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Green Infrastructure BasicsEmily VailHudson River Estuary Program

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University

December 8, 2016

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Presentation Outline

� Hudson River Estuary

Program

� Impact of polluted runoff

� Green infrastructure

� Applications and principles

� What you can do

� Resources

Bioretention at Vassar College

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Hudson River Estuary Program

Six Benefits:

� Clean water

� Resilient communities

� Vital estuary ecosystem

� Estuary fish, wildlife, and

their habitats

� Scenic river landscape

� Education, river access,

recreation, and inspiration

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Hudson River Estuary Watershed

Poughkeepsie

Albany

New York City

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Watershed Thinking

Vassar College

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Impervious Surfaces and Stormwater Runoff

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Stormwater Carries Pollutants

� Polluted runoff causes most

stream impairments in the

Hudson Valley

� Traditional stormwater

management

� Impervious surface ->

storm sewer -> streams

Storm drain

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What is green infrastructure?

� Different approach to stormwater – natural & engineered systems

� Reduce runoff by allowing stormwater

to infiltrate and be used by plants

Bioretention area, Vassar CollegeNYS Stormwater Management Design Manual

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Gray vs. Green Infrastructure

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Green Infrastructure

� Scales – site, neighborhood,

sewer-shed, municipality,

watershed, region

� Provides multiple benefits

� Slows runoff

� Removes pollutants

� Keeps water out of the sewer

system

� Adds vegetation to the landscapeFall Kill Neighborhood Source Assessment

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1. Planning

Preserve natural areas

Reduce impervious surface cover

2. Green infrastructure practices

Avoid stormwater

Reduce stormwater

Manage stormwater

NYS Stormwater Management Design Manual

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Green Infrastructure Planning

� Preserve natural areas

� Reduce impervious surface cover

Development Site Traditional Subdivision Conservation Subdivision

Dutchess County Greenway Guide

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Green Infrastructure Practices

� Wide range of practices

for different applications

� Infiltrate or store runoff

for reuse

� Treat stormwater closer

to where rain falls

� Several small practices

instead of one large one

Marist College, Poughkeepsie

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Rain Garden/Bioretention Area

� Shallow, vegetated depression, stores waters and filters it through soil

Stanley Still Park, Poughkeepsie Vassar College, Poughkeepsie

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Vegetated Swale

� Vegetated channel, transports water above ground

Subdivision, Pawling Village Hall, Greenwood Lake

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Green Roof

� Layers of soil and vegetation on rooftops that capture runoff

Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park Marist College, Poughkeepsie

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Porous Pavement

� Paved surfaces that allow stormwater to infiltrate

NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, StaatsburgBeacon Institute at Denning’s Point

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Rain Barrel or Cistern

� Capture and store water for re-use (non-contact)

Children's Garden at Boyce Park, WingdaleWooster Hall, SUNY New Paltz

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Stream Buffer Restoration

� Vegetated buffer slows and filters runoff, with many other benefits

Casperkill Golf Course, PoughkeepsieVassar College Farm & Ecological Preserve

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Other Green Infrastructure Practices

� Street trees/tree planting

� Stormwater planters

� Stream daylighting

Bus Shelter, Ardsley

NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Staatsburg

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Residential Green Infrastructure

Rain Barrel –

Millerton

Pervious

Pavers –

Syracuse

Pervious

Asphalt –

Poughkeepsie

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Commercial Green Infrastructure

Bioretention – KingstonPervious Asphalt – Poughkeepsie

Green Roof – Newburgh

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Municipal Green Infrastructure

Rain Garden/Pervious Pavers

– Village of Greenwood Lake

Rain Garden –

Mount Pleasant

Highway

Garage

Bioretention –

Ulster County

parking lot,

Kingston

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Campus Green Infrastructure

Pervious Pavement –

SUNY New Paltz Rain Garden – Bard College

Rain Garden –

Siena College

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Benefits of Green Infrastructure� Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)

� Recharge groundwater

� Reduce sewage overflows

� Improve watershed resiliency

� Cool urban areas – energy savings

� Provide wildlife habitat

� Improve air quality

� Improve human health

� Increase land values

� Beautify neighborhoods Rain Garden at Vassar College

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Green Infrastructure Success

� What is the goal?

� Projects need to be:

� Designed,

� Installed, and

� Maintained properly

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Why Use Green Infrastructure?

� New development – required to

reduce runoff with green infrastructure

� Redevelopment – more lenient

� Retrofits – generally not required,

improving existing infrastructure

Construction StormwaterPermit

What is the problem you want to solve?

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What you can do

� Learn more about green infrastructure

� What are your goals?

� Set a good example (campus or muni)

� Local planning efforts

� Comprehensive plan

� Natural resource inventory

� Watershed management

� Climate adaptation

� Combined sewer overflows Kingston Flooding Task Force

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Resources

� Hudson River Estuary Program

� Green Infrastructure Examples

� Grants

� Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation Districts

guide for planning boards

� Pace University guide for CACs

� EPA Stormwater Planning guide

� EPA economic benefits case study: Lancaster, PA

� NRDC The Green Edge: How Commercial Property

Investment in Green Infrastructure Creates Value

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Thank You!

� Emily Vail

� Watershed Outreach

Specialist

� Hudson River Estuary

Program

� emily.vail@dec.ny.gov

� (845) 256-3145

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