A partnership between the Philadelphia Water Department and Drexel University’s Sustainable Water Resource Engineering Lab uses sensors to monitor the effectiveness of green stormwater mitigation systems.
The Green Infrastructure Living Laboratory (GILL) collects real-time data on green infrastructure systems using low-cost sensors. The data, collected at both public and private sites, will eventually inform improvements to green infrastructure design.
The program will aid Philadelphia’s 25-year stormwater mitigation plan that includes wide-scale adoption of green infrastructure to reduce combined sewer overflows into rivers and streams. Researchers are collecting climate data—temperature, precipitation, relative humidity and air pressure—and hydrology data to observe fluctuations in soil moisture, water level, or unit weight.
Among the findings so far: the benefits of green infrastructure systems, such as rainwater harvesting cisterns, have not been well quantified in the past. This means rainwater harvesting cisterns have much potential for businesses and residential buildings as cost-saving systems that manage stormwater and provide non-potable water sources.
Related Stories
| Nov 9, 2012
New ANSI/BIFMA standard adds point for lower formaldehyde emissions
The ANSI/BIFMA e3-2012 Furniture Sustainability Standard now includes an additional point for furniture products that meet a new, lower formaldehyde emissions limit.
| Nov 9, 2012
Higher bar on LEED may not be harder to reach
The U.S. Green Building Council expects to substantially revise LEED next year, requiring builders beginning in 2015 to take new and more-detailed steps to get buildings certified.
| Nov 9, 2012
CSI’s sustainability practice group offers webinar on EPA's WaterSense Program
The Construction Specification Institute’s sustainability practice group is offering a webinar Nov. 20 on EPA’s WaterSense Program, featuring Lynn Gilleland, drinking water specialist with EPA’s New England office.
| Nov 9, 2012
Mayor in Calif. wants to expedite permits for $1B worth of projects
The mayor of San Jose, Calif., plans to issue new construction permits worth an estimated $1 billion in the next six months to spur job creation and create revenue for the city.
| Nov 9, 2012
Jury awards N.Y. roofer $2 million for injuries after construction site fall
A roofing worker from Cortland County, N.Y., has been awarded $2 million in damages due to the injuries he sustained from a 60-foot fall at a dormitory construction site.
| Oct 31, 2012
Investigators look into crane severely damaged by Sandy in Manhattan
Investigators are examining a construction crane collapse atop a $1.5 billion luxury high-rise in midtown Manhattan due to high winds during Hurricane Sandy.
| Oct 31, 2012
Construction error suspected in Miami-Dade College garage collapse
A construction error is the chief suspect in the partial collapse of a parking garage at Miami-Dade College in Doral, FL.
| Oct 31, 2012
New European laws on timber will go into effect in March 2013
A new European Union timber regulation prohibits the “placing on the market of illegally harvested timber or timber products derived from such timber.”