Peer Reviewed

Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Initiative is poised to help Marco Island cleanse canals

By Jonathan Koepke

THE COASTAL HABITAT AND Water Quality (C-HAWQ) Initiative is a nonprofit that’s helping Florida’s coastal communities improve water quality and environmental resilience. C-HAWQ advances this work by conducting primary research, promoting public education, and building solutions focused on the waterways, habitats, wildlife, and water quality of coastal communities.

Municipalities throughout Florida can leverage C-HAWQ’s no-cost, noncommercial model to turn dormant water quality projects into shovel-ready initiatives. The initiative supports partners with free advisory services and up to US$250,000 in direct funding, and it can help access sums as large as $100 million in indirect funding through public-private partnerships.

The organization is also a contributor to scientific dialogue, investing more than $1 million in research grants focused on managing human-made waterways and their ecological impacts. As a boots-on-the-ground partner and a scientific contributor, it shares its expertise with that of a growing network of engineers, contractors, and other partners to propose, plan, and deploy site-specific remedies that promote higher ecological function. 

Marco Island’s Issues

The first project developed by the C-HAWQ team is set to address a water quality issue in Marco Island, Florida. The inland waterways and canals of the small island community extend more than 100 miles, connect its residential communities, and provide direct access to the Gulf of Mexico. 

In 2019, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) listed the waterways of Marco Island as “impaired” after logging excessive nitrogen limits in the previous two years. Areas southeast of Marco Island were also listed as impaired for total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and fecal coliform levels. 

Some of the activities considered a draw for the island community—boating, fishing, and wildlife-related recreation—are being hindered by the degradation in water quality, and conditions will likely worsen without intervention.

A 2021 water quality report drafted by the water resource engineering firm ERD indicated that the primary sources of nitrogen entering Marco Island’s waterways are sediment release (61%–77% of annual nitrogen loadings) and groundwater seepage (15%–30% of annual nitrogen loadings). In an effort to address these issues, the City of Marco Island sought 4e designation from FDEP, indicating that ongoing restoration activities are in place to remedy water quality issues. 

The plan in place outlines a series of mitigation measures recommended by the 2021 ERD report: 

• Implementation of stormwater best management practices (BMPs);
• Reclaimed water management/reuse irrigation;
• Circulation improvement to canals;
• Continued water quality monitoring; and
• Septic system management/phase-out.  

These initiatives are important steps in reducing point and nonpoint sources of nutrient loading into Marco Island’s waterways. They do not, however, address the primary source of nitrogen and other excess nutrients into the island’s estuarine waterways—sediments that have been building up since the canals’ construction in the 1960s. 

Considering the similarly degraded adjacent waters outside of Marco Island’s jurisdiction, maintaining the city’s categorization as having Class II waters sufficient for shellfish propagation and harvesting will require additional measures to meet the stringent water quality standards.

Creating Blue-Green Infrastructure

C-HAWQ proposes to improve the impaired water quality in the canals of the City of Marco Island through the application of nature-based or “blue-green” restoration solutions. Nature-based infrastructure solutions use natural ecological processes to improve water quality rather than solely technological, mechanical, or chemical-based processes. 

Research shows that blue-green methods can be reliably effective and provide a variety of benefits while addressing water quality and stormwater management at the lowest overall costs. Blue-green infrastructure solutions are hybrid systems that provide numerous benefits including economic, societal, and environmental improvements around land and watercourses. 

The systems take a multidisciplinary approach to addressing complex and interrelated problems, often taking innovative, nontraditional approaches wherever human development interacts with natural areas, waterways, and water bodies. They provide adaptive systems that benefit human well-​being and biodiversity alike. 

Blue-green infrastructure also incorporates sustainability into design solutions, creating long-lasting and resilient systems that require less long-term maintenance and cost inputs than traditional infrastructure solutions. The blue-green philosophy is a cornerstone of C-HAWQ’s proposal for Marco Island.

Applying Innovative Solutions

C-HAWQ’s plan targets the biggest issues contributing to poor water quality by dredging nutrient-rich sediments and sands from the bottom of the canals and establishing mangrove islands with native vegetation. The ERD report previously recommended dredging and removal of sediments, but that strategy proved too costly to implement. 

