The Stormwater Report

To help curb the effects of urban runoff on streambank erosion, the question municipalities must confront is whether to reduce flows or toughen channel banks. The best answer, according to Rod Lammers, lead author of a new University of Georgia (Athens) research article exploring ways to optimize erosion control, is both. The challenge is getting […]

The deadline to register for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2019 Campus RainWorks Challenge is Oct. 15. Following the registration deadline, participating teams have until Dec. 17 to submit their complete entries. The challenge is open to colleges and universities across the U.S. and its territories, and registration is free. Now in its eighth […]

Since the program launched in 2016, more than 500 U.S. professionals have now received credentials as graduates of the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP). NGICP provides entry-level workers with the skills to construct, inspect, and maintain green stormwater infrastructure according to international best-practice standards. The program, developed by the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, […]

Anyone who’s ever lived in a city is probably more familiar than they’d like to be with the urban heat island effect, which causes cities to become significantly hotter than their natural surroundings. The effect has many causes, but one big contributor is impermeable concrete. In many cities, impermeable concrete covers more than 30% of […]

It’s easy to make small, incremental changes. In the world of stormwater, that might mean installing a rain garden or green roof. And while the little changes can help, it’s the big plans that make the most significant differences. That’s what Hong Wu, assistant professor of landscape architecture at Pennsylvania State University (PSU; State College) […]

Green infrastructure designs that fail to consider the effects of the installation’s placement or the types of wildlife it may attract can increase risks of spreading serious diseases, according to research published in the journal, Ecology and Epidemiology. “There seems to be a prevailing assumption among the general public that everything that is nature – […]

To take full advantage of permeable pavement, a green alternative to traditional concrete or asphalt pavers that collect and filter stormwater runoff, infrastructure planners must take many site-specific factors into account. A new guide to permeable pavements written by researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF–IFAS; Gainesville) helps developers, […]

In May, park professionals gathered in Philadelphia for a comprehensive course in green infrastructure design and management. The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA; Ashburn, Va.) selected 27 professionals to receive scholarships for green infrastructure training. The trainees spent two days learning hands-on lessons about how green infrastructure can provide multiple environmental and public health […]

Green infrastructure often requires more frequent upkeep and maintenance than gray infrastructure, generally entails more financial risk, and its effectiveness largely depends on its location. However, a newly released joint report by the World Bank (Washington, D.C.) and the World Resources Institute (WRI; Washington, D.C.) offers a new perspective on how to increase green infrastructure’s […]

On April 23, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of its 7th annual Campus RainWorks Challenge. The competition tasks college students and faculty nationwide with designing innovative, on-campus stormwater management features. These features need to demonstrate how green infrastructure can mitigate runoff pollution, reduce local flooding, and create new amenities that enhance […]