Our Lady Gate of Heaven Church in Calumet. Photo taken after a storm in the summer 2008. Before the bioswale was installed, the parking would be flooded for days after a big rain. The bioswale soaked up this rain after one day.

As Chicago-area residents continue to clean up from last weekend’s storms that dumped more than eight inches of rain in less than 48 hours, it is important to consider why such storms seem to be occurring more often and what we can do to lessen the damage as they happen in the future.

The overwhelming majority of climate scientists agree that human-induced climate change is already altering our planet. The effects of climate change will affect all parts of the planet, including the Midwest, where we can expect more extreme summer heat days, threats to agriculture, and more intense and frequent storms.

Some changes are already occurring. Average yearly temperatures have steadily increased, snow comes to the region later and melts earlier than in the past, and heavy rains occur today roughly twice as often as they did a hundred years ago.

Although climate scientists cannot determine that a single weather event is the result of climate change, observed changes and climate projections suggest that more intense storms will increase as the planet’s climate changes.

The Chicago region, like most, relies almost exclusively on man-made infrastructure – curbs, gutters, pipes and catch basins – that whisk rain away from our streets and parking lots and release it into nearby streams and lakes. This current system is mostly effective, but has significant flaws:

• Existing infrastructure cannot handle the amount of rainfall produced during large storms and will be hard-pressed in the future to handle more intense storms expected in a changing climate. That means households and businesses will continue to experience flooding.
• Rain enters the same pipes that manage the region’s household sewage. When a large storm hits, the rain overwhelms the system, which results in raw sewage overflowing into the Chicago River and, thus, other bodies of water.
• Rain picks up pollutants when it runs off roadways and parking lots. The rainwater carries that pollution through the sewer system and into our streams and lakes, contaminating drinking water sources.
• Whisking rain away from where it falls prevents local aquifers from re-charging, meaning that communities reliant on well water will face water shortages as they grow.

Meanwhile, green infrastructure, using natural systems to manage stormwater by retaining and filtering rain where it falls, can reduce runoff and flooding and remove pollutants. Numerous green infrastructure projects in the region have already made a positive impact on the properties around them. Simple green infrastructure systems installed in 2008 at St. Margaret Mary Church in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood have effectively protected the property from extensive flooding since.

Additionally, many types of green infrastructure offer benefits above and beyond what conventional infrastructure provides. Green infrastructure installations increase the natural beauty and economic value of developed areas, provide habitat and connectivity for plants and animals, clean and re-charge groundwater sources, and reduce the urban heat island effect. Some green infrastructure systems, such as green roofs and rain gardens, may improve air quality and provide benefits for the climate.

Earlier this year, a task force of planners and engineers from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) completed a green infrastructure analysis mandated by the Illinois General Assembly. The UIC-CNT report concluded that green infrastructure is effective and affordable solution to stormwater runoff and should be implemented across the state.

“The performance of green infrastructure is at the very least comparable to detention approaches to stormwater management,” the report found. And, in terms of cost, the report estimated that “green infrastructure is frequently 5-30% less costly to construct and about 25% less costly over its life cycle compared with traditional infrastructure.

Last month, in a letter to the General Assembly and Gov. Pat Quinn, Illinois EPA director Douglas P. Scott endorsed the findings of the UIC-CNT green infrastructure report and laid out next steps for his agency to implement the report recommendations.

With the likelihood of increased heavy storms in future years due to a changing climate, creating a robust and sustainable stormwater management system is more important than ever before. Green infrastructure will allow us to sustainably adapt to a changing climate as a society, and it will help individual businesses and homeowners keep stormwater out of their buildings.

The U.S. Senate now is considering national Green Infrastructure policy, with introduction of the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act.  CNT and a broad national coalition worked vigorously for development of the “GI for Clean Water Act”, which is now introduced in both chambers.

The Act would fund the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finance federal cost-share grants for planning and implementation of community Green Infrastructure, and would establish “centers of excellence” for GI training and research. The Act would also financially support states that develop Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standards—incremental targets for stormwater management that would increase the use of green infrastructure over time, similar to renewable energy portfolio standards that most states have adopted to reach renewable energy targets.

“It’s time for Congress to move Green Infrastructure to center stage in our national water strategy,” said Jacky Grimshaw, Vice President for Policy at CNT. “Green Infrastructure creates healthier, more vital communities, protects clean water, saves money and energy, and helps to create green jobs. The Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act will extend EPA’s partnership toward sustainable communities by expanding cost- and ecologically effective green infrastructure.”