C-HAWQ proposes to drastically cut costs by dredging the canals using mechanical rather than hydraulic methods and placing the sand and sediment in human-made islands that can be planted with native mangroves, seagrasses, and other native plants. The reuse of dredged sediment and sand to construct mangrove habitat islands eliminates disposal and trucking costs while sequestering excess nutrients and other pollutants. 

Each constructed mangrove island is surrounded by limestone—an ideal substrate for oyster colonization, which would provide another level of water purification potential. Oyster reefs improve water quality by filtering algae and excess nutrients; once established, the islands and oyster beds will teem with life, providing improved water quality and critical habitats for fish, birds, and other wildlife valued by the Marco Island community. 

The Public-Private Partnership 

The C-HAWQ team identified Earthwerks Land Improvement & Development Corp. as a contracting lead that could help bring the City of Marco Island an unsolicited public-​private partnership (P3) proposal to implement the project.

C-HAWQ’s no-cost, collaborative planning phase covers visioning, stakeholder engagement, feasibility assessments, and preliminary engineering, allowing projects to move quickly from concept to plan. Once a concept is ready, the initiative supports municipalities in securing at least 50% of project funding from outside sources through P3 structures and philanthropic channels.

Under the Marco Island proposal, Earthwerks serves as the general contractor, entering a comprehensive agreement to shepherd the project from beginning to end. The contractor proposes to provide, at its own risk and expense, lobbying on behalf of the City of Marco Island and applying for grants to secure all necessary funding. Before moving to construction, the company will pursue and complete all necessary engineering and permitting. 

Once funding and permitting are complete, Earthwerks will determine the final scope of work and proceed to construction. The estimated construction timeline for Marco Island is two years, plus three to five years of maintenance and monitoring of the artificial island structures to ensure adequate development of the natural habitat. 

The total project cost is estimated at $60 million. The City of Marco Island is now in the process of evaluating the proposal for technical merit before moving forward with an exciting and unique water quality improvement project. For updates, visit chawq.org/marco-island. 

About the Expert 

Jonathan Koepke is president of ENCAP Inc. He has been a stormwater professional for more than 20 years, working with the public and private sectors to construct and implement real-world stormwater BMPs.

Building a global future for stormwater

By Amesha Morris

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IS A global industry that’s shaped by multiple frameworks. In countries like the U.S., the profession is defined by regulatory permitting and licensing designed to ensure compliance. Some regions rely on environmental management systems that emphasize continuous improvement. Others plan at the catchment or watershed scale, linking water quality to broader ecological outcomes. 

Within the global stormwater community, the U.S. (regulatory-based) lens often dominates attention and resources, making it difficult for professionals in other parts of the world to get noticed. Even within international organizations such as IECA, valuable perspectives from outside the U.S. can be overshadowed or minimized by the sheer visibility of the American system. 

Regulatory systems rely on permits to tell us what to monitor, how to report, and when to act, delivering strong accountability metrics. Over time, these well-intentioned regulations have become the benchmark for the professional identity of the industry. But the entire stormwater profession would benefit from recognizing how the other two global frameworks—environmental management and catchment/watershed planning—help fulfill the need for innovation in large-scale planning.

Instead of leaning on permits and regulatory mandates, we should look to the stormwater professionals who do the work. We are the people who design, inspect, problem-solve, and train others to protect stormwater assets. Stormwater professionals are subject matter experts, and yet we have ceded leadership to the very systems that rely on our expertise. 

Despite being directly impacted by new and modified elements in every stormwater permit, few professionals in the United States take the time to review or comment on the state and federal permits that guide our daily responsibilities. Our absence is a symptom of a profession that has been trained to react rather than lead. 

Other professionals strengthen their credibility through formalization: Engineers use licenses, teachers have apprenticeships, and scientists have peer review. Authentication helps the public and the institutions recognize competence and gives new professionals a clear path to follow. Stormwater has yet to complete this step as an industry, and that gap is an opportunity.

Blended Knowledge

Beyond the U.S., stormwater professionals have developed systems that blend accountability with innovation and measurable outcomes. ISO 14001’s Plan-Do-Check-Act model embeds stormwater compliance into organizational systems. River-basin frameworks such as the EU Water Framework Directive and approaches such as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and water-sensitive urban design connect site controls to measurable watershed outcomes. A mature profession would integrate all three lenses—regulatory, system-based, and ecologically literate. When one model dominates, we lose the opportunity to innovate.

