PowerPoint Presentation

Green Infrastructure Basic Principals & Tools

Margaret RenasDelta Institute (a TAB Partner)Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) ProgramKansas State UniversityOctober 17, 2016

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Todays PresentationWhat is Green Infrastructure (GI) / Types of GI

Why do we need GI?

GI and Brownfields

Tools for GI and Brownfields

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What is Green Infrastructure?Types of GI

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For Engineers

Cross Section of Rain Garden

Green Infrastructure is plant and soil based systems that are engineered and designed to manage stormwater flow through infiltration of water to underlying soils, biological degradation of contaminations via soil and plant microbes. Engineered systems designed to handle particular volumes and flow rates. 4

BioswaleRain Garden

A Vegetated Bio Swale is a shallow storm water channel, typically longer than it is wide, that is densely planted to slowly convey, infiltrate, filter and in some cases even transport storm water via underground pipes. Simply put a bio swale replaces a concrete gutter with a gutter of earth and plants that offers additional advantages.

A rain garden is a shallow surface depression that is populated with native plants and is used to capture and infiltrate storm water runoff. It is typically located on a low spot on property so that rainwater can drain into it. Rain gardens can range from very small to very large5

Permeable Pavers and Pervious PavementStormwater Planters

Permeable pavers are not plant based but allow storm water runoff to infiltrate into the ground through spaces and soil material between the pavers. Containment curbs are usually placed around an installation of permeable pavers to keep excess water from flowing away from the pavers (in to impermeable areas for example).

Storm water Planters 6

Underground Storage

Green Underground Storage can be an effective GI technique in situations when large storage volumes are required, such as in areas where localized flooding occurs or area specific combined sewer overflows are experienced. Because a green underground storage system is located, well, underground, it leaves valuable site surface area open for other development options and/or can help to manage infiltration from other surface forms of GI such as bio swales, rain gardens, permeable pavers and impervious pavement7

Green Roof

Cistern

A green or vegetated roof is a building roof which includes design layers that allow for vegetation to grow. Green roofs can retain rain water thereby reducing storm water runoff to ground based storm water management systems. In addition to reducing runoff volumes, however, green roofs can also regulate building temperatures, reduce urban heat island effects, and provide urban wildlife habitat. Because buildings are a part of many brownfield redevelopments, installation of a green roof may be applicable to your brownfield project.

Cistern can be designed in a variety of sizes. They collect stormwater runoff from a roof and can then store the water to be used for non potable applications like watering landscaping.

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Why Do We Need GI?

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Past: Primarily Natural HabitatsMulti-layered habitat supporting a diversity of native species

10But lets talk about the relationship between development and runoff. IN its natural state half of the rainwater infiltrates into the ground, 40% evaporates (mostly through evapotranspiration of plants) and only 10% leaves as stormwater runoff.

More diverse plants introduced that are pleasing to people, but plants become less native/replaced with hardscape

11While typical suburban development generates 30% runoff.

A habitat is created that is predominantly hardscape.

12And in denser urban areas we can reach 55% runoff, and more.

Center for Watershed ProtectionHealthy Stream

13In watersheds with less than 5% impervious cover, streams are typically stable and pristine, maintaining good pool and riffle structure, a large, wetted perimeter, even during low flow, and a good riparian canopy coverage.

Stream Channel Erosion

14Heres a stream with severe erosion velocities and higher temperatures of stormwater plus pollutants

Per FEMA, About 20-25% of all economic losses resulting from flooding occur in areas not designated as being in a floodplain, but as a consequence of urban drainage.Effects of Stormwater and CSOs in Urban Environments

15Urban floods can happen in a relatively short period of time and can inundate an area with several feet of water. As areas become 'urbanized' there are increased flood risks that result. The main problem with urban flooding is the fact that they occur in highly populated areas. Although not as severe as a flash flood the property damages and death toll can be significant as surface water runoff is controlled and managed by humans in a concrete world.

Stormwater sewers cannot manage increased stormwater from runoff and increased frequency and severity of storms that we see as a result of global climate change.

Per http://weather.about.com/od/u/qt/urban_flooding.htm

Urban floods are floods that happen in a relatively short period of time and can inundate an area with several feet of water. As areas become 'urbanized' or go through the process of urbanization, there are increased flood risks that result. The main problem with urban flooding is the fact that they occur in highly populated areas. Although not as severe as a flash flood the property damages and death toll can be significant as surface water runoff is controlled and managed by humans in a concrete world.

Green infrastructure can help to supplement grey infrastructure and reduce urban flooding.

