What is Green Infrastructure and How Does It

What is Green Infrastructure and How Does It Reduce Wet Weather Issues? Making natural systems work for us: using soil and vegetation - rather than concrete and pipe, to manage stormwater volume, rate, and water quality impacts Prepared for: Onondaga County, New York Prepared by: October 2008 1

During dry weather, sanitary flows are collected in combined sewers for treatment at Metro Catch Basin Combin ed Sewer Dry Weather Flow Interceptor Sewer to Wastewater Treatment Facility Sanitary Sewer Cree k 2

During wet weather, inflows exceed the collection system’s capacity and trigger a CSO Roof Leaders Stormwate r Runoff Catch Basin Combin ed Sewer Interceptor Sewer to Wastewater Treatment Facility Sanitary Sewer Combined Sewer Overflow Cree k 3

Green solutions intercept and reduce stormwater flows to sewers, providing storage, infiltration, and treatment Roof Leader Vegetated Stormwate Swale r Runoff Porous Roadway Combined Sewer Dry Weather Flow Interceptor Sewer to Wastewater Treatment Facility Sanitary Sewer Cree k 4

Green infrastructure reduces…. n Flooding n Erosion n Stormwater runoff volume n Stormwater pollutant loadings n CSOs n Gray infrastructure operation, maintenance, energy and treatment costs 5

Green Infrastructure Technologies and Example Applications n Porous pavement § Parking lots § Roadways § Sidewalks § Basketball courts n Bioretention/vegetated infiltration § Rain Gardens § Vegetated curb extensions § Tree trenches § Planter boxes § Cisterns for capture/re-use Green streets§ Vegetated roofs § Combinations of the above n 6

Porous Pavement Parking Lot 7

Porous Pavement Paver Roadway Porous Pavement Asphalt Roadway 8

Porous Pavement basketball court sidewalk 9

Rain Garden (bioretention/vegetative infiltration) 10

Vegetated Curb Extension – Plan View 11

Vegetated Curb Extension – Profile View 12

Tree Trench 13

Tree Trenches along Street 14

Planter Box 15

Cistern for Capture/Re-use 16

Vegetated Roof 17

Vegetated Roof under construction finished roof 18

Green Streets…putting it all together Portland State University Street Planters 19

Image Source: A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware Green Streets…putting it all together ~ “Catch the Rain” 20

Green Infrastructure improves: n Water quality n Air quality n Neighborhood aesthetics Habitat and biodiversity Recreational and transportation opportunities Property values Community health and vitality n n 21