Water

Too Much or Too Little? Or a Little of Both?

URS Group Inc.

2010 ASFPM National Conference

May 2010

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Flooding vs droughts

Data on water usage and the problems associated with it.

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Ground-truthing green

What is Green Infrastructure?

What are the types that should be considered for large scale reduction of storm water?

How can it benefit floodplain, stormwater and wet weather management?

How are communities already using it and quantifying its use?

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Green infrastructure

Natural and managed green areas in both urban and rural settings,

Strategic connection of open green areas,

Treating rainwater as a resource and not as trash to be discarded as quickly as possible,

Transforming “grey” infrastructure to green through restoration of watersheds to slow and store water, and

Providing multiple benefits for people.

Green infrastructure is management approaches and technologies that utilize, enhance and/or mimic the natural hydrologic cycle processes of infiltration, evapotranspiration and reuse.

Wet Weather Action Strategy 2008

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What else is green infrastructure?

Helping communities come closer to attaining the CWA standards

Public Perception (sustainable cities)

Leverage State and Federal Program Dollars

Opportunity to “marry” multiple public work efforts (street scaping, sidewalks, parks, floodplain & stormwater management)

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How much does an individual home affect stormwater runoff?

Street

Driveway

House

Stormdrain

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How much does an individual home affect stormwater runoff?

Street

In a 1” rainfallPotential Runoff:5,422 gallons

2,500 s.f.“impervious” x 1” rain =

1,542 gallonsof runoff

Stormdrain

1,500 s.f. house (& patio) x 1” rain = 925 gallons of runoff

+ “Green Concrete” Compacted Lawn

8,390 s.f. “impervious” x 1” rain (if infiltrates first ¼” of rain)

= 3,880 gallons of runoff

1,000 s.f. driveway x 1” rain = 617 gallons of runoff

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Where can rain (stormwater) soak in?

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Q – How do we protect our streams and infrastructure?

A – Manage How Stormwater Runs Off the Landscape

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Distributing stormwater controls close to runoff sources

DistributedStormwater Features

RegionalTraditional Techniques

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What does green infrastructure look like?

Stream Buffers

Green Space Preservation

Trees

Rain barrels

Wetlands (preserve and restore)

Regional Planning

NAI

Best Management Practices

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Alternative Designs

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Constructed Wetlands

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Other Applications

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Green Roof Applications

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Pervious Infrastructure

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Rain Gardens & Bio-Infiltration Devices

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These characteristics contribute to runoff.

http://flickr.com/photos/picsomike/

They also present unique opportunities for the use of

green infrastructure.

Green Infrastructure Implementation

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Appropriately located Green Infrastructure can decrease peak flow.

Green infrastructure implementation

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Green infrastructure implementation

Impervious land uses

Change land use characteristics without changing the land use

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http://www.coxconcrete.com/products/rcp/index.html

$ $$

Green infrastructure does not replace gray infrastructure.

Can reduce the capital costs and O & M costs of gray technology.

USEPA Partnership OpportunitiesPresentation to USEPA, July 9, 2009

Residential outdoor water use –URS Australian Experience

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Outline

Plant Selector Tool

Love Your GardenTM

WaterRight Gardens Webtool

NSW Governments BASIX Initiative

Key learnings for the USEPA

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Average annual rainfall

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Love Your GardenTM Behaviour Change Tools

Rain gauge – defer irrigation events in response to rainfall

Tap Tags – highlights seasonal frequency and runtime

Customer report – a full summary of the assessor’s findings with recommendations and vouchers related to the recommendations.

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Importance of soil…

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BASIX water targets across NSW

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Opportunities for the USEPA

Encourage no/low water use landscapes

Irrigate to ‘actual’ landscape demand

Irrigate efficiently

Use sustainable alternative water supplies

Educate

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USEPA WaterSenseTM and the web

Interactive and free

Consistent policy outcome

Individual feedback

Real time monitoring

Simple…

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Funding acknowledgements

Sydney Water Corporation

Australian Government – raising national water standards program

Australian Capital Territory – Department of Environment, climate change, energy and water

Smart approved WaterMark