Blue/Green Stormwater Infrastructure
When:
July 29 at 12:00 PM
Virtual Event
Presented by: Jacobs
Webinar Description:
This presentation will focus on the important, emerging water resources strategy of “blue-green” stormwater infrastructure (BGSI) that combines the water quality and community enriching benefits of “green” infrastructure coupled with the flood reduction and climate resiliency benefits of “blue” infrastructure. Whereas green stormwater infrastructure (e.g., bioretention and permeable pavement) typically uses vegetation, soils, and/or rainwater harvesting to treat and reduce smaller, more frequent stormwater flows, blue stormwater infrastructure (wet ponds and detention) temporarily stores larger volumes of stormwater without significant reliance on vegetation. As a combined strategy, BGSI encompasses both types of infrastructure and often includes such innovative, “floodable” systems such as “floodable parks”, “wet plazas”, and “retention boulevards” that can collectively provide a range of both stormwater-related benefits and other community benefits. The stormwater benefits of BGSI can include water quality improvements, groundwater recharge, and even detention and flood mitigation benefits. The community benefits of BGSI can entail urban heat island mitigation, air quality improvement, climate resiliency, habitat creation and improvement, and numerous other social benefits (job creation, improved urban aesthetics, increased property values, improved pedestrian safety, and enhanced recreational spaces). In this presentation, designers from Jacobs will provide an overview of BGSI practices and strategies, planning and design considerations, how public spaces might be transformed into dual purpose (“floodable”) stormwater management opportunities, cost implications, and the role of both dynamic (continuous) design and automated (“real time”) controls.