Washington Stormwater Center provides a gateway to research and information about new, innovative, and emerging technologies. The TAPE – Emerging Technologies Program at the Washington Stormwater Center focuses on three main areas of assistance and research:

• TAPE
• Functionally Equivalent BMP's
  
• Emerging Stormwater Technologies

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TAPE

The Technology Assessment Protocol – Ecology (TAPE) program is the Washington State Department of Ecology’s process for evaluating and approving emerging stormwater treatment BMP’s. The TAPE branch of our program provides assistance to Ecology by:

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

Read more about our involvement in the TAPE program, or visit Ecology's TAPE web page.

Functionally equivalent evaluations

Not every stormwater BMP or device that Ecology approves for use must go through the TAPE program. Functionally equivalent BMPs or devices are approved for use to meet certain requirements in the Stormwater Management Manuals (Eastern and Western Washington).

Our program assists Ecology with the review and evaluation of technology applications for functionally-equivalent status. Read more about this part of our program.

Emerging stormwater technologies

The Emerging Technologies branch of our program helps foster the development and use of new stormwater technologies. Whether your technology is a candidate for TAPE, could be considered equivalent to an existing construction BMP, or is a solution to reduce or eliminate storm water pollutants, our program is here to:

• Help you navigate resources so that your product or service can be effective at helping manage stormwater
  
• Disseminate and share successful products, services, and ideas with stormwater managers
  
• Research, develop, and evaluate innovative and cost-effective technical solutions to remove pollutants from runoff and to reduce or eliminate stormwater discharges
  

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Don't forget to visit these sections of our web pages for more information:

• Resource Library - find related documents, files, and photos
  
• Blog - join discussions and read information about emerging stormwater technologies
• FAQ Page - will answer many of your questions
• Visit our Low Impact Development Program for information about LID technologies and approaches
• Contact Us with questions or comments