1 Green Infrastructure Basics Emily Vail Hudson River Estuary Program NYS Department of Environmental Conservation New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University December 8, 2016
2 Presentation Outline Hudson River Estuary Program Impact of polluted runoff Green infrastructure Applications and principles What you can do Resources Bioretention at Vassar College
3 Hudson River Estuary Program Six Benefits: Clean water Resilient communities Vital estuary ecosystem Estuary fish, wildlife, and their habitats Scenic river landscape Education, river access, recreation, and inspiration
Albany Hudson River Estuary Watershed 4 Poughkeepsie New York City
5 Watershed Thinking Vassar College
Impervious Surfaces and Stormwater Runoff 6
7 Stormwater Carries Pollutants Polluted runoff causes most stream impairments in the Hudson Valley Traditional stormwater management Impervious surface -> storm sewer -> streams Storm drain
8 What is green infrastructure? Different approach to stormwater natural & engineered systems Reduce runoff by allowing stormwater to infiltrate and be used by plants NYS Stormwater Management Design Manual Bioretention area, Vassar College
Gray vs. Green Infrastructure 9
10 Green Infrastructure Scales site, neighborhood, sewer-shed, municipality, watershed, region Provides multiple benefits Slows runoff Removes pollutants Keeps water out of the sewer system Adds vegetation to the landscape Fall Kill Neighborhood Source Assessment
11 NYS Stormwater Management Design Manual 1. Planning Preserve natural areas Reduce impervious surface cover 2. Green infrastructure practices Avoid stormwater Reduce stormwater Manage stormwater
12 Green Infrastructure Planning Preserve natural areas Reduce impervious surface cover Dutchess County Greenway Guide Development Site Traditional Subdivision Conservation Subdivision
13 Green Infrastructure Practices Wide range of practices for different applications Infiltrate or store runoff for reuse Treat stormwater closer to where rain falls Several small practices instead of one large one Marist College, Poughkeepsie
14 Rain Garden/Bioretention Area Shallow, vegetated depression, stores waters and filters it through soil Stanley Still Park, Poughkeepsie Vassar College, Poughkeepsie
15 Vegetated Swale Vegetated channel, transports water above ground Subdivision, Pawling Village Hall, Greenwood Lake
16 Green Roof Layers of soil and vegetation on rooftops that capture runoff Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park Marist College, Poughkeepsie
17 Porous Pavement Paved surfaces that allow stormwater to infiltrate Beacon Institute at Denning s Point NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Staatsburg
18 Rain Barrel or Cistern Capture and store water for re-use (non-contact) Wooster Hall, SUNY New Paltz Children's Garden at Boyce Park, Wingdale
19 Stream Buffer Restoration Vegetated buffer slows and filters runoff, with many other benefits Vassar College Farm & Ecological Preserve Casperkill Golf Course, Poughkeepsie
20 Other Green Infrastructure Practices Street trees/tree planting Stormwater planters Stream daylighting NYS Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, Staatsburg Bus Shelter, Ardsley
21 Residential Green Infrastructure Pervious Pavers Syracuse Rain Barrel Millerton Pervious Asphalt Poughkeepsie
22 Commercial Green Infrastructure Green Roof Newburgh Pervious Asphalt Poughkeepsie Bioretention Kingston
23 Municipal Green Infrastructure Bioretention Ulster County parking lot, Kingston Rain Garden Mount Pleasant Highway Garage Rain Garden/Pervious Pavers Village of Greenwood Lake
24 Campus Green Infrastructure Pervious Pavement SUNY New Paltz Rain Garden Bard College Rain Garden Siena College
25 Benefits of Green Infrastructure Manage stormwater (quality and quantity) Recharge groundwater Reduce sewage overflows Improve watershed resiliency Cool urban areas energy savings Provide wildlife habitat Improve air quality Improve human health Increase land values Beautify neighborhoods Rain Garden at Vassar College
26 Green Infrastructure Success What is the goal? Projects need to be: Designed, Installed, and Maintained properly
27 Why Use Green Infrastructure? New development required to reduce runoff with green infrastructure Redevelopment more lenient Retrofits generally not required, improving existing infrastructure Construction Stormwater Permit What is the problem you want to solve?
28 What you can do Learn more about green infrastructure What are your goals? Set a good example (campus or muni) Local planning efforts Comprehensive plan Natural resource inventory Watershed management Climate adaptation Combined sewer overflows Kingston Flooding Task Force
29 Resources Hudson River Estuary Program Green Infrastructure Examples Grants Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation Districts guide for planning boards Pace University guide for CACs EPA Stormwater Planning guide EPA economic benefits case study: Lancaster, PA NRDC The Green Edge: How Commercial Property Investment in Green Infrastructure Creates Value
30 Thank You! Emily Vail Watershed Outreach Specialist Hudson River Estuary Program emily.vail@dec.ny.gov (845) 256-3145 Connect with us: Facebook: www.facebook.com/nysdec Twitter: twitter.com/nysdec Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/nysdec