Research
Performance
EPA's Urban BMP Performance Tool - This Urban Stormwater BMP Performance Tool has been developed to provide stormwater professionals with easy access to approximately 220 studies assessing the performance of over 275 management practices. These studies include a variety of stormwater and green infrastructure control measures presenting information in an easy to use search and sort format. In the future, EPA hopes to add more studies to this collection.
Side-by-Side Comparisons of Stormwater BMPs (PDF)  (1 p, 57K) - A short article by Jay Landers in Civil Engineering News compares a variety of stormwater management practices under identical test conditions.
Initial results indicate that green infrastructure approaches