Presentation led by David Braswell and Trey Wingate
GAZA Summer Conference August 2014
Augusta, GA
Green Infrastructure Defined
- Sustainable watershed and stormwater management solutions that use soil and vegetation to consider all sources of pollution in a watershed; maintain and restore the natural hydrologic cycle; and advance community health, safety, and quality of life objectives.
Green Infrastructure Challenges
- Despite benefits, Green Infrastructure (GI) approaches remain elusive in many communities
- Successful GI solutions require the integration of professional skills, from planning to design to construction to O&M
- Communities often have some portions of the needed tools to implement GI solutions, but lack others
- Appropriate skills may be scattered among various departments
How do we get there from here?
- Communities have taken many different approaches
- Much of the work done to date has been the result of EPA CSO/SSO Consent Decrees
- GI/LID techniques in early stages of development; benefits of BMPs may vary widely from place to place
- Monitoring results from in-place BMPs are only now beginning to show results
US EPA Direction
- – In 2012, EPA issued 6 fact sheets and 2 supplements on GI implementation
- General Accountability Considerations
- Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO)
- Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO)
- Stormwater
- Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)
- Water Quality Standards
Important Themes
- Both Green and traditional (Gray) practices will likely be required in most urban areas
- Define standards as desired result and use combinations of Green and Gray to achieve
- May need interim as well as medium- and long-term targets (quantitative)
- Monitoring is essential for both construction and O&M
- Allow for uncertainty (Adaptive Management)
Nuggets
- GI measures may be:
- Integrated into CSO LTCPs
- Ideal solutions for SSO inflow problems and may reduce capacity requirements
- Integrated into MS4 permits (specifying water volumes to be controlled on-site)
- Used to reduce the amount of TMDL allocated to future growth
- Effective tools to help meet Water Quality Standards (antidegradation)
How do I integrate GI measures into my Stormwater Management Program?
- Minimum control measures required by MS4 permits can include GI components:
- Public education and outreach on stormwater impacts
- Public involvement / participation
- Illicit discharge detection and elimination
- Construction site stormwater runoff control
- Post-construction stormwater management in new development and redevelopment
- Pollution prevention / good housekeeping for municipal operations
Latest EPD Phase 1 MS4 permit
- Contains GI / LID section
- Ordinance review: revise codes, ordinances, other regs so that they do not prohibit the use of GI / LID practices. At a minimum, must address residential and commercial development, road design, & parking.
- Techniques and structures: must have a program in place to consider GI / LID techniques and developing an inventory of structures – better site planning techniques; better site design techniques; low impact development structures
Latest EPD Phase 1 MS4 permit
- Minimum GI / LID requirements
- Legal Authority: revise codes, ordinances, other regs so they do not prohibit the use of GI / LID practices
- GI / LID program: describe GI / LID techniques to be implemented and procedures for evaluating the feasibility of GI / LID techniques
- GI / LID structure inventory: develop an inventory of privately owned non-residential and publicly-owne structures. Track newly-added structures.
- Inspection Program: inspect all inventoried structures within 5 years; maintain publicly-owned structures and ensure that privately-owned NR structures are maintained
Common Issues among GI programs
- Planning
- Funding and Economics
- Community Involvement
- Hydrology and Hydraulics Studies
- Ecological studies
- Development / Ranking of Alternatives
- Infrastructure Design
- Maintenance
Planning (MCM #5)
- Most efficient way to incorporate GI solutions is to integrate concepts early in the development process
- Community master planning
- Ordinances and standards
- Comprehensive park planning
- Planning for individual developments
Planning (MCM #5)
- Often GI / LID techniques violate existing planning or development policies / regulations
- Process may require changes in ordinances / codes that require legislative approval
- Many different local government departments may be involved, as well as stakeholders.
Funding and Economics
- For new development, GI / LID implementation can be required by local governments
- Many of the larger GI programs across the country are being implemented because of EPA consent decrees
- Major expenditures, from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars (EPA in 2012 compared 12 cities with GI programs ranging from $3 million to $2.4 billion.
- GI program costs often compare favorably to Gray solutions and may be better received by communities
Funding and Economics
- Size of the potential investments requires financial planning and potentially rate increases or new revenue sources
- Virtually every situation is different; custom solutions need to be tailored to accomplish GI goals
- Choices will not be easy in the current economic climate and will demand prioritization of efforts
Community Involvement
- Taxpayers / ratepayers will ultimately bear the burden of most GI initiatives
- Both Green and Gray infrastructure improvements can affect residents’ daily lives
- Essential to involve stakeholders and the public and get buy-in to accomplish GI objectives
- Enhances MCM #1
Amenities
- Green Infrastructure projects can often be valued community amenities
- Can garner community support for water quality programs
- Provide climatic, aesthetic, and recreational benefits as well as reducing non-point effects
- Have been powerful catalysts for redevelopment