BUBBAs

The Best Urban BMP in the Bay Award (BUBBAs)
Shining a light on local innovators using creative approaches to protect and restore local watersheds

Welcome to the Chesapeake Bay’s oldest and most prestigious stormwater contest!

The BUBBAs give stormwater practitioners across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed the opportunity to share and celebrate the work they are most proud of. 

It also helps us share innovations and facilitate scalable urban stormwater management implementations—from New York to Virginia and everywhere in between.

CSN studying a river for the effects of stormwater best practices

Since 2014, CSN has hosted the BUBBAs every other year. While other low-impact development (LID) competitions focus on the design of new stormwater practices, CSN aims to recognize on-the-ground techniques being used to tackle difficult stormwater problems. Through the BUBBAs, we’re able to:

  • Recognize innovators in the field who are using new and creative techniques to treat runoff and protect streams;
  • Share these innovative techniques with other communities who could benefit from the lessons learned; and
  • Inspire interaction among our 6,000+ member network of stormwater professionals throughout the Bay watershed and beyond.

Want to be notified when 2027 award submissions open? Sign up for the Stormwater Scoop! 

Award Categories 

Meet Our 2025 Winners