After 15 years in the field, I’ve seen the extraordinary potential of our profession and the gaps that hold us back. There are three opportunities that could redefine what we are as an industry and how we serve our communities and organizations. Each offers a chance to strengthen the industry and elevate its impact—an invitation to help shape what comes next for stormwater. 

Competence

If we want the stormwater compliance industry to be recognized as a profession beyond its current positioning, we must define what professional competence actually means.

Every established, mature field has articulated core competencies that organize knowledge and promote value. Competencies help professionals see a path forward, help employers and regulators understand qualifications, and help educators and trainers design meaningful, relevant training. Competencies give credibility to the field itself. 

A global stormwater framework would do the same. It would define the knowledge, skills, and behaviors expected across all levels of practice, from inspectors and specialists to program managers, directors, and corporate leaders. It would build a flexible foundation, a common language, guidance for training programs, accreditation standards for certifications, and open career opportunities across the globe.

A global stormwater compliance framework would need to operate through three complementary lenses that reflect the full scope of professional capability:

• Regulatory fluency. This provides a foundation of understanding permit conditions, data requirements, and compliance processes.
• System competence. This strengthens organizational performance by integrating stormwater management into environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 and using continuous improvement cycles to drive results.
• Ecological literacy. This connects work to outcomes, linking site-level actions to watershed health through catchment planning, green infrastructure, and nature-based solutions.

A mature stormwater profession would unite these factors in a single competency framework that defines what every professional should know, what each role must be able to do, and how individuals can grow over time. Such a framework would:

• Establish foundational knowledge about topics including hydrology, erosion and sediment control principles, pollution pathways, and safety across the field; 
• Identify role-specific skills essential for effective practice, such as inspection diagnostics, plan review, lab quality assurance and quality control, program auditing, and stakeholder communication; and 
• Create career progression pathways that support mobility among roles, sectors, and regions as experience deepens.

In forming a comprehensive picture of stormwater compliance professionalism, the framework would provide a shared language that helps regulators, employers, and professionals understand what “competent” means at every level and reinforce stormwater’s role as a credible, essential profession. The lack of clear standards makes it difficult for others to judge qualifications and risks, while establishing clear competencies strengthens authority, attracts new talent, and positions professionals as trusted leaders. 

Global Connection

Stormwater is a global discipline. Every region faces hurdles in managing water to protect people, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Rapid urbanization, climate change, land use, and public opinion are shared concerns, and while every region brings unique expertise to this field, the solutions are often isolated within local regulations and national frameworks. 

Collaboration across borders strengthens connections. Imagine pairing the precision of compliance with the flexibility of environmental management and the vision of watershed-scale planning.

“Stormwater management and ecological outcomes are driven by three things: hearts, minds, and hip-pockets,” says Andrew Macleod, director of Strategic Environmental and Engineering Consulting in Australia. “Hearts: We need communities engaged and caring about their catchments. Community expectations are what drive better practices and better legislation. Minds: We need to ensure everyone understands that stormwater management isn’t just the result of some ‘greenie’ agenda. It’s good business, too. It makes financial sense. Hip pockets: Regulators gotta regulate! In my experience, the standards of practice for stormwater management will default to the regulatory environment, so compliance needs to be firm, consistent, and well understood.”

Global connection doesn’t stop at knowledge-​​sharing; it’s about co-creating progress. A professional in South Africa may design an affordable sediment-control system that can be adapted
to small cities in Australia. A compliance manager in Portugal might apply lessons from Brazil’s Plano de Manutenção de Drenagem Urbana (Urban Drainage Maintenance Plan). Each region has something from which the rest of the world can learn, if we make space for
that exchange.

“IECA is working toward expanding its global focus to simplify cross-border collaboration,” says Samantha Roe, CEO of IECA. “Through new partnerships with regional associations, universities, and professional networks, IECA is in the process of building a platform where ideas, data, and knowledge can move freely. The goal is to ensure every region is represented, every sector has a community, every professional has a voice, and every successful approach and lesson learned can be shared.

