Developing a Practical Tool for Integrating Green Infrastructure into Cost-Effective Stormwater Management Plans

This research explores the state of practice for managing rain where it falls in southern Ontario through green infrastructure policies. A literature review and first hand experience from municipalities provided the understanding of the issues to wide‐spread adoption. Stormwater runoff is a significant issue within urban settings, contributing to localized riverine and/or basement flooding that impacts municipal infrastructure, residences, and environmental quality of waterways. Traditional grey infrastructure, an engineered approach of collection and treatment facilities, addresses concerns with combined sewer overflow (CSO), but is not an effective system for Stormwater Management (SWM), evident by the increase in flooding and pollution from intensified rain events, with climate change. Supported by evidence in published literature over the last decade, Low Impact Development (LID) principles have demonstrated effective results for cold climates, provided life costs‐analysis, and a planning framework to determine suitable placement for installations. Co-benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) are especially valued such as building great communities to live in with "high functioning" urban green spaces. This evidence suggests that managing stormwater runoff locally is a more cost effective and sustainable than end‐of‐pipe solutions. The study revealed best practices and lessons learned from municipalities implementing GSI for the Right‐of‐Way (ROW) though “Green Streets” and on private lands through LID to manage rain where it falls. In Ontario, GSI is at an early adoption stage. The findings support a planning rationale for a coordinated approach to implement, finance, and operate GSI programs for both private lands and in the public ROW for SWM.

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EXPLORING THE POTENTIALS OF SMALL URBAN STREAMS IN CREATING BLUE-GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY OF NIŠ, SERBIA

САВРЕМЕНА ТЕОРИЈА И ПРАКСА У ГРАДИТЕЉСТВУ ◽

10.7251/stp2014159d ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Milena Dinić Branković ◽

Milica Igić ◽

Petar Mitković ◽

Jelena Đekić ◽

Ivana Bogdanović Protić

Keyword(s):

Urban Planning ◽

Urban Area ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Urban Streams ◽

The City

“Blue-Green Infrastructure” (BGI) is a simple and cost-effective natural resource that enhances theappeal, resilience and sustainability of urban areas. Small urban streams are an important BGIcomponent that is often underused, especially regarding stormwater management. The aim of thisresearch is to explore small urban streams and their integration into BGI in the urban area of Niš,and to point out the benefits that their restoration would bring in functional, social and environmentalterms. Results of this study show that Niš urban area has significant “Blue” natural capital in smallstreams, and that standing planning documents support the creation of BGI to some extent. Theseare good grounds for the implementation of BGI in urban planning practice.

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A Cost-Optimization Tool for Stormwater Management Plans Using Green Infrastructure Practices

World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2020 ◽

10.1061/9780784482988.006 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

J. Ross Ellis ◽

Frances C. O’Donnell ◽

Jose G. Vasconcelos

Keyword(s):

Green Infrastructure ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Cost Optimization ◽

Management Plans

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Stormwater management: municipal policies in Ontario for managing rain where it falls through green infrastructure

10.32920/ryerson.14661456.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Wayne Savio Coutinho

Keyword(s):

Green Infrastructure ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Low Impact Development ◽

Stormwater Runoff ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Private Lands ◽

Urban Green Spaces ◽

Municipal Policies ◽

The Right

This research explores the state of practice for managing rain where it falls in southern Ontario through green infrastructure policies. A literature review and first hand experience from municipalities provided the understanding of the issues to wide‐spread adoption. Stormwater runoff is a significant issue within urban settings, contributing to localized riverine and/or basement flooding that impacts municipal infrastructure, residences, and environmental quality of waterways. Traditional grey infrastructure, an engineered approach of collection and treatment facilities, addresses concerns with combined sewer overflow (CSO), but is not an effective system for Stormwater Management (SWM), evident by the increase in flooding and pollution from intensified rain events, with climate change. Supported by evidence in published literature over the last decade, Low Impact Development (LID) principles have demonstrated effective results for cold climates, provided life costs‐analysis, and a planning framework to determine suitable placement for installations. Co-benefits of Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) are especially valued such as building great communities to live in with "high functioning" urban green spaces. This evidence suggests that managing stormwater runoff locally is a more cost effective and sustainable than end‐of‐pipe solutions. The study revealed best practices and lessons learned from municipalities implementing GSI for the Right‐of‐Way (ROW) though “Green Streets” and on private lands through LID to manage rain where it falls. In Ontario, GSI is at an early adoption stage. The findings support a planning rationale for a coordinated approach to implement, finance, and operate GSI programs for both private lands and in the public ROW for SWM.

