The TAPE – Emerging Technologies Program of Washington Stormwater Center provides assistance to Ecology's TAPE Program by:

• Coordinating and reviewing applications, sampling plans, and technical reports submitted to Ecology
• Coordinating and compiling reviews by the Board of External Reviewers (BER)
  
• Working with the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) to revise guidance documents and provide direction and input
  

Visit our News for updates on the most recent devices and technologies currently in the process or visit Ecology's webpage for a list of the current applicant technologies.

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What is TAPE?

The Technology Assessment Protocol – Ecology (TAPE) Program is the Washington State Department of Ecology’s process for evaluating and approving emerging stormwater treatment BMPs. New stormwater treatment BMPs that are not in the current Stormwater Manual or have not been approved by TAPE must first be approved by Ecology's TAPE Program.

Treatment BMPs certified via TAPE can be designed and installed for new and re-development projects, and apply to the following treatment categories: 

• Basic (total suspended solids)
• Dissolved metals ("Enhanced" in prior versions of TAPE Guidance)
  
• Phosphorus
• Oil
• Pretreatment

Complete program information can be found on Ecology's TAPE webpage. You can also read about the history of the TAPE Program.

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TAPE Documents and Resources

• Process Overview (Ecology Publication 11-10-010) summarizes the TAPE process.
• Treatment device testing and analysis for the program is governed by the Ecology publication: Guidance for Evaluation Emerging Stormwater Treatment Technologies -  TAPE (Ecology Publication 11-10-016)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the TAPE Program
• Washington Stormwater Center Document WSC11-001 describes how the numeric removal criteria were developed for the dissolved metals (enhanced) treatment category in the 2011 revision of the Guidance manual.
• Technical Evaluation Reports for GULD Treatment Technologies
  
• Bootstrapping calculation tool for analyzing data.

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What devices or technologies need TAPE Approval?

Not every device or technology needs to, or can, go through the TAPE program. Based on the Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, the flow chart to the right shows where TAPE-approved technologies would be used.

• Treatment technologies that have been approved by the TAPE program are listed
  on Ecology's website.
• Technologies that are currently going through the TAPE process are listed here.
• Ecology has prepared a draft document for using the TAPE protocol to test treatment BMP's with long detention times (for example, a stormwater wetland).
  
• Stormwater treatment BMP's that involve the addition of any chemical are governed by Ecology's C-TAPE program.
  

See Functionally Equivalent BMP's and Other Emerging Technologies for information on stormwater technologies that do not go through the TAPE or CTAPE program.

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Have a Question?

Read through our FAQ page for TAPE and emerging technologies, or contact us if you have questions about TAPE or emerging stormwater technologies.