U.S. cities are revamping how they handle stormwater to reduce flooding and capture rainfall and recharge aquifers.
New policies reflect a change in mindset from treating stormwater as a nuisance to be quickly diverted away to capturing it as a resource. U.S. urban areas generate an estimated 59.5 million acre-feet of stormwater runoff per year on average, equal to 53 billion gallons a day. That much water is equal to 93% of the country’s total municipal and industrial water use.
In Los Angeles, the nonprofit Trust for Public Land has been removing impervious surfaces in alleys and school grounds and replacing asphalt with natural infrastructure, including trees and pervious surfaces.
In the eastern part of the country where rainfall is more plentiful, cities including New York and Pittsburgh are installing green solutions such as rain gardens and bioswales. Cities are also instituting stormwater fees, charging landowners based on the area of impervious surfaces on a property. More cities are also using permeable pavers for sidewalks and parking lots.
Recharging aquifers via more permeable surface areas not only makes more groundwater available, but it also helps prevent land subsidence that can cause buildings to slowly sink.
Related Stories
| May 17, 2012
New Zealand stadium roof collapse blamed on snow, construction defects
Heavy snowfall, construction defects, and design problems contributed to the collapse of the Stadium Southland roof in New Zealand in September 2010, a report has found.
| May 17, 2012
OSHA launches fall prevention campaign
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently launched an educational campaign to prevent deadly falls in the construction industry.
| May 15, 2012
Suffolk selected for Rosenwald Elementary modernization project
The 314-student station elementary school will undergo extensive modernization.
| May 10, 2012
Chapter 6 Energy Codes + Reconstructed Buildings: 2012 and Beyond
Our experts analyze the next generation of energy and green building codes and how they impact reconstruction.
| May 10, 2012
Resilience should be considered a sustainability factor
Since a sustainable building is one you don't have to rebuild, some building sustainability experts believe adding points for "resilience" to storms and earthquakes to the LEED sustainability rating tool makes sense.
| May 10, 2012
University of Michigan research project pushes envelope on green design
A research project underway at the University of Michigan will test the potential of intelligent building envelopes that are capable of monitoring weather, daylight, and occupant use to manage heating, cooling, and lighting.
| May 10, 2012
Fire suppression agents go greener
Environmental sensitivity is helping to drive adoption of new fire suppression agents.
| May 10, 2012
Industry groups urge Congress to leave contracting decisions to agencies
An organization of several industry groups urged Congress to leave many contracting decisions to the discretion of individual agencies by avoiding blanket mandates.
| May 10, 2012
OSHA proposes new rule to have employers find and fix hazards
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed a new regulation, Injury and Illness Prevention Program, or I2P2, which would compel employers to find and fix safety hazards.
