Green Infrastructure and Storm Water Management Scott Jacobs US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development National Risk Management Research Laboratory Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division Remediation and Redevelopment Branch 1
Wet Weather Green Infrastructure (GI) Infrastructure associated with stormwater management and low impact development that encompasses approaches and technologies to infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture, and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies. 2
that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet. Environmental Protection Conservation Sustainability Smart Growth Stormwater Management Best Management Practices 3
Green Infrastructure Includes Downspout Disconnection Rainwater Harvesting Rain Gardens Planter Boxes Bioswales Permeable Pavement Green Alleys and Streets Green Parking Green Roofs Urban Tree Canopy Land Conservation Green roof at the Friends Center, Philladelphia Permeable Pavement and Rain Gardens, Cincinnati State 4
Why Green Infrastructure? 1972 Clean Water Act 1989 - National CSO Control Strategy 1994 - CSO Control Policy: CSOs are point sources subject to NPDES permit requirements including both technology-based and water quality-based requirements of the CWA. In developing its long-term CSO control plan, the Permittee will employ a public participation process that actively involves the affected public in the decision-making to select long-term CSO controls. 2013 - EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy 7 Themes, 2 of which refer specifically to Green Infrastructure: Protecting Water A Precious Limited Resource to employ green infrastructure and other locally driven solutions that restore degraded waterways and revitalize communities CSO #5, Cincinnati MSD Making A Visible Difference in Communities Across the Country support green infrastructure to manage urban waters 5
Distribution of Communities with Combined Sewer Systems Combined sewer systems serve roughly 772 communities containing about 40 million people. Most communities with combined sewer systems (and therefore with CSOs) are located in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, and the Pacific Northwest. 6
Municipalities with existing CSO Consent Decrees Columbia, SC 9/10/13 San Antonio, TX 7/23/13 Wilmington, NC 7/11/13 Miami-Dade County, FL 6/6/13 Seattle/King County, WA 4/16/13 Scranton, PA 12/13/12 Jackson, MI 11/21/12 Boston, MA 8/23/12 Fitchburg, MA 8/15/12 Chattanooga, TN 7/17/12 Perth Amboy, NJ 6/6/12 Memphis, TN 4/16/12 South Bend, IN 12/29/11 Chicago, IL 12/14/11 St. Louis, MS 8/4/11 Unalaska, AK 6/23/11 Bristol, PA 1/18/11 Evansville, IN 1/6/11 Cleveland, OH 12/22/10 Dekalb County, GA 12/13/10 Jeffersonville, IN 11/16/10 Toledo, OH (amended) 10/21/10 Revere, MA 8/15/10 Honolulu, HI 8/10/10 Williamsport, PA 6/22/10 Kansas City, MO 5/18/10 Oswego, NY 5/13/10 Akron, OH 11/13/09 San Francisco, CA 11/02/09 Lebanon, NH 5/28/09 Independence, MO 3/21/09 Ironton, OH 3/17/09 Lexington, KY 3/14/08 San Diego, CA 11/28/07 Pittsburg, PA 5/21/07 Washington D.C. 5/10/07 Winchester, KY 4/10/07 Indianapolis, IN 10/5/06 Puerto Rico 6/22/06 Hartford, CT 5/11/06 Dallas, TX 5/10/06 Northern KY, KY 10/7/05 Baltimore, MD 7/26/05 Louisville, KY 4/25/05 Knoxville, TN 12/1/04 Los Angeles, CA 7/27/04 Lebanon, MO 9/30/03 Washington, D.C. 6/25/03 Puerto Rico 3/13/03 Toledo, OH 6/28/02 New Albany, IN 5/3/02 Baltimore, MD 4/26/02 Youngstown, OH 3/5/02 Cincinnati, OH 2/15/02 Mobile, AL 1/24/02 Baton Rouge, LA 11/13/01 Atlanta, GA 7/16/99 http://cfpub.epa.gov/compliance/cases/ ~ 57 agreements to date.
Green Infrastructure; EPA ORD Research Programs Of six total ORD Research Programs, Green Infrastructure is prominent in two: Safe and Sustainable Water Research Program Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program Green infrastructure is an approach that communities can choose to maintain healthy waters, provide multiple environmental benefits and support sustainable communities. By weaving natural processes into the built environment, green infrastructure provides not only stormwater management, but also flood mitigation, air quality management, and much more. For more info: epa.gov SSWR and SHC 8
Green Infrastructure; EPA Community Scale Case Studies Cincinnati Cleveland Kansas City Louisville 9
EPA ORD, Communities Research 10
Cincinnati MSD s Project Groundwork http://www.projectgroundwork.org/ Daylighting of Lick Run and Combined Sewer Separation 11
Cincinnati MSD s Project Groundwork Lick Run Interceptor 12
Monitoring Green Infrastructure for Water Quality 13
EPA/MSD; Monitoring GI in Cincinnati 14
EPA/MSD; Monitoring GI in Cincinnati Temperature Specific Conductance Dissolved Oxygen ph ORP Turbidity Total Nitrogen Dissolved NH3, NO2-NO3 Total Phosphorus Reactive PO4 Metals (salts) Total Suspended Solids/Volatile Suspended Solids (TSS/VSS) Total Organic Carbon, Dissolved Organic Carbon (TDS, DOC) Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Bacterial indicators Fecal source tracking PAHs, 19 total 15
Benefits of GI Water Quality Water Quality/Quantity Flood risk mitigation Water supply; Infiltration and groundwater recharge Cost Savings Detention and treatment are expensive! 16
Ground Level Ozone Particulates Human Health Benefits of GI Air Quality 17
Benefits of GI Energy and Climate Energy Use Climate Change Urban Heat Island photo by: windpower.org 18
Benefits of GI Habitat and Wildlife Connectivity/Corridors Refugia Pollinators 19
Benefits of GI - Community Green Jobs Improved Health Recreation Property Values 20
THANKS! For more information on EPA ORD s Green Infrastructure Research: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/ For more information on my Division and Branch in ORD: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/lrpcd/sustain_comm.hml 21