The Metropolitan District 555 Main Street Hartford, CT 06142

860.278.7850

Contact: Nick Salemi

860.278.7850 Ext. 3211

nsalemi@themdc.com

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

COMPLETED AT MDC HEADQUARTERS

Project serves as stormwater removal demonstration

June 28, 2019

For Immediate Release

(HARTFORD, CT) – The MDC announced today the completion of the Green Infrastructure Improvement Project,

which incorporates sustainable stormwater management design elements along the sidewalk and curb line on Wells

Street into its headquarters building, located at 555 Main Street in Hartford. Removing stormwater from sanitary

sewer pipes helps prevent sewage overflows into local waterways, one of the key goals of the MDC’s Clean Water

Project.

Multiple elements were used to demonstrate different approaches to infiltrating and/or cleansing stormwater. These

elements create an interconnected system starting with the collection of run-off from the roof line of the building,

moving the water into and through the garden areas and finally some of it exiting into the street’s drainage system.

The process helps reduce the amount of stormwater from entering the MDC’s sewer system, which reduces sewer

overflows and cleanses the stormwater as it passes through the vegetation and infiltrates into the soil.

The project’s elements include:

Roof leaders that carry stormwater runoff from the roof of the building into rain gardens.

Rain gardens that include wet/dry tolerant plant species that help cleanse the water before it infiltrates into

the soil. The rain gardens are “stepped”, which allows stormwater to pass from one garden into the next,

allowing a higher storage capacity.

A permeable paver sidewalk which allows water to infiltrate, decreasing the amount of runoff entering the

drainage system.

Stormwater planters and a system of under drains run underneath the permeable paver sidewalk. The

stormwater planters receive water from several sources; overflows from the rain gardens that pass through

the underdrain systems, runoff from the sidewalk through a series of inlets in the raised curbs that run the

length of the planters, and from the inlets that run along the street edge collecting stormwater runoff from

Main Street and Wells Street.

The completed project will include educational signage that explains the various components being demonstrated.

About MDC: The MDC is a nonprofit municipal corporation chartered by the Connecticut General

Assembly in 1929. The MDC provides water, wastewater treatment and other services to its member

towns: Bloomfield, East Hartford, Hartford, Newington, Rocky Hill, West Hartford, Wethersfield and

Windsor. In addition, the District supplies treated water to portions of Glastonbury, South Windsor,

Farmington, East Granby and Portland.

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THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICTStormwater Collection System

These systems were designed to manage stormwater where it originates. They allow immediate, natural infiltration to occur through permeable pavement and into the soil below.

INFILTRATION:

This site was designed to utilize a series of green infrastructure solutions. It has been engineered to collect, manage, and process stormwater in an environmentally friendly manner.

STORMWATER COLLECTION:Runoff from the roof of the MDC building is directed to a downspout drain, where it will be directed to rain gardens. Typically, stormwater would be discharged to sidewalks, streets, or storm sewers - rain gardens provide an environmentally friendly and efficient way to retain and reuse the stormwater on-site.

ROOF LEADER SYSTEM:

These permeable pavement surfaces are an alternative to traditional impervious surfaces. They are designed to allow stormwater to infiltrate through gaps or pores, and into the ground below them. These surfaces help to filter out sediment and debris as well as reduce runoff.

PERMEABLE PAVEMENT:

These miniature wetlands allow water to be treated in a system that mimicks the natural environment. Wetland plants are carefully selected to be drought & flood tolerant. Their roots have the ability to absorb and filter the runoff, helping to clean the water before infiltrating into the soil.

RAIN GARDENS:

Trees offer another form of stormwater absorption and filtration. Their abilty to provide shade reduces the heat island effect in urban areas, and their leaves filter pollutants, emiting clean oxygen into the air.

TREE PLANTINGS: