The City of Detroit’s financial problems may make it more likely to adopt blue infrastructure standards. It would cost $1 billion to adequately deal with the problem of stormwater runoff through the traditional “big pipe” way. But with suburban customers rebelling against high water rates and Wall Streetbond rating agencies downgrading the city’s water department debt this month to “junk” status, that option may be increasingly limited. But the city’s vast amount of vacant land —estimated at between 20 to 40 square miles—provides needed space to put blue and green solutions into action.
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