The Stormwater Report

The European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC; Halle, Germany) recently released a publication that updates a previous 2013 EASAC report with new data showing that extreme weather events have become more frequent during the past 36 years. The new findings — which confirm the conclusions in the original report and extend the previous analysis — […]

Researchers in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Washington State University have demonstrated that permeable pavement can be improved with the addition of recycled carbon fiber composite material. Associate research professor Karl Englund and Assistant professor Somayeh Nassiri supplemented permeable concrete mixes with composite scraps sourced from Boeing (Chicago) manufacturing facilities and found […]

Boston was built on climate resiliency planning. Early residents gradually filled in low-lying Atlantic Ocean tidelands as the city expanded. They turned small islands and peninsulas into neighborhoods high enough above sea level to prevent flooding from typical tides and storms. Today, some of these areas, such as East Boston and Charlestown, are among the […]

In early 2013, Cyclone Oswald tore through huge swathes of eastern Australia, causing some $2.5 billion (AUD) in damage across Queensland and New South Wales. The torrent deposited more than 1.8 million Mg (2 million ton) of agricultural contaminants, sediments, and nutrients into the Moreton Bay, highlighting a critical need for increased flood protection in […]

After major storms flooded low-lying areas of Pittsburgh repeatedly in 2004, 2009, and 2011, Carnegie Mellon University is now in the final stages of a major stormwater management project that will redirect floodwaters from major storms toward constructive uses for both the city and campus. Since early May, construction crews have been excavating the area […]

RE.bound program develops new resilience bond A team of private sector partners has released the framework for a new insurance-based product intended to generate capital for risk-reduction projects. The RE.bound Program, released Dec. 9, 2015, offers a new financial product called a “resilience bond.” These bonds are designed to help manage the financial risk from […]

On Dec. 8, the Conservation Leadership Council (CLC) released a new study examining the role of green infrastructure. The CLC report, titled The Role of Green Infrastructure — Nature, Economics, and Resilience, asserts that green approaches promote ecosystem services and greater resiliency while providing water quality and quantity treatment at a lower cost than traditional […]

On Nov. 19, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) celebrated the opening of the new Scioto Greenways. The project is a 13-ha (33-ac) parkland with 2.4 km (1.5 mi) of multi-use trails. The project cost $36 million and involved removing the Main Street dam, planting 800 trees, and creating up to 350 jobs. MORPC provided […]

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is using floating, vegetated wave attenuators in Jamaica Bay. The attenuators are part of a pilot project to study the efficacy of deflecting and reducing wave energy to protect critical salt marsh wetlands. The 2-year pilot program will cost approximately $500,000 and will inform future shoreline protection […]

On Oct. 28, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Guidance for Considering the Use of Living Shorelines. The agency encourages the use of living shorelines to protect sheltered coasts — those not exposed to open ocean wave energy — from intense storms, erosion, and sea level rise. Living shorelines include a range of shoreline […]