US Environmental Protection Agency Pushes Cities Toward Green Infrastructure

Think About the Right Way to Do It

“Requirements that municipalities use green infrastructure as part of their rainwater and stormwater management practices are becoming more common in local and state permitting procedures and regulations,” reports Bob Newport, a stormwater specialist with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. He is based in the Greater Chicago Area.

“It’s common now that green infrastructure is part of the solution” in Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) settlements,” continued Bob Newport. “Though the EPA decided against imposing a national standard for stormwater, the agency will continue to enforce regulations under the authority it has under existing statutes.”

“What works at one site won’t necessarily work at another. We want to encourage infiltration, but we want people to think about the right way to do it.”

Climate Change

“Climate change will play a role in stormwater management, as rainfall data recorded many years ago are no longer relevant. The EPA will work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others to update those records to account for an increasing number of severe storms to adjust requirements for how strong storms systems must be. The numbers won’t change, but the substance of the projects will,” said Bob Newport.

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To read the complete story, click on EPA Pushes Cities toward Better Stormwater Management.