Green Roofs - Living Architecture Monitor - Winter 2009 - (Page 32) “The old saying ‘when it rains it pours’ is taking on a whole new meaning with Georgians as major ‘rain’ events are now ‘flood’ events.” Georgia’s challenge of how to effectively manage stormwater runoff grows. The old saying “when it rains it pours” is taking on a whole new meaning with Georgians as major “rain” events are now “flood” events. In January 2008, Georgia passed a comprehensive state-wide water management plan into law. The purpose of the plan is to guide Georgia in managing water resources in a sustainable manner to support the state’s economic, environmental and lifestyle benefits. Included in the plan, along with a toolbox of water quantity and water-quality management practices, is green infrastructure – defined by the plan as a network of protected land, water and other open spaces that support native species, maintain natural ecological processes, sustain air and water resources, and contribute to the health and quality of life for Georgia’s communities and people. In the context of stormwater management, green infrastructure refers to those systems and practices that use or mimic natural processes to facilitate stormwater infiltration such as evapotranspiration and reuse onsite. STORMWATER CREDITS Since the first edition of the Georgia Stormwater Management Manual was produced in 2001, architects and engineers in development communities have offered incentives to implement improved site-design practices to reduce stormwater peakflows and volumes and minimize the pollutant loads from a site. For example, cost-saving incentives (stormwater credits) aimed at the developer reduce the size of structural stormwater control and conveyance facilities thereby accelerating an approach to stormwater management that mimics natural processes. These tools have gained prominence in green-building programs as environmental stakeholders have become more educated and experienced in their use and benefits. Solutions that mimic the hydrology of an area before it was ever developed to preserve water quality in developing watersheds are emerging as important low-impact development tools. Engineered vegeta- http://www.soprema.ca http://www.soprema.ca
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