CitiesGoGreen - December 2008 - (Page 24)

“It depends on how they are built and designed,” Marriott said. “We are learning a lot about the difference between various techniques. It paid off to try different things. Now we’re able to make suggestions because we have quite a bit of information about their performance.” Marriott acknowledges green infrastructure is beholden to regional differences. A New England municipality may be concerned about how snow affects green stormwater management techniques, while Florida’s two seasons—wet and dry—may pose other concerns. “You have to find what works for you,” Marriott said. “We’re in the process now of trying to figure out how to put a green roof on City Hall. It’s an old historic build- Resources Publications • Rooftops to Rivers: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows • The Natural Resources Defense Council Local Water Policy Innovation: A Road Map for Community Based Stormwater Solutions (pdf ) • Regional and Collaborative Approaches to Water, Sewer, and Stormwater Management in Pennsylvania— examples of collaborative municipal and regional approaches to water resources and infrastructure management • Stormwater magazine EPA reference materials • All things NPDES • The EPA’s Municipal Handbook has information on funding • National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices • Sample Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Some specifics • Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure • Low Impact Development (LID) Urban Design Tools Website • Green Parking • Green Highways and Green Infrastructure Organizations • The Low Impact Development Center • The Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators • American Rivers • The National Association of Clean Water Agencies 24 digital edition resources ing renovated 10 years ago, so we’re trying to figure out how we can put a green roof on it that keeps the historic preservation people happy. We’ve got new buildings going up and we’re talking to folks about incorporating green techniques early in the planning process.” Portland residents are inclined to take advantage of incentives to reduce stormwater fees. Those began in the 1970s when the city charged for impervious surfaces, which led to more on-site stormwater management. “Some communities tell me that works great for us because we have a direct financial incentive, but they don’t bill people individually for stormwater management so they can’t figure out how to do the same thing,” Marriott said. Suamico Rain Gardens The Village of Suamico, Wisconsin (population 10,895) is also exploring green stormwater management techniques. When the Bay Port Heights subdivision was constructed, developers funded rain gardens to eliminate the need for an additional stormwater pond to capture roof runoff. “Because these rain gardens were put in place, [the developer] is able to have an extra lot he can sell,” said Graham Callis, Suamico’s Community Development Director. “It gives everybody an attractive garden right off the bat, allows the homeowner to have something they can enjoy and also helps treat roof runoff.” That result lead the University of Wisconsin-Extension to contact Village officials to determine interest in a demonstration rain garden. In late spring of 2008, the Village partnered with the Northeast Wisconsin Master Gardeners program to create a 260 sq. ft. demonstration rain garden at the Village Hall. The garden treats onequarter of the roof runoff and is a living classroom for community programs on how to construct, maintain and winterize a rain garden. A garden requires more maintenance in its first year as the plants get established, Callis says. But after that, the plants start to develop a root system that breaks up tougher soil, allowing more water to infiltrate into the ground. Residents are taking notice of the garden and asking for information for their own properties. Callis is assembling a task force to meet next year to study sustainable and renewable energy approaches, including a possible code requiring rain gardens in new subdivision developments. “I hope to look at things we can incorporate into everyday municipal business in addition to programs to educate the community on practices they can do in their own home,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of land to be developed, so we want to make sure we have the right practices and policies in place when that happens.” Carol Brzozowski is a freelance writer specializing in stormwater issues. All photos courtesy Environmental Services, City of Portland, OR. EPA Stormwater Program Reviewed According to the National Research Council, hired by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate the stormwater permitting program, the EPA’s current stormwater management program leaves US waters far short of the Agency’s stated goal of “fishable and swimmable.” The EPA works within a system originally designed for sewage and industrial waste water that has failed to improve stormwater accountability or water quality. The Council suggested five major changes and numerous smaller ones. • Permitting systems should be based • More focus on high volumes of on watershed boundaries and enwater causing erosion and consecompass all discharge permits, with a quently sediment pollution than lead municipality in each watershed on chemical pollutants. acting in cooperation with the others. • The Federal government should • Integrated monitoring—construcsupply more funding to state and tion and industrial sites, for examlocal governments to support local ple—should be monitored under regulation of stormwater. the jurisdiction of the municipalities where they operate. Ref: nationalacademies.org • Future land development should be (search EPA + stormwater) considered in present-day permitting. December 2008 http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AR7_Publications http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AR7_Publications http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AR7_Publications http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11317 http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11317 http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11317 http://www.stormh2o.com http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/ http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/greeninfrastructure/munichandbook.cfm http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/swppp.cfm http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/swppp.cfm http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298 http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=298 http://www.lid-stormwater.net/index.htm http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm?action=factsheet_results&view=specific&bmp=89 http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/green_highways.htm http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/green_highways.htm http://www.lowimpactdevelopment.org/green_infrastructure.htm http://www.asiwpca.org/ http://www.asiwpca.org/ http://www.asiwpca.org/ http://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20081015.html http://www.nationalacademies.org http://www.americanrivers.org/site/PageServer http://www.nacwa.org/ http://www.nacwa.org/ http://citiesgogreen.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CitiesGoGreen - December 2008

Citites Go Green Contents In Motion We’re Taking Steps 10,000 Rain Gardens in Kansas City Chicago Center for Green Technology Connecticut’s ‘One Thing’ Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Philadelphia The Economics of What Matters New Context: New Possibility

CitiesGoGreen - December 2008

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