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Forensic Investigation of Four Monitored Green Infrastructure Inlets

Water ◽

10.3390/w13131787 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 1787

Author(s):

Leena J. Shevade ◽

Franco A. Montalto

Keyword(s):

Measurement Uncertainty ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Catchment Area ◽

Low Flow ◽

Inflow Rate ◽

Forensic Investigation ◽

Flow Conditions ◽

The Mean

Green infrastructure (GI) is viewed as a sustainable approach to stormwater management that is being rapidly implemented, outpacing the ability of researchers to compare the effectiveness of alternate design configurations. This paper investigated inflow data collected at four GI inlets. The performance of these four GI inlets, all of which were engineered with the same inlet lengths and shapes, was evaluated through field monitoring. A forensic interpretation of the observed inlet performance was conducted using conclusions regarding the role of inlet clogging and inflow rate as described in the previously published work. The mean inlet efficiency (meanPE), which represents the percentage of tributary area runoff that enters the inlet was 65% for the Nashville inlet, while at Happyland the NW inlet averaged 30%, the SW inlet 25%, and the SE inlet 10%, considering all recorded events during the monitoring periods. The analysis suggests that inlet clogging was the main reason for lower inlet efficiency at the SW and NW inlets, while for the SE inlet, performance was compromised by a reverse cross slope of the street. Spatial variability of rainfall, measurement uncertainty, uncertain tributary catchment area, and inlet depression characteristics are also correlated with inlet PE. The research suggests that placement of monitoring sensors should consider low flow conditions and a strategy to measure them. Additional research on the role of various maintenance protocols in inlet hydraulics is recommended.

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Current and Future Pathotyping Platforms for Plasmodiophora brassicae in Canada

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10071446 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1446

Author(s):

Heather H. Tso ◽

Leonardo Galindo-González ◽

Stephen E. Strelkov

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Plasmodiophora Brassicae ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Turnaround Time ◽

Molecular Techniques ◽

Differential Set ◽

Management Plans ◽

Increased Sensitivity ◽

Phenotypic Methods ◽

Important Disease

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is one of the most detrimental threats to crucifers worldwide and has emerged as an important disease of canola (Brassica napus) in Canada. At present, pathotypes are distinguished phenotypically by their virulence patterns on host differential sets, including the systems of Williams, Somé et al., the European Clubroot Differential set, and most recently the Canadian Clubroot Differential set and the Sinitic Clubroot Differential set. Although these are frequently used because of their simplicity of application, they are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and can lack sensitivity. Early, preventative pathotype detection is imperative to maximize productivity and promote sustainable crop production. The decreased turnaround time and increased sensitivity and specificity of genotypic pathotyping will be valuable for the development of integrated clubroot management plans, and interest in molecular techniques to complement phenotypic methods is increasing. This review provides a synopsis of current and future molecular pathotyping platforms for P. brassicae and aims to provide information on techniques that may be most suitable for the development of rapid, reliable, and cost-effective pathotyping assays.

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Comprehensive Performance Evaluation of Green Infrastructure Practices for Urban Watersheds Using an Engineering–Environmental–Economic (3E) Model

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13094678 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 4678

Author(s):

Yi-Jia Xing ◽

Tse-Lun Chen ◽

Meng-Yao Gao ◽

Si-Lu Pei ◽

Wei-Bin Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Performance Evaluation ◽

Environmental Economic ◽

Environmental Impact ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Economic Cost ◽

