• Water Resources

Green Infrastructure Approaches for Managing Stormwater

Green infrastructure uses permeable, nature-based approaches for retaining and treating stormwater where it falls.  This tab presents resources on using green infrastructure to manage stormwater in the face of changing precipitation patterns due to climate change. Apply additional filters to narrow the list by resource type, impact, region, state, jurisdictional focus, or green infrastructure technique.

 

 

 

80 results are shown below.

Technique
Green Infrastructure Technique

 

 

Resource

Portland, Oregon Green Streets Program

2007

Portland, Oregon’s Green Streets are streets that use vegetated facilities to manage stormwater runoff. Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) Green Street Program is a sustainable stormwater strategy that meets regulatory compliance and resource protection goals by using a natural systems approach to manage stormwater, reduce flows, improve water quality and enhance watershed health.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Portland, Oregon NE Siskiyou Green Street Project Report

2007

In 2003, the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services installed two landscaped stormwater curb extensions designed to capture street stormwater runoff on Siskiyou Street in Portland, Oregon. Essentially disconnecting the street’s runoff from the City’s combined storm/sewer system, the Siskiyou curb extensions manage it on-site using a landscape alternative. The objective was to maximize the capture, treatment, and infiltration of street stormwater runoff, while enhancing the neighborhood and offering improved pedestrian safety.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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Washington D.C. Green Roof Program

2007

In 2003, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation initiated a green roof demonstration project funded under the terms of a consent decree negotiated by the D. C. Water and Sewer Authority. The money was used to issue grants for the installation of eight different pilot green roofs that would reduce the cost of each green roof cost to the building owner by up to 20 percent. The pilot roofs served as models that building owners could use for future green roof projects, by providing data on costs, construction methods, performance, and maintenance needs.

Resource Category: Solutions

 

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New York City Zoning Code - Permeable pavement requirements

2007

Since 2007, New York City’s zoning code has required parking lots for community facilities to allow permeable pavements where appropriate. Parking lots with more than 18 spaces or more than 6,000 sq ft must capture stormwater through perimeter plantings and planting islands. The lot must be properly graded to drain runoff to those plantings. Both types of plantings must include trees of a certain diameter and spacing, and all vegetation must be from a list of pre-approved species. The objectives of these zoning requirements are to better manage stormwater on parking lots and reduce urban temperatures by providing shade.

Resource Category: Law and Governance

 

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District of Columbia's RiverSmart Program

2006

Washington D. C. ’s Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) administers a variety of "RiverSmart" programs to fund projects that reduce stormwater runoff and water pollution. The programs provide financial incentives, in the form of grants and rebates, to fund green infrastructure projects that reduce and treat stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces. Although the RiverSmart program was developed to help the District address water pollution from stormwater runoff, it also supports climate resilience by diverting rainwater from the city’s stormwater system to manage increasingly heavy rainfall events.

Resource Category: Funding

 

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City of Chicago Tax Increment Financing and Green Roof Improvement Fund

February 2002

Chicago, Illinois, has successfully used tax increment financing (TIF) to fund public infrastructure and development projects. The city has established more than 120 TIF districts, and has leveraged its public investment to attract over $6 billion in private capital investment in TIF districts over two decades of development. 

Resource Category: Funding

 

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Sustainable Water Infrastructure Program

EPA's Sustainable Water Infrastructure Program provides technical support and financial resources to states to increase water and energy efficiency in water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure.

Resource Category: Adaptation Websites

 

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EPA Environmental Finance Center Grants

Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) are funded by grants from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide environmental-finance expertise and outreach to states, tribes, local governments, and the private sector. The EFCs work with these entities to help them fund, finance, and manage the growing costs of environmental protection and compliance. The EFCs provide finance-related training, education, and analytical studies to help state and communities develop solutions for paying for initiative and programs required to meet environmental standards set by federal laws such as the Clean Water Act.

Resource Category: Funding

 

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EPA Climate Change and Water Website

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Water Climate Change page provides links to resources that can be used to learn more about current climate-related activities within the agency and beyond. One key document provided on the site is the National Water Program Strategy: Response to Climate Change which provides an overview of the likely effects of climate change on water resources and the nation's clean water and safe drinking water programs. Links to newsletters, meeting calendar, and other climate information from EPA are provided.

Resource Category: Adaptation Websites

 

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Rainscaping Iowa

Rainscaping Iowa is a statewide campaign promoting infiltration based storm water management practices that result in the improvement and protection of Iowa's soil and water resources. The program is a collaboration among several state and local agencies in Iowa and is dedicated to educating the public and training professionals in infiltration-based stormwater management. Rainscaping Iowa is funded through a variety of state and local sources, including the state Department of Transportation’s Living Roadway Trust, along with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agricultural and Land Stewardship, Department of Economic Development, the Iowa Storm Water Education Program, and the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District.

Resource Category: Planning

 

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