New York State Water Resources Institute Climate Smart ... · Climate Smart Communities – Green...
Transcript of New York State Water Resources Institute Climate Smart ... · Climate Smart Communities – Green...
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Climate Smart Communities –Green Infrastructure Case Studies
Emily VailHudson River Estuary Program
NYS Department of Environmental ConservationCornell University NYS Water Resources Institute
New York State Water
Resources Institute
Presentation Outline
• Hudson River Estuary Program
• Impact of stormwater
• NYS Stormwater Management Design Manual
• Examples of practices
• Benefits
• What you can doRain garden, Piermont Library
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Hudson River Estuary Program
Core Mission• Ensure clean water
• Protect and restore fish, wildlife, and their habitats
• Provide water recreation and river access
• Adapt to climate change
• Conserve world-famous scenery
Importance of Watersheds
• It’s important to think about stormwater management from a watershed perspective, because stormwater travels to waterbodies (and can lead to problems if not managed well)
The land and water that drain to a common outlet
From NEMO
• Most stream impairments in the Hudson Valley due to polluted runoff
– Documented for ~35% of streams
• Traditional stormwater management
– Impervious surface -> storm sewer -> streams
Stormwater Carries Pollutants
• Most stream impairments in the Hudson Valley due to polluted runoff
– Documented for ~35% of streams
• Traditional stormwater management
– Impervious surface -> storm sewer -> streams
Stormwater Carries Pollutants
Storm drain
• Most stream impairments in the Hudson Valley due to polluted runoff
– Documented for ~35% of streams
• Traditional stormwater management
– Impervious surface -> storm sewer -> streams
Stormwater Carries Pollutants
Storm drain
• Water quality problems
– Sediment
– Nutrients
– Road salt
– Oil/grease
– Trash
• Water quantity problems
– Flooding
– Erosion
Stormwater Carries Pollutants
• Wet weather leads to overflows
– Combined sewer or separated sewer
• Impacts public health, water recreation
• Degrades water quality
Overflowing Sewage
Sanitary sewer overflow, Poughkeepsie Pump station, Piermont
What is Green Infrastructure?
• Different approach to stormwater - natural and engineered systems that mimic nature
• Manage runoff by maintaining or restoring natural hydrology
– allow stormwater to infiltrate and be used by plants
Green Infrastructure
• Scales – site, sewer-shed, municipality, watershed, region
• Provides multiple benefits
– Slows the flow of runoff
– Removes pollutants
– Keeps water out of the storm sewer system
– Adds vegetation to the landscape
Lower Esopus Creek
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Green Infrastructure Requirements
• August 2010 - Updated NYS Stormwater Design Manual
• Chapter 5 – Green Infrastructure
• New development – use green infrastructure
NYS Stormwater Design Manual
1. Planning
A. Preserving natural areas
B. Reducing paved surfaces
2. Green infrastructure practices
NYS Stormwater Design Manual
1. Planning
A. Preserving natural areas
B. Reducing paved surfaces
2. Green infrastructure practices
Avoid stormwater
NYS Stormwater Design Manual
1. Planning
A. Preserving natural areas
B. Reducing paved surfaces
2. Green infrastructure practices
Avoid stormwater
Reduce stormwater
NYS Stormwater Design Manual
1. Planning
A. Preserving natural areas
B. Reducing paved surfaces
2. Green infrastructure practices
Avoid stormwater
Reduce stormwater
Manage stormwater
1. Green Infrastructure Planning
A. Preserve natural areas – reduce disturbance, cluster development
Traditional Subdivision Conservation Subdivision
Dutchess County Greenway Guide
1. Green Infrastructure Planning
A. Preserve natural areas – reduce disturbance, cluster development
B. Reduce paved surfaces – driveways, parking lots, roads, etc.
Traditional Subdivision Conservation Subdivision
Dutchess County Greenway Guide
2. Green Infrastructure Practices
• Natural features and engineered practices that infiltrate runoff on-site
– Treat stormwater closer to where the rain falls
– Several small practices instead of one large one
• Examples on HREP website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/58930.html
Rain Gardens & Bioretention Areas• Shallow depression of soil and plants, filters runoff and
slows its flow
Ashford Park, Ardsley Kingston Library
Vegetated Swales• Natural drainage paths or vegetated channels used to
transport water above ground
Subdivision, PawlingVillage Hall, Greenwood Lake
Green Roofs• Layers of soil and vegetation on rooftops that capture runoff
SUNY Orange, Newburgh Marist College, Poughkeepsie
Porous Pavement• Paved surfaces that allow stormwater to infiltrate
NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Staatsburg
Sojourner Truth Ulster Landing County Park, Saugerties
Stream Buffer Restoration• Improves stream health, filters and slows polluted runoff,
many other benefits
Whaley Lake Stream, BeekmanSUNY Orange, Middletown
Other Green Infrastructure Practices
• Street trees
• Stormwater planters
Stormwater planter – bus shelter, Ardsley Rain barrel – Greenburgh Nature Center
• Rain barrels
• Stream daylighting
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
• Cool urban areas –energy savings
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
• Cool urban areas –energy savings
• Provide wildlife habitat
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
• Cool urban areas –energy savings
• Provide wildlife habitat
• Improve air quality
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
• Cool urban areas –energy savings
• Provide wildlife habitat
• Improve air quality
• Improve human health
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
• Cool urban areas –energy savings
• Provide wildlife habitat
• Improve air quality
• Improve human health
• Increase land values
Benefits of Green Infrastructure• Manage stormwater (quality and quantity)
• Recharge groundwater
• Reduce CSOs, reduce wastewater treatment costs
• Improve watershed resiliency
• Cool urban areas –energy savings
• Provide wildlife habitat
• Improve air quality
• Improve human health
• Increase land values
• Beautify neighborhoods
Benefits at a Municipal Scale
Philadelphia
40-year strategy to deal with CSOs:
• Gray - $122.0 million in benefits
• Green - $2.85 billion in benefits
– Save energy ($33.7 million)
– Avoid 196 fatalities from heat stress
– Increase residential property values (> $1.1 billion)
– Create > 15,000 jobs for local laborers
Watershed Resiliency and Climate Change
• Resilient watershed = better able to deal with and recover from extreme weather
• Reduce vulnerability of communities & ecosystems
Flooding from the Fall Kill, Poughkeepsie – Hurricane Irene
Watershed Resiliency and Climate Change
• Manage stormwater
• Protect forests, wetlands, floodplains
• Restore vegetation along streams
• Replace undersized road crossings
• Move infrastructure out of floodplains
• Create partnerships, work intermunicipally
Implementing Green Infrastructure
• Homeowners, watershed groups, neighborhoods, regional planners, businesses, and
• Municipalities
– Planning
– Codes/ordinances to encourage, incentivize, or require
– Demonstration sites SUNY Orange, Middletown
What can you do?
• Integrate green infrastructure into plans
• Climate adaptation strategies
• Review codes/ordinances
• Visit local practices
• Build demonstration projects
• Submit projects for website
• Restore stream buffers with Trees for Tribs
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
Emily VailWatershed Outreach Specialist
(845) 256-3145
Hudson River Estuary Program
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
In cooperation with Cornell University NYS Water Resources Institute
New York State Water
Resources Institute