A strategy to implement green infrastructure practices that are designed to manage stormwater runoff and curb sewer overflows was released Jan. 17 by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure Action Strategy 2008 describes how practices such as the use of grassy swales, rain barrels, and permeable pavements can be used at low cost to manage stormwater and reduce burdens on cities and towns with combined sewer systems that are designed to carry both stormwater and wastewater.

The strategy explains how states, municipalities, permitting authorities, and nongovernmental organizations can use such practices to meet water quality goals while reducing the burden on the aging wastewater infrastructure that is unable to handle deluges of stormwater and wastewater when it rains heavily.

It promotes green infrastructure as the environmentally preferable alternative to building traditional infrastructure such as curbs, gutters, and impervious drains.

EPA defines "green infrastructure" as the strategic use of soil and plants to help absorb, infiltrate, evaporate, or reuse excess stormwater and associated pollutants instead of, or in addition to, pipes, pumps, storage tunnels, and other "hard infrastructure" that traditionally is used to collect, store, and transport water through large buried sewer systems. EPA said this approach also can be used to reduce stormwater discharges and to help restore the natural hydrology, water quality, and habitat of urban and suburban watersheds.

EPA Outlines Seven Approaches

The strategy outlines seven approaches to promote green infrastructure among communities--research, outreach and communication, tools, Clean Water Act regulatory support, economic viability and funding, demonstrations and recognition, and partnerships and promotion. EPA said some of those approaches were being implemented and others were in the works.

Nathan Gardner-Andrews, counsel for the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, told BNA that he was especially pleased that EPA has recognized that there is a need to provide regulatory support for this strategy.

NACWA represents the interests of more than 300 publicly owned wastewater utilities in the nation.
From a perspective of wastewater utilities, Gardner-Andrews said, it is important that green infrastructure be recognized as an acceptable approach for meeting water quality standards in permits and in long-term plans for controlling combined sewer overflows.

"It is important for communities to know that there is regulatory support and they can view it seriously and not as something on the periphery, Gardner-Andrews said.

The strategy was developed by EPA in collaboration with American Rivers, the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators, the Low Impact Development Center, NACWA, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

It follows upon the promise EPA and these groups made when they signed the memorandum of understanding in April 2007 (77 DEN A-10, 4/23/07  ).

Earlier in January, EPA released a report that showed that the use of grassy swales, rain barrels, and small urban wetlands to capture polluted stormwater runoff is cheaper than building pavements, gutters, and stormwater drains (5 DEN A-1, 1/9/08)  ).

EPA's Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure Action Strategy 2008 is available at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/greeninfrastructure/general. 


By Amena H. Saiyid