Urban Watersheds ◽

Comprehensive Performance ◽

Detention Basins

Green infrastructure practices could provide innovative solutions for on-site stormwater management and runoff pollution control, which could relieve the stress of nonpoint pollution resulting from heavy rainfall events. In this study, the performance and cost-effectiveness of six green infrastructure practices, namely, green roofs, rain gardens, pervious surfaces, swales, detention basins, and constructed wetlands, were investigated. The comprehensive performance evaluation in terms of the engineering performance, environmental impact, and economic cost was determined in the proposed engineering–environmental–economic (3E) triangle model. The results revealed that these green infrastructure practices were effective for stormwater management in terms of runoff attenuation, peak flow reduction and delay, and pollutant attenuation. It was suggested that for pollution control, detention basins can efficiently reduce the total suspended solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and lead. The implementation of detention basins is highly recommended due to their higher engineering performance and lower environmental impact and economic cost. A case study of a preliminary cost–benefit analysis of green infrastructure practice exemplified by the Pearl River Delta in China was addressed. It suggested that green infrastructure was cost-effective in stormwater management in this area, which would be helpful for sustaining healthy urban watersheds.

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Assessing Riparian Areas of Greece—An Overview

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13010309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 309

Author(s):

George N. Zaimes ◽

Valasia Iakovoglou

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Management ◽

Stream Flow ◽

Vegetation Indices ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Land Uses ◽

Riparian Areas ◽

Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽

Management Plans ◽

Of Greece

Riparian areas, especially in the Mediterranean, offer many ecosystem services for the welfare of society benefits from their sustainable management. This study presents different tools used to assess riparian areas of Greece and their results. Riparian areas with different land-uses/vegetation covers along streams or torrents were assessed. The assessment tools were visual protocols, bioindicators, geographic information systems (GIS), vegetation indices, and a model. These tools differ in scale, accuracy, and difficulty of implementation. The riparian areas had Low and Moderate quality in Greece because of agricultural activities and hydrologic alterations. Vegetation appeared more important for the integrity of riparian areas than stream flow (perennial or intermittent). In addition, territorial variables (distance from dam and sea) were more influential compared to climatic variables. Visual protocols and GIS were effective for preliminary assessments. GIS can be applied at a greater scale but was less accurate than the protocols. Bioindicators can provide more cost-effective monitoring than physicochemical water variables. Finally, vegetation indices and models can be used for larger spatial and temporal scales, but require specialized personnel. Overall, riparian areas of Greece seem to be degraded, and monitoring would contribute to the development of a database on riparian areas that should form the basis for sustainable management plans in Greece.

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Lightweight aggregates to reduce heavy metal pollution in green infrastructure for urban stormwater management

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7915 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Concepcion Pla ◽

Javier Valdes-Abellan ◽

Miguel Angel Pardo ◽

Maria Jose Moya-Llamas ◽

David Benavente

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Heavy Metal ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Metal Pollution ◽

Heavy Metal Pollution ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Lightweight Aggregates ◽

Urban Stormwater ◽

Runoff Water

The impervious nature of urban areas is mostly responsible for urban flooding, runoff water pollution and the interception of groundwater recharge. Green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage systems combine natural and artificial measures to mitigate the abovementioned problems, improving stormwater management and simultaneously increasing the environmental values of urban areas. The actual rate of urban growth in many urban areas requires the enhancement and optimization of stormwater management infrastructures to integrate the territorial development with the natural processes. Regarding the quality of runoff stormwater, heavy metals are critical for their impact on human health and ecological systems, even more if we consider the cumulative effect that they produce on biota. Thus, innovative stormwater management approaches must consider new solutions to deal with heavy metal pollution problems caused by runoff. In this study, we propose the employment of Arlita&#174; and Filtralite&#174;, two kind of lightweight aggregates obtained from expanded clays, to remove heavy metal concentration from runoff stormwater. Laboratory experiments were developed to evaluate the removal rate of different heavy metals existent in runoff stormwater. The lightweight aggregates acted as filter materials in column experiments to quantify their removal capacity. In addition, batch tests were also developed to evaluate the exhaustive capacity of the materials. Results from the study confirmed the efficiency of the selected lightweight aggregates to reduce the heavy metals concentration by up to 90% in urban stormwater runoff.

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