Green Infrastructure Report Lauded

The USEPA Nonpoint Source Control Branch recently sent out an invitation to communities and states to work with EPA on opportunities to use green infrastructure to reduce nonpoint source pollution.

Green infrastructure is an environmentally preferable approach to reducing stormwater and other excess flows entering combined or separate sewer systems in combination with, or in lieu of, centralized hard infrastructure solutions. The Natural Resources Defense Council recently published a special report, Rooftops to Rivers: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows, with information on these efforts. The report describes how some cities are using green infrastructure techniques, including green roofs on city buildings, more absorbent concrete, and street planters that intercept rainwater before it hits the ground, to protect their water. EPA calls the report a policy guide for decision makers looking to implement green strategies in their own areas, including nine case studies of cities that have successfully used green techniques to create a healthier urban environment. http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/rooftops/contents.asp