“Rooftops to Rivers II reveals just how far the use of green infrastructure has spread and just how adaptable it is to different regions and climates, to changes in geography and geology, and to the various issues faced by each city. Green infrastructure works everywhere,” reports Noah Garrison.
Green infrastructure is an approach to stormwater management that protects, restores or mimics the natural water cycle. “States whose communities have incorporated LID or green infrastructure into stormwater management include Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont and Washington,” reports Eva Birk.
The report highlights several innovative green infrastructure stormwater projects. “By examining projects over diverse parts of the country, readers will be able to assess trends and techniques that consider various stakeholders in their stormwater projects,” wrote Margaret Buranen. “There are a variety of ways to handle rainwater runoff with green infrastructure and many factors to consider when evaluating options.”
“Our infrastructure should be as resilient as the New Yorkers that call this great city home, Managing stormwater is a critical step on our path towards sustainability. This project proves that taking care of our environment and providing amenities to the public are not mutually exclusive — in fact, quite the opposite is true. The more green infrastructure and open space we create, the greater the public’s stewardship,” stated New York City Council Member Stephen Levin.
The Stormwater Utility provides the City with the capability to influence landowner actions on the ground for the common good. “The utility is both an equitable and proportionate billing system. It also builds awareness of how to reduce our environmental and utility impact and find ways to incentivise more sustainable choices for water management,” stated Fraser Work. “Building climate change resilience is the responsibility of everyone!”
“We have applied this whole systems concept to develop our strategy for watershed retrofit and rehabilitation. Now it is a matter of wait and see in order to be able to show the positive effects of the retrofit program,” stated Chris May. “Everyone wants instant gratification, but realizing the benefits takes time. It took 100 years to get here. It will take 100 years to turn the situation around. The initial signs are good. The monitoring shows that Kitsap County may be ‘holding the line’.”
Andrew Reese sees stormwater management going “back to the future” faster than a 1982 DeLorean with a “flux capacitor.” Even if you don’t get his clever reference to the Steven Spielberg movie, it suffices to say: Big changes are coming out when it comes to regulating pollutants in stormwater. And, it turns out, mimicking nature with green infrastructure can provide a reliable means of meeting new standards.
“Surprisingly, there are very few peer-reviewed research papers that have evaluated Green Streets on a stormwater control and treatment basis. There are a couple of factors related to the lack of available datasets,” wrote Jonathan Page. “One factor is the ‘newness’ of the Green Streets and Green Infrastructure movement; another contributing factor is the difficulty in monitoring and instrumenting Green Street projects for research.”
“A spiral rain garden is the focal point of the park. Water that typically flows off the hillside is collected and treated through this facility. Then every half-hour, one cell of the three-cell spiral walls releases its water charge through rocks located on the sides of the figure. It then filters the water through the spiral, putting clean water back in to Puget Sound,” explained Andrew Nelson.
Right now, big storms can overwhelm the city’s combined stormwater and sewer system, causing raw sewage to overflow into rivers and streams. If a surface is paved over — or has a building on it — rain will run off it into the sewers. But take the building away and the rainwater can seep into the ground instead. “We were amazed to find that the building demolitions actually resulted in a large amount of water capture for relatively very few dollars of investment,” said Brian Hoelscher.