S. 3561, sponsored by Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, follows the introduction of similar legislation, H.R. 4202, in the U.S. House late last year. The House bill now has 40 sponsors from 20 states. CNT’s work with a coalition of conservation groups—National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), American Rivers, the American Public Works Association (APWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), Clean Water Action, and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA)—has helped garner strong support from members of the House—from California to Kentucky; Texas to Ohio.  We urge you to contact your Senators and encourage them to co-sponsor and support the Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act today!

Call to Sustainable Stormwater Action in Illinois

While Congress considers the federal role in expanding green infrastructure nationally, Illinois is making a strong run at developing its own Green Infrastructure performance standards.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director Doug Scott announced a broad commitment to GI policy, funding, and long-term statewide action. In a letter to Governor Pat Quinn and the General Assembly, Scott set out his agency’s blueprint for making Green Infrastructure a mainstay of stormwater management programs across the state in the coming year.

Scott said Illinois’ commitment has 5 key elements, including plans to:

1. Develop statewide performance standards for stormwater management within 12 months,
2. Initiate a grant program to financially support communities’ implementation of GI projects,
3. Devise a GI portfolio standard that would set incremental, multi-year implementation targets for watersheds or counties,
4. Revise state revolving loan criteria to prioritize GI projects within water infrastructure financing, and
5. Work aggressively with communities and counties to educate officials and developers on the effective use of GI practices.

A recent study reviewed GI’s effectiveness and outlined how the state can develop gradually increasing targets to implement Green Infrastructure—both by watershed and by region. The study, “Using Green Infrastructure to Manage Urban Stormwater Quality: A Review of Selected Practices and State Programs” was developed by University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, CNT and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program, under requirements of the Illinois Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act.

Responding to the recommendations contained in that report, IEPA Director Scott wrote that, “IEPA is receptive to setting performance standards to retain stormwater runoff that would be applicable in urban and urbanizing areas statewide.”

“With Illinois and other states struggling financially, this is a critical time to capitalize on GI’s cost-saving, ecologically effective solutions,” said CNT Natural Resources Director, Steve Wise. “CNT is looking forward to working with IEPA to ensure that GI’s many benefits flow sooner and faster to Illinois communities, while water flows more slowly and cleanly to waterways through raingardens, bioswales, green roofs, native plants, green streets, trees, rainbarrels and cisterns, and permeable pavement. Completing the study on statewide GI policy is a big step, but turning the state’s pledges into action will be a bigger one.”

The combination of federal, state and local actions is key to successful GI expansion because states implement and regulate the federal Clean Water Act, and stormwater management happens at the municipal and local level. “When federal and state agencies are looking at performance based standards and establishing regional portfolio standard goals through which we can keep track of our progress in reducing runoff over time, the combined energy and momentum ensures that widespread implementation of Green Infrastructure will be successful,” Wise added.

Both state and federal programs would ultimately make more financial resources available for community Green Infrastructure projects. CNT encourages Illinois communities to prepare GI project plans for upcoming grant and loan opportunities, and to request that IEPA develop its GI priorities and programs as soon as possible.

For more information, please contact Steve Wise, CNT Natural Resources Director at 773-269-4042, swise@cnt.org or Hal Sprague, CNT Senior Policy Associate, at 773-269-4046, hal@cnt.org

(Photo courtesy of Morris K. Udall Foundation’s Flickr page)

Annunciation Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish in Homer Glen, southwest suburb of Chicago

Last week, CNT organized a tour for the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group and members of the villages within the watershed to Annunciation Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Parish. The group was eager to learn about the parish’s use of native plant communities to create a unique place in the area and to manage the excessive stormwater flowing over and through the property whenever it rains.

The church was built in 1999 on 10 acres in Homer Glen, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Initially, the landscaping was conventional with acres of lawn to manage. It wasn’t long before it became apparent that very wet conditions made much of the landscaping a nightmare to maintain. Fr. Thomas Loya had attended meetings on sustainability at Homer Glen and met people from Conservation Design Forum. Together they developed a master plan for the church landscape. More than ¾ of the turf grass was converted to native prairie grasses and wildflowers.

