As we noted in this post, Green Infrastructure is coming of age, and Philadelphia is at the forefront of utilizing innovative “greening” techniques. Be on the lookout for much more about these exciting efforts here on StormwaterPA in the coming months, including a series of videos that look at specific projects and sites.

In the meantime, amongst the useful articles in the January/February issue of Stormwater is one of special interest to us: “Philadelphia: Going Green to Manage Stormwater” (Margaret Buranen).  This is a nice acknowledgement of the Philadelphia Water Department’s nationally prominent green infrastructure program to better manage stormwater and the extremely serious combined sewer Overflow (CSO) problem.

Philadelphia’s changes in stormwater strategy began a major shift in 1999, when the City’s Water Department formed an Office of Watersheds to integrate sustainable wet weather solutions.

Dr. Christopher Crockett, PE, Director of Planning and Research at the Office of Watersheds:

In 2006, another major step forward occurred when we updated our stormwater regulations to require the management of the first inch of stormwater runoff for all directly connected impervious areas for any new or redevelopment with 15,000 square feet or greater of earth disturbance in the city.

The new regulations mean that “stormwater management” is part of the zoning and building permit process at the earliest stages.  Developers have many incentives to include LID and other green techniques to manage stormwater in order to meet those (2006) regulations.

Two years ago, the City Water Department proposed making a major change in the way billing was performed at the Water Department, essentially moving in the direction of a stormwater utility where stormwater billings for all non-individual residences would be based on impervious cover (80 percent weighting) and total lot size (20 percent weighting), rather than simply using water metering as in the past (notoriously inaccurate - large water users can generate relatively modest stormwater and large stormwater generators can use sometimes virtually no water!).  The new program has done much to encourage developers to incorporate partial and full green LID elements in new project designs.  Water Department success has been significantly reinforced with partnerships, such as with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Philadelphia Green.

In 2005, Philadelphia Green and the PWD started work on a project to address stormwater problems at seven Philadelphia schools.  At S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School, children created a raised bed vegetable garden in a paved parking lot, which will not only absorb stormwater, but also reduce the heat island effect.  Vegetation, infiltration trenches, bioswales,and a rain garden replaced some of the school’s 3-acre impervious site.

Another joint stormwater project, in South Philly, will include the city’s first sidewalk infiltration planters, on South 13^th Street.  Modeled after street planters used in Portland, OR, they are designed to reduce overflows that led to basement flooding, a persistent problem in the area.  These planters, which measure 30 feet long by 7 feet wide and are 4 feet deep, will be filled with native plants suggested by members of the PHS.

Ms. Buranen’s Stormwater article includes a wealth of information on Philadelphia projects, and we urge you to take a look!  This is definitely a Pennsylvania stormwater success story! You can find the complete article here.

admin green infrastructure BMPs, buffers, clean water, green infrastructure, hydrology, infiltration, LID, rain garden, rainwater collection, stormwater best management practices, water quality

There has been alot of talk about “green infrastructure” over the past couple of years–and communities all across the nation are slowly bmoving towards this more natural approach.

From USEPA:

Green infrastructure is an approach to wet weather management that is cost-effective, sustainable, and environmentally friendly. Green Infrastructure management approaches and technologies infiltrate, evapotranspire, capture and reuse stormwater to maintain or restore natural hydrologies.

At the largest scale, the preservation and restoration of natural landscape features (such as forests, floodplains and wetlands) are critical components of green stormwater infrastructure. By protecting these ecologically sensitive areas, communities can improve water quality while providing wildlife habitat and opportunities for outdoor recreation.

On a smaller scale, green infrastructure practices include rain gardens, porous pavements, green roofs, infiltration planters, trees and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing and landscape irrigation.

In Pennsylvania, these ideas are starting to take hold–and the Philadelphia Water Department is at the forefront of using green solutions to meet the challenges presented by rain. The Philadelphia Art Museum’s new Parking lot features a green roof and other landscape features to control runoff,  and the Water Department has started phasing in a new parcel based fee structure that encourages landowners to manage runoff on their properties rather than shunt it to the nearest sewers. The Inquirer looks at the city’s plan in an article published today.

EPA’s Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure website is a great resource to learn more.

So are we: Stormwater PA is in the process of developing a series of video case studies that look at green infrastructure, so keep checking back; they’ll be available soon!

admin Weekly News BMPs, buffers, clean water, economic stimulus, flood control, green infrastructure, green roof, rain barrels, rain garden, rainwater collection, stormwater best management practices, stormwater runoff, water quality, wet weather

Delaware County, PA — There is far more to creating a quality residential development than grading a property and putting up homes. Conservation design looks at natural features, site constraints, and stormwater management — long before construction begins.

When Trilogy Investments bought one of the last remaining large parcels of property in Thornbury Township, they envisioned building 458 residential units on large lots throughout the tract–exactly what the township’s zoning allowed. When Trilogy’s President John Lynch saw that the township had other hopes and concerns–and was willing to be flexible in finding a solution that was beneficial to all–he realized it was a whole new game. The Cherry Creek cluster development became a model of conservation design that preserved woodlands, wetlands, and fields — and ended up holding 241 homes.

Says John Lynch:

I guess there’s a question of whether I’m doing this type of development for altruistic reasons or not. The answer is I’m not. First and foremost it’s a business. So normally when I  get involved in new projects, I look at them pretty analytically–what are my rights under law–and I then try to do better. When there are people on the other side of the table who share the goal of doing something better, so that there’s a win-win scenario, then it’s all green lights and I will pursue that with more vigor and more gusto than you can imagine…

The video is also available on the StormwaterPA YouTube Playlist and will be StormwaterPA.org with more project details soon. Check it Out and add it to your Site!

admin Low Impact Development buffers, clean water, environmental site design, flood control, infiltration, LID, non-structural BMPs, rain garden, rainwater collection, stormwater best management practices, stormwater runoff, water quality, watershed protection, wetlands