Announcing wiki version of Minnesota Stormwater Manual

At 850 pages and 25 megabytes online, the Minnesota Stormwater Manual offers a wealth of information on managing urban stormwater that can carry pollutants to lakes and streams. However, the current manual (at right) and its delivery method need updating. The delivery method is improving, thanks to Clean Water Legacy funding and a design team of professionals from public agencies and private firms.

The MPCA is replacing the Minnesota Stormwater Manual with a powerful online version that uses a wiki platform. Wiki is a Hawaiian word that means “quick.” Set to go live today (April 2), this online manual offers quick ways to search for information, provide feedback to the MPCA, and update the contents. This is the first wiki project for the agency and may be the first of its kind in the United States.

With updates coming later this year that could double the size of the current manual, it was an opportune time to revamp the manual and make it as accessible as possible. The goal was to help everyday users better manage urban stormwater runoff, including finding the optimal Best Management Practices (BMPs), according to Mike Trojan of the MPCA’s municipal stormwater program.

“There is a lot to like about the wiki platform, including powerful search capability and mobile phone accessibility.  But perhaps the most important feature is that we can update the manual on the fly.  We anticipate the size of the manual to increase significantly as the state moves toward new performance goals for minimal impact designs in developing properties,” he said.

“In addition, there is considerable stormwater research being conducted and it’s critical to incorporate the latest information on topics such as BMP design, construction, maintenance, and pollutant removal.  The wiki provides us with a mechanism to incorporate new information as it becomes available.” 

This wiki manual increases efficiencies in keeping the manual current, offers collaboration with users, and offers a powerful tool to users who want the most recent stormwater information or who need to comply with regulations that protect water resources.

This wiki version of the manual, shown on screen at right, offers far more features than the current static version:

• Much more powerful navigation and search capabilities.
• Internal links between related material and easy access to external links.
• Ability to export to PDF format, including creating a tailored group of articles into a PDF document.
• Easy-to-use utility to generate citations of information from the manual.
• Feedback tools linked to each page so users can communicate to the MPCA about functionality, corrections and content.
• Easy viewing of recent changes and updates with immediate access to updates.
• Images and tables stored as stand-alone items, with access to higher resolution images.
• Ability to include attachments such as Word documents, Autocad files, Excel spreadsheets, and PDF documents.
• Accessible with mobile devices.
• Compliant with the American Disability Act.

The wiki version is supported by technical services at the MPCA. Built with the same software of Wikipedia, one of the largest and most-used reference websites, the wiki version will be well-supported for many years, offering stability to the agency and users. Unlike typical wikis found on the Internet, the MPCA will control edits to the online Minnesota Stormwater Manual.

Users should find the transition to the wiki version to be relatively painless. The wiki is intuitive to use and offers access without special training. The manual has been reorganized so users may need some time to adjust to the new version.

Check the manual often for updates as new Minimal Impact Design Standards are still in the works and will be released later this year.

If you have questions or comments, you may use the feedback feature on every page of the wiki manual or contact us directly.