Graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning researched models of financing, established a budget, and developed a list of priority stormwater management projects based on their projected budgets and impacts to water quality and quantity in the community for Decorah, Iowa's implementation of the storm water management policies.

Since the 2010 Decorah We Can study completed by the City of Decorah and the University of Iowa School of Urban and Regional Planning, the community has sought to understand and implement the storm water management policies recommended in the study. Decorah desired to study the costs of implementing a storm water utility, understand possible barriers to its implementation, and evaluate and prioritize the potential storm water projects that could be financed with its revenues. Students collaborated with Jodi Enos-Berlage, Professor of Biology at Luther College in Decorah, to learn more about water runoff and quality.