“The permit isn’t the profession,” she adds. “The profession is the people—those who lead, design, and build the systems that protect our waters. Our global strength lies not in compliance alone but in the shared commitment to innovate, connect, and elevate stormwater management worldwide.”

The goal isn’t to develop one model of stormwater management; that would never work. Attempts to standardize practices across regions have failed in the past because they didn’t consider the cultural, economic, and environmental context. The lesson: Progress doesn’t come from uniformity; it comes from alignment. 

The objective is to build a community and develop pathways for knowledge transfer. The stormwater profession’s future depends on its ability to learn, share, and act cooperatively. To start, we need stormwater professionals from every region to join the journey forward.

There are many ways to participate:

1. Contribute an article or case study from your region.
2. Join or lead a global knowledge group.
3. Volunteer for an IECA committee or training initiative.
4. Share what you need, what’s working, and where support is missing.

Join the IECA Connect community to help build the bridges that turn local expertise into global progress.

Professional Development 

Professional development is more than a requirement. It’s how a profession defines its future, how we prepare the people coming into the profession to think, lead, and solve problems. Its strength also depends on how we nurture and support the professionals who are already building, maintaining, and advancing this work around the world.

Degrees and credentials mark the beginning of professional competence, not its end. A strong global profession builds upon that foundation, creating pathways that help professionals advance through roles and sectors, supported by training that adapts to emerging technologies, climate realities, and community needs.

Professional development efforts commonly emphasize technical checklists and permit literacy, assuming that knowledge alone can produce professional excellence. But this approach produces experts in processes rather than professional growth. Real development occurs when training meets coaching, mentorship, and reflection on real-world experiences, turning information into capabilities.

That means professional development must do more than teach procedures; it must strengthen judgment, communication, and confidence by: 

1. Emphasizing critical thinking over box-checking. Develop training that helps professionals assess, communicate, and lead instead of following steps.
2. Co-creating with the community. Bring together subject matter experts, educators, writers, and communicators to make stormwater knowledge accessible, engaging, and scalable.
3. Expanding research and dialogue to include the human side of stormwater. Focus on communication, safety, leadership, and collaboration—the skills that sustain both people and programs.

Professional development must advance competence, address emerging challenges, and support long-term career growth. A global learning framework should help professionals move fluidly between roles, sectors, and regions by creating a pathway that bridges local credentials, connects communities, and opens doors to opportunity anywhere stormwater flows.

Such a framework could evolve into a Qualified International Stormwater Professional (QISP) designation—not a replacement for national credentials but a bridge between them that demonstrates competence, shares a common language, and builds trust across borders. The next generation of professional development should be dynamic, collaborative, and human.

“Stormwater connects us all, from the tropics to the tundra,” says Nicky Araujo, CEO of SIGSA Panama. “Our shared challenge is to make every drop of knowledge, every partnership, and every action count toward healthier, more resilient communities. The future of stormwater is global, and it starts with listening to one another.” 

Every profession reaches a moment when it must decide what comes next. For stormwater, that moment is now. If we continue to define ourselves only by the permits we file, stormwater will remain a reactive industry. But if we define ourselves by our competence, collaboration, and contribution, we can become a global profession. Let’s build that future together. 

About the Expert 

Amesha Morris is operator and SWPPP principal at Acorn EnviroComply in Denton, Texas, and a certified environmental professional with more than 13 years of experience in stormwater management and local government. 

References

1. EPA, 2025. NPDES Stormwater Program. Retrieved from EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES): www.epa.gov/npdes/npdes-stormwater-program
2. Fereshtehpour, M., 2025. Urban Stormwater Resilience: Global Insights and Strategies for Climate Adaptation. Urban Climate 
3. Radcliffe, J., 2018. Australia’s Water-Sensitive Urban Design. 2018 International Sponge City Conference, Xi’an, China
4. Savu, C., 2025. The EU Water Framework Directive. Living Rivers Europe

Listening Across Borders

To launch the process of creating a global stormwater compliance framework, IECA has developed a Global Stormwater Competency Survey to gather insights from stormwater professionals across sectors and regions. Your input will help identify the real-world skills, knowledge, and professional behaviors that define success in our work. Help us map our profession by completing the Global Stormwater Competency Survey so we can build the one that the world needs.