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Abstract
Federal Clean Water Act embodies the United States federal structure in its regulation of water quality. In regulating stormwater, the federal government establishes broad water quality goal but then relies on the state and local governments to implement regulations and programs to achieve these goals. In recent years the EPA has increasingly focused on using green infrastructure to address stormwater pollution. As the federal government promotes these practices, it is an opportune time for local governments to take the lead implementing green infrastructure plans in order to avoid unnecessary federal involvement in their planning and development and to capitalize on the multitude of benefits green infrastructure can provide. In Athens-Clarke County, the scale and speed of current development along with ongoing efforts to create a Master Plan for Athens urban core make it an especially auspicious time to start a more comprehensive planning effort to manage stormwater with green infrastructure.