Tour De Water Bus Tour - Aug 15 - Learn about stormwater management practices in Superior.

Reserve a spot on a free bus tour to learn about practices in Superior on stormwater management. 

Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure

Image via Ryan Somma

It’s getting a little gray and dreary out there right now, so it seems like a good time to talk about green things!  Green infrastructure, for example.  Green infrastructure uses natural processes to manage stormwater in cities (US EPA).  Low impact development refers to using green infrastructure techniques on new land developments and redevelopments.  The EPA has a comprehensive website about green infrastructure with information about techniques, benefits, and resources located at http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/.

Some techniques that you can employ to manage stormwater on site as a homeowner are things that we’ve mentioned several times in the past.  One simple example is downspout redirection.  All this entails is redirecting your roof’s downspout from draining onto impervious area to draining into a rain barrel or pervious area (i.e. your yard).  When you redirect into a rain barrel, you can store the water for use later.  Rain barrel water is good for plants and doesn’t cost you anything.  Rain barrels are fairly simple to make or can be purchased when the City or WLSSD has a sale.  Learn more about rain barrels here (webinar), here, and here.

Redirecting your downspout into a pervious area (your yard) instead of letting it flow down your driveway and into the storm sewer is a good option if rain barrels aren’t allowed in your area or you don’t want to make/purchase one.  This allows the water to soak in rather than run off. 

Rain gardens are also known as bioretention cells and are a good way to put the rain to a good, aesthetically pleasing use.  Rain gardens are built into shallow depressions.  If you’re thinking about building one in your yard, look at where water pools naturally when it rains.  That would be a good spot for a rain garden.  You should use native plants because they are hardier and cost less to maintain.  They also provide food and habitat for native insect and animal species.  Learn more here, here, here (webinar) and here.

Green roofs (like the one that can be seen in the picture above or here at UW Superior’s Yellowjacket Union) are an option for homeowners, too.   Green roofs are a layer of vegetation over a waterproofed roof.  Green roofs are typically used on roofs that don’t have much of a slope and the plant/water weight must be considered before installation.  For more information, go here and here.

Many other LID and green infrastructure techniques are used on a neighborhood or city-wide basis rather than by individual homeowners.  Examples of techniques used include: vegetated swales, smaller sidewalks, narrower roads, pervious pavement (although you can do this at home too!), and natural feature protection.

There is a lot of information about green infrastructure and low impact development; look around and see what kinds of techniques you could use.

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards

Rain Gardens/Low Impact Development Webinar TODAY

The fifth installment in the Environmental Matters Webinar Series, "Native Plants to the Rescue", is today at 12:00 PM.  Register to attend at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/831658063

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards

We're excited for....road construction?!

This morning, a local radio station was covering the upcoming construction for this season.  Most people dread "construction season", which seems to crop up while we're still recovering from the snowy, icy roads of winter.  One project we're pretty excited about, though, is the Tower Avenue reconstruction.  Excited for road construction? Crazy, right?  Let me explain.
We have a few different tabs on the top of our blog.  The "Water and the Environment in Superior" tab has a list of contacts for various environmental/water issues.  It also has a map that show some stormwater management practices around town.  These include rain gardens, green roofs, pervious pavement, etc.  What does this have to do with road construction?  Well, we're excited for the Tower Avenue project because we'll be able to add some new things to our map.  Along with the construction of the actual road, there will be tree trenches added along the road; tree trenches are "systems of trees connected by an underground filtration system" (Philadelphia Water Department). Tree trenches store water for the trees to use in the engineered soil.  They also slow and reduce runoff.  There will also be plants in the medians, which will reduce the amount of impervious area.  So, if you're sad about dealing with construction, just think of all the good things that will come along with it!  Check out the plans here: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wis35towerave/index.htm

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards

Climate Change and Stormwater

 With the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar wrapping up this week, the topic of climate change has been making headlines all over the world.  While climate change has the potential to impact all aspects of our lives, we're going to focus on the possible effects on stormwater.

Rising global temperatures can lead to more extreme weather events (larger storms, longer droughts, etc.)  More intense rainfall events can bring increased flooding, runoff and erosion.  This could lead to major issues for many municipalities as stormwater conveyance systems were built with historical weather events in mind.  Municipalities may not be equipped to handle frequent, intense storms that could become the normal with increasing temperatures. 

So what does this mean for you?  More frequent extreme weather events that current stormwater conveyance and storage measures cannot handle could lead to flooding and property damage.  Some ways to mitigate these effects include: decreasing impervious surfaces to allow for more stormwater infiltration, planting trees and maintaining riparian buffers to prevent erosion, and using low impact development (LID) practices for new development.  Implementing preventative measures now can help us weather the storm in the future.

To learn more about climate change and stormwater, visit these pages:

University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute

United Nations Climate Change Portal

Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts Stormwater Working Group

-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards