • To protect waterways in the headwaters area from the erosive effects of increases in stormwater runoff peak flow rates and volumes resulting from development.
  • To protect the city’s stormwater system from oil and grease from stormwater runoff of impervious surface areas on properties that produce high concentrations of these pollutants.
  • To prevent stormwater pollution by eliminating pathways that may introduce pollutants into stormwater.

What are the Policies and Regulatory Requirements Driving Stormwater Development Standards?

  • Local policy
  • Federal water quality regulations
  • Eugene’s National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit

How are Stormwater Development Standards Implemented?

Eugene Ordinance 20369: Amendments to Chapter 9 (9.6790-9.6976) of the Eugene Code implement regulations for destination (flood control), pollution reduction (water quality), flow control (stream bed protection), oil control, and source controls (water quality) for stormwater runoff from development of new and replaced impervious surfaces and enforcing on-going operation and maintenance responsibilities for stormwater facilities have been adopted.


Eugene’s Stormwater Management Manual was adopted concurrent with the ordinance for stormwater development standards for designing, operating and maintaining approved stormwater facilities. Eugene’s Stormwater Management Manual is a modified version of Portland’s Stormwater Management Manual. Portland’s Manual was reviewed and edited for accuracy and consistency with our regulatory structure and to reflect policies and Stormwater DAC recommendations for water quality design storm (i.e. 1.4 inches for volume-base analysis, 0.22 in-line flow and 0.13 off-line flow for rate-based analysis), flow controls; and maintenance responsibilities public vs. private facilities.