When it rains in Milwaukee, only a fraction of the water hitting the roofs at the county zoo, the local university’s Lake Michigan research facility, or the headquarters of the sewerage district flow into the city’s stormwater overflow system.
That’s because these buildings are topped by green roofs — rooftops planted with vegetative layers that absorb the rainwater. They are a few examples of new green solutions for stormwater control that are sprouting up all over the country.
In Kansas City, Mo., Portland, Ore., Chicago, Pittsburgh, and in smaller communities like Emeryville, Calif., green roofs and a range of other green solutions are helping municipalities reduce stormwater overflows and non-point source pollution. An added benefit is increased public understanding and support for water management.
The move toward natural hydrology got a boost in April when the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the U.S. EPA signed an agreement formalizing a public-private partnership to help states, cities and local governments implement innovative and effective green infrastructure.
The agreement was also signed by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) and the Low Impact Development (LID) Center.
More than a fad
But are green solutions for real, or just a faddish reaction to the national move toward environmental friendliness? How do green solutions work? And what makes them successful? While federal, state and regional requirements set the stage for new and improved stormwater solutions, human factors seem to have been the key to their success.
In Milwaukee, where the city’s green roofs are joined by rain gardens and an aggressive rain barrel program, ingenuity and communication stand out as critical factors.
“In 2000 we realized there had to be a better way to manage our stormwater,” says Kevin Shafer, executive director of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.
“With more and more impermeable surface being laid down every day, we saw this as an opportunity to influence new development. We surveyed the country for good ideas, solicited proposals for best practices, and piloted several projects.”
The rain barrel program got going in earnest when an intern discovered that a local pickle company was discarding its used 55-gallon barrels. Milwaukee contracted with an inner city service corps to retrofit the barrels into rain barrels, which it now sells to residents for $30 apiece.
“We encourage people to disconnect their downspouts, store rainwater in the barrels, and save on watering costs,” Shafer says. So far, the district has placed more than 6,100 rain barrels. Shafer says residents themselves become the best salespeople for the barrels in their neighborhoods.
Milwaukee also supports the Lake Michigan Rain Gardens Initiative, and acts as a source for information on rain gardens and on plants that are suitable for rain gardens. The district also provides an example through a green parking lot featuring permeable surfaces and a miniature wetland, and a rain garden that district employees have planted between two buildings at district headquarters.
Through internal communications, the district is developing a “passion for the environment” within its staff. Bill Graffin, MMSD public information officer, says monthly coffee chats with the director, e-mail blasts, articles from other cities, and internal distribution of news releases before they’re sent to the media have all helped build staff enthusiasm.
The rain gardens of KC
Kansas City may be better known for rain gardens than it is for jazz and blues music, if its “10,000 Rain Gardens” program reaches its goal. According to Lynn Hinkle, of the ASTRA Company, the city’s communications consultant, the program succeeds because it connects with people.
“The public would pay money not to take a tour of the storm sewer system, but they are eager to participate in our rain garden program,” says Hinkle. “After all, gardening is the number one hobby of Americans.”
With significant combined sewer overflows in the city’s inner core, Kansas City launched the program in February 2006 under then-mayor Kay Barnes. “Our goal is 10,000 rain gardens in five years,” says Hinkle, “and it’s really taking off.” She says Scout troops, schools, universities have taken up the cause.
The city has become a source for rain garden expertise. “It’s almost magical” the way the word is spreading, says Scott Cahail, environmental manager of the city’s water services department. “We held a local workshop on rain gardens recently, and someone from Chattanooga (Tennessee) showed up.”
Also showing up on the issue have been major corporations. Black & Veatch, the global engineering, consulting and construction organization, is headquartered in the city and is providing leadership in rain garden implementation. Not only is the company planning green solutions for stormwater projects across the country and around the world, it has designed and built the city’s first corporate rain garden at its water business headquarters on Ward Parkway.
“A lot of things are coming together that support interest in green solutions,” says Jeff Henson, Black & Veatch director of water resources. “EPA’s support is important, but so is the public’s interest in preserving streams, and the discussions about climate change. People are interested in being green in everything they do.”
In April, the company celebrated the first anniversary of the garden by adding another 75 native plants, bringing the total in the garden to 750. The Black & Veatch Rain Garden Brigade is a group of volunteers who support the rain garden program by taking part in company activities or by building rain gardens at home. The company also donates a $50 native plant starter kit to the school of an employee or family member.
Hallmark, the greeting card company, has a 1,500-square-foot rain garden planned for its Crown Center headquarters in downtown Kansas City. According to company representative Rick Robson, the garden is designed by Patti Banks Landscape Architects of Kansas City, which specializes in environmental projects.
And, as Robson points out, his company was one of the first in the region to install a green roof when it covered a parking lot and corporate entranceway with plantings 15-20 years ago. Native plants used in a recent renovation saved on the cost of irrigation water.
Recycling rainwater at PSU
The economics of being green, coupled with a strong sustainability ethic, have prompted Portland State University to develop one of the country’s most innovative rainwater systems. In a city that is setting standards for green solutions, Portland State has implemented low-flow fixtures and a rainwater collection and recycling system designed to reduce water consumption at its new Engineering Building by 40 percent.
The system collects rainwater from the rooftop and pipes it to an academic hydrology lab on the building’s second floor. There, the water is stored in a 1,000-gallon tank, filtered through carbon, and sterilized by UV treatment before being pumped to toilets and urinals on the first floor.
“Our green buildings have become demonstration models for the community to learn about sustainable practices,” says David Ervin, professor of Environmental Studies and Coordinator of Academic Sustainability Programs at the school. The engineering center has received a gold certificate under the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
Small cities are also responding to stormwater cleanup requirements with green solutions. “We have a lot of brownfields, clay soils, and a high water table,” explains Peter Schultze-Allen, environmental analyst with the City of Emeryville, a one-square mile industrial and commercial community of 8,500 in the San Francisco Bay area.
The city council has taken state and regional regulations a step further by mandating that stormwater runoff be treated onsite via vegetation before it is released.
Schultze-Allen says Best Management Practices developed by the City of Portland, Ore., provided direction as his community implements flow-through planters — onsite basins around buildings that use vegetation to remove rooftop pollutants from stormwater before it flows to the sewer system.
Lessons learned? Schultze-Allen says it’s critical that onsite stormwater controls be inserted into planned development before those plans are submitted to the local plan commission. If added afterward, they may not be pass the ordinance’s “feasibility test.”
Public support
While green technologies are certainly catching on as valid stormwater treatment options across the country, they also appear to be fostering more public understanding and involvement in local water management issues. Kansas City’s Cahail thinks green solutions could be pulling municipal departments and the residents they serve closer together, overcoming age-old barriers of ignorance and indifference.
“The green approach is more visible to the community and more appealing than pipes underground,” he says. “I would encourage all municipal departments to consider green solutions as a way to win public support.”
Hinkle believes the Kansas City rain garden project is succeeding because, “We’ve hooked into the public’s psyche. Rain gardens connect with where they live and what they do.”
And the impact on stormflow and water quality? Milwaukee’s Shafer anticipates measurable environmental results from green solutions in the end. “Eventually we will see significant results in improved water quality and reduced overflows,” he says. “In fact, we’re already seeing it.”
Black & Veatch’s Henson puts it this way: “If we can get a neighborhood to install rain gardens, we’ll see a neighborhood impact. If we can get a watershed to do it, we’ll see an even larger impact. Every drop counts.”
