Report Finds Green Infrastructure Programs Saves Cities Money, Improves Storm Water Management

A report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) finds that employing green infrastructure and design to tackle water pollution problems, such as storm water runoff and sewage overflow, will save cities money as a result. The report provides detailed case studies analyzing how cities of varying sizes are using the methods and encourages the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to advance them later this year.

"Every single day, millions of gallons of good water needlessly drain away, filling our waterways with sewage and urban pollutants, rather than replenishing our water supply," said NRDC Water Program Director David Beckman. "But it doesn't have to be that way. By making our communities literally greener, we can make our water sources cleaner too—and with much greater return than conventional solutions."

The report, "Rooftops to Rivers II," details common water pollution problems and provides case studies for 14 geographically diverse cities. The cities are shown to have improved their abilities to manage storm water and reduce runoff pollution, save money, and aesthetically improve cityscapes by capturing rain.

The 14 cities featured in the report are Philadelphia; Milwaukee; New York; Portland, Ore.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Washington, D.C.; Aurora, Ill.; Toronto; Chicago; Kansas City, Mo.; Nashville, Tenn.; Seattle; Pittsburgh; and Detroit.

Green infrastructure—in contrast to paved and other impermeable surfaces—stops runoff pollution from the start by capturing rainwater and either storing it for future consumer use or letting it filter back into the ground, replenishing vegetation and groundwater supplies. Examples include green roofs, street trees, increased green space, rain barrels, rain gardens and permeable pavement.

The new report follows up on NRDC's initial "Rooftops to Rivers," published in 2006, revisiting eight cities profiled in the initial report to measure the success of those cities' green infrastructure programs.

The complete NRDC report is available at www.nrdc.org/rooftops.

Source: National Resources Defense Council