Photo: Greatlakesecho.org

Role of Green Infrastructure in Stormwater ManagementCommunity Level: Supplement grey infrastructure (sewers)

Development Level: Replace grey infrastructure

Management of Stormwater Volumes

Filtration and Biodegradation of Pollutants

Recharging of Groundwater

GI and Brownfields

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The redevelopment of brownfields which can be dotted throughout urban landscapes can be an opportunity to implement GI to reduce localized flooding and runoff to waterbodies and achieve some or all of these benefits in a community. Chance to improve the way that brownfields relate to the environment. New infrastructure associated with infill brownfield redevelopment is a once in a lifetime opportunity lets try to ensure that some brownfield redevelopments include GI

GI is supported by USEPA as a standalone strategy in certain instances and as a companion to grey infrastructure sewer system (In its GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PERMITTING AND ENFORCEMENT SERIES: FACTSHEET 2) USEEPA states that planning for the use of green and grey infrastructure will be most effective if both elements are integrated throughout the planning and engineering design processes.And goes on to encourage communities to use green infrastructure in cost-effective combinations with grey infrastructure. This is a NATIONAL TREND.18

Tools for GI and Brownfields

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TAB Resources

TAB GI Online Training Modules

Module 1: Introduction to GI

Module 2: Types & Uses of GI Water Management & Transportation

Module 3: Economic Development & Broader Benefits of GI

Module 4: Planning Process for GI

Module 5: Tools for GI Decision Making

Module 6: Funding for GI

Other GI resources can be found on the KSU TAB website by doing a keyword search on Green Infrastructure22

Delta Guidancehttp://delta-institute.org/delta/wp-content/uploads/Green-Infrastructure-Designs-July-2015.pdf

Deltas involvement in this sector Here is What we did:

We made a toolkit!

In 2014 and 2015 Delta Institute received funding and other support from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Coastal Management program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a green infrastructure design guide to assist municipalities with conceptualizing how they might implement green infrastructure in their communities. The guide is a cooperative effort between Delta Institute and Guidon Design with input from members of the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative and municipal managers in Southern Cook County Illinois.

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Toolkit FeaturesDecision support trees, basic information on green infrastructure

Templates, plan sets, cross sections, and material specifications

Estimation tools for installation and maintenance costs

Made it readily accessible (available to download right off our website) to different audiences and levels of expertise. So it can be customized to fit different user needsThe templates have different levels and layers of information For lay person (elected official)For engineerMostly For muni manager, urban planner or other decision makerLow-cost solutions, multi-purpose, scalable. Takes large cost, multiple contractors out of the process. Idea is to encourage munis to use it because it has already been proven successful, its free, and a straightforward approach. 24

For Engineers

Cross Section from Rain Garden Section

Engineering cross sections i.e. Rain garden

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For Municipal Managers

For municipal managers Cost information and customization options, material specifications and unit costs as well as guidance on maintenance.26

For Planners

The guide also views decision making through a Decision Support Tool a portion of which is displayed on the screen.

When a municipal manager determines that green infrastructure is something he or she wants to pursue for a particular brownfield parcel, the Decision Support Tool can assist with selecting the technique that will be most appropriate for a particular situation. Choosing the most appropriate technique can be a challenging process that must befiltered through a projects location, level and type of site contamination, density, topography, soils, groundwater, budget, and feasibility. The decision support tool is a combination of a birds eye view drawing showing all of the green infrastructure techniques,27

and a flow chart which has been developed specifically to assist in deciding which green infrastructure technique is the most appropriate.28

To specifically address brownfield contamination, the guide also includes USEPAs Brownfields Decision Flow Chart to determine if a green infrastructure design relying on infiltration of stormwater is feasible to implement on a brownfield site.

Also mention NJIT decision tree includes cost benefit and risk based analysis of placing GI on brownfields 29

www.bit.ly/greeninfrastructuretoolsDownload The Toolkit & Open Source CAD Files

Finally, the guide provides Open Source CAD files that users can access and download and that engineers and other technical design professionals can modify. (For the non engineers out there, these are the engineering or design drawings from which structures or machines are built.) Having access to these files can provide a substantial cost advantage for resource constrained municipalities looking to design and implement green infrastructure.

Photo: levelseven.deviantart.com30

Ongoing Efforts: Piloting

Pilot for impermeable barrier & proprietary growing system = goal would be to increase installation of GI on brownfields

Partners concrete manufacturer, green roof installer and city of Gary Indiana.31

NJIT Decision Tool

Green Storm Water Infrastructure Decision Tree for Brownfield Sites

Elizabeth from NJIT will describe this tool at the beginning of exercise 132

TAB ContactFor Free Technical Assistance:

Blase Leven (TAB Program Coordinator)785-532-0780 baleven@ksu.edu

Margaret Renas (TAB Point of Contact for IL, IA, WI)312 651-4335 mrenas@delta-institute.org

Elizabeth Limbrick (NJIT - TAB Partner)973 596-5519 limbrick@NJIT.edu

Eugene Goldfarb (GLEP - TAB Partner)847 831-9142 egoldf1@uic.edu

Oral Saulters (TAB Point of Contact for TX) 785 280-0931 osaulter@ksu.edu

Web site: http://www.ksutab.org

* TAB acknowledges TAB Partner Eugene Goldfarb and Great Lakes Environmental Planning as contributor to these slides. Tab2 651-4335mrenas@delta-institute.org