How Sustainable Stormwater Practices Are Helping Urban Waterscapes – WSG

America’s infrastructure is aging and in dire need of repair. It’s been a hot topic for a while now, and while politicians and policymakers have passed significant legislation in recent years, the fact is that there are still some notable gaps in the systems throughout the United States.

One such system is the stormwater system. Aging infrastructure and a lack of proper filtration are leading to increased pollution in area lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. What’s more, these systems aren’t designed to withstand the increased severe weather activity that we’re currently experiencing everywhere due to the changing climate.

One solution that helps protect urban waterways and limits the strain on stormwater management is sustainable, green infrastructure. In this post, we’ll discuss the importance of sustainable stormwater management and the role that green infrastructure and other solutions can play in protecting our natural resources. Read on to learn more:

The Importance of Sustainable Stormwater Management and Green Infrastructure

When rainfall comes into contact with a surface, it’s not just hitting pavement, soil, rooftops or grass, it’s also coming into contact with whatever has settled onto that surface. This could be a range of pollutants or contaminants, from salt and sediment, pesticides and fertilizer, heavy metals or even bacteria from animal waste. The bottom line is that this stormwater runoff eventually makes its way into drains and sewers, and then into local bodies of water.

According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), some 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater enter U.S. waters each year. It has led the EPA to designate urban stormwater as the leading cause of water quality problems in the country. And this water quality can have a trickle-down effect (no pun intended) on ecosystems, vegetation, drinking water and recreation.

It’s also important to note that stormwater is a lot different from the water that goes down the drain or is flushed down the toilet in homes and businesses throughout the country. This water is channeled via a system of drains and sewers to a municipal wastewater treatment plant and effectively treated before it’s discharged. Storm drains don’t operate in the same way. Instead of directing water to treatment plants, they usually direct water – and anything that’s contaminating it – right into the local streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. Hence, to help the urban waterscapes, it’s important to incorporate more sustainable stormwater practices.

Stormwater Screening Solutions

The good news is that there are stormwater solutions to preserve these waterscapes and the great resources that they are for the communities. Some stormwater management solutions are as follows:

Sustainable infrastructure

Installing green infrastructure can play a major role in helping urban waterscapes remain healthy. According to the EPA, green infrastructure consists of systems and strategies that absorb and work to filter stormwater as it falls and where it falls. Today, there’s an abundance of “gray” infrastructure (i.e., gutters, pipes, tunnels, etc.) that instead work to move stormwater after it falls.

Green infrastructure often uses plant or soil systems to absorb or filter water. Permeable pavement and other surfaces represent another solution. Some examples of green infrastructure include:

• Gutters that filter into rain barrels for rain harvesting purposes

• Rain gardens or wetlands

• Open park space

• Planting trees (i.e., urban tree canopy)

• Green roofs

• Planter boxes

Another nice thing about incorporating sustainable stormwater practices is that they can help limit the load capacity on the overall stormwater system. With storms becoming more severe with greater regularity, such practices can help reduce flooding and sewer system overflows. Aging infrastructure and more severe weather aren’t an ideal combination. By implementing solutions that help absorb and filter stormwater, this water stays out of the system and can help limit the burden.

Stormwater flushing systems

These systems utilize water to remove contaminants, specifically from storm drain pipes. Flushing systems are ideal for pipes that are too difficult to self-clean. The process usually consists of temporarily plugging the drain or pipe, then pumping water into the line upstream to create a wave that will eventually be released and used to clean the storm drain. If done correctly, this practice can remove any deposited materials that could cause harm to local bodies of water.

Screening solutions

There are a variety of screening solutions that are used in wastewater treatment plants and could potentially be utilized in stormwater drains as well. From band screens to bar screens, these stormwater screening solutions work to keep larger contaminants out of water as it is being processed in the treatment center. While screening solutions aren’t intended to catch every pollutant or contaminant, they may be utilized in stormwater pipes and drains to keep out larger objects.

Infrastructure isn’t getting any younger and the weather isn’t likely to become less intense any time soon. Now’s the time to rethink stormwater practices for the benefit of our natural resources.

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