Fr. Loya has become an enthusiastic, knowledgeable and inspirational messenger for “green infrastructure”—landscapes that work in concert with nature. Water is managed as an asset; soaking into the ground near where it falls, instead of away from the property to be dealt with somewhere else. Native plants that evolved in the region are conditioned to the climate and can withstand drought and flooding. Insects become interesting instead of pests. The soil, without fertilization, becomes richer over time. And every day yields new sights to be enjoyed by the people that come to sit and walk the property, as well as insights to be contemplated.

Fr. Loya testified to the many benefits that the church has reaped from the transition. People within the congregation are attracted to the church, many staying long after the Sunday service to experience nature. Neighbors also walk or bike on the trails to visit friends or just for fun.

The cost of preparing the site and seeding was only $15,000 and the annual cost for maintaining the native portion is only $6,000 per year. The annual cost of maintaining that same amount of turf grass would be about double these annual costs, so the transition paid for itself in 2 to 3 years. Father Loya’s one regret – not doing it right the first time.

Last year, CNT was selected by CMAP as the Coordinator of the Hickory Creek Watershed Planning Group. The Watershed Planning Group is conducting an 18-month planning process with technical consultant Geosyntec Consultants to create a plan to preserve one of the finest streams in the Chicago region as the surrounding municipalities expand rapidly. For the past two years, CNT has been working with Joliet, New Lenox, Mokena, Frankfort, Tinley Park, Orland Park, Homer Glen,Will County, CMAP, the Sierra Club, and Prairie Rivers Network to build support for the watershed planning.  More information at http://www.hickorycreekwatershed.org/

See more photos from the tour at CNT’s Flickr page.

Raingarden at St. Margaret Mary School and Church in Roger's Park

CNT has received funding from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to create an inventory of Green Infrastructure features in the Chicago region, as part of our effort to identify sites to test the effectiveness of green infrastructure and better understand its benefits for stormwater management, community vitality and health.

We’ll be publicizing the results of our tests and the inventory itself so that others wishing to learn more about green infrastructure will know where to look. If you have a green infrastructure project (what is green infrastructure?), please take a moment to tell us about the features you know by taking a short survey.

Take the Survey Now!

Also, please pass this on widely to individuals or groups that can also add their projects to the inventory. Thanks very much for your participation in this important research!

Check our calendar of events for upcoming engagements.

Rain gardens reduce stormwater runoff, improve water quality, allow for the recharge of groundwater supplies, increase wildlife habitat and often reduce the need for mowing and its associated costs and pollution. You’ll find the application forms at http://dnr.state.il.us/education/CLASSRM/RainGarden/applicationpage.htm. Teachers, not-for-profit organizations and community groups may apply. The maximum award is $1,000. Grant applications due by March 19, 2010. For more information, contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ (IDNR) Division of Education (dnr.teachkids@illinois.gov or 217-785-0973). The IDNR and Illinois Conservation Foundation administer this program. Funds are provided through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

(Photo of St. Margaret Mary School and Church raingarden)

Traditional water planning has not recognized the interconnected nature of water supply, wastewater and stormwater management. More comprehensive planning methodologies, sometimes called “Integrated Resource Planning” (IRP), recognize these relationships from a least-cost, publicly transparent, and scenario-based perspective.

With this focus, CNT has launched the “Great Lakes Sustainable Water Planning Project”. Tapping an advisory group of regional experts, CNT will explore how IRP can improve the economic efficiency of water utilities, thus conserving water resources and bolstering community prosperity and vitality within the Great Lakes region.

With funding by The Joyce Foundation, the Great Lakes Sustainable Water Planning Project will build the economic case for the improved decision-making and planning that IRP can bring to the water sector. With particular attention to current opportunities and barriers for these practices regionally, the project will seek to improve sustainable water planning practices within the Great Lakes region.

For more information

• Project Summary
• Draft Project Working Paper also available for download.  This is a working paper only; not for distribution or reproduction.

Contact: Danielle Gallet Ghalayini, dghalayini@cnt.org

(Photo from epa.gov photo archive)

Green Infrastructure is the interconnected network of open spaces and natural areas that naturally recharges aquifers, improves water quality and quantity, and provides recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. Green infrastructure manages stormwater by capturing raindrops where they fall. CNT encourages reuse of natural moisture by using rain gardens, swales, green roofs, tree planting, permeable pavement and other low impact approaches to restore natural drainage functions and recycle stormwater in urban environments.

Green infrastructure has proven to be cost effective in managing stormwater, as compared with conventional “hardscape” stormwater systems, and so can save municipalities money at a time when budgets are tight. In addition, green infrastructure provides many other benefits that conventional systems do not, such as improved water quality, air quality and aesthetics, increased groundwater recharge, reduced energy use and cost, and increased land values, to name a few.

CNT is working with the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and others to study potential green infrastructure policies and regulations that will help Illinois communities realize the multiple economic, social and aesthetic benefits of green infrastructure. The study will culminate in a report with recommendations to the Illinois Legislature in June. IEPA has posted information on its website about the study and the development of the Green Infrastructure Plan.

Given the heavy focus of the 2009 State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan program on conventional wastewater infrastructure, this news from Ms. Willhite was a welcome change. Many municipalities in Illinois were not able to take advantage of the funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus Act) because IEPA only provided 25% grant funding, and did not encourage green infrastructure projects. There is now hope that in 2010 IEPA will take a fresh look at these projects and provide enough outright grant funding to enable municipalities to go forward with them. As a result, we recommend that municipalities and counties consider applying for funding in 2010 for stormwater projects that infiltrate, evapotranspire or harvest rainwater for reuse, such as green roofs, porous alleys, streets and parking lots, tree plantings, rain gardens, vegetated swales, downspout disconnections, and rain barrels and cisterns, for example.

Hal Sprague, Senior Policy Associate in CNT’s Natural Resources Program, spoke to the room of over 100 very diverse stakeholders, on the advantages of using green infrastructure strategies and techniques to address storm water problems. Martin Jaffe, Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the lead researcher for the IEPA study, identified the study participants and their respective research responsibilities. At IEPA’s invitation, several attendees presented questions, comments and suggestions to the researchers and agency representatives.

The study is about 40% complete, according to Jaffe, and a draft report will be submitted to the IEPA at the end of May 2010. IEPA is then to submit a completed report to the Governor and General Assembly by the end of June 2010. IEPA set a deadline of February 23, 2010 for anyone to submit formal written comments to ensure that they are considered by the research team. Once the study is completed, IEPA will be considering the adoption of statewide stormwater regulations to further promote the use of green infrastructure as a primary means of managing stormwater.

Reps. Donna Edwards (D-MD), Russ Carnahan (D-MO) and Steve Driehaus (D-OH) introduced federal legislation (HR 4202) on December 3 that authorizes up to $300 million annually in green infrastructure (GI) planning and implementation grants. The bill will also establish “GI centers of excellence” in planning, implementation and policy, and help states establish Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standards that would incrementally grow states use of green infrastructure stormwater management, akin to renewable energy portfolio standards.

“This is an opportunity to extend federal investment in green infrastructure’s ecologically and economically effective water conservation approaches,” said Steve Wise, CNT’s Natural Resources Director. “Green infrastructure returns rainwater from a stormwater problem back to the most critical, valuable resource we have. Green infrastructure protects and restores clean water, saves energy embedded in water treatment and pumping, and enhances communities’ health and vitality through expanded natural areas.

“Communities across the country, from Chicago to Los Angeles, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, Toledo, and many more, are expanding their use of sustainable, permeable practices like rain gardens, green streets, roofs, alleys, tree planting and permeable pavement. This legislation will help expand the opportunity and effectiveness of green infrastructure nationwide.”

The Act would authorize up to $100 million per year for planning grants and up to $200 million for implementation grants, officially establishing a green infrastructure program in EPA’s Office of Water to administer the grants, centers of excellence and associated programs.

CNT has worked with a coalition of conservation groups—National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), American Rivers, the American Public Works Association (APWA), the Water Environment Federation (WEF), Clean Water Action, and the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA)—on developing the proposed legislation.

The federal legislation follows passage earlier this year of Illinois’ Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act, which instructed Illinois EPA to develop statewide standards and goals for green infrastructure. CNT is a partner in developing policy recommendations for that study.

The bill’s GI portfolio standard definition:

“GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PORTFOLIO STANDARD.—The Administrator, in collaboration with State and local water resource managers, shall establish measurable goals, to be known as the ‘‘green infrastructure portfolio standard’’, to increase the percentage of annual water managed by eligible entities that uses green infrastructure.”

More information from congressional press releases:
Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH)
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)
Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO)

(photo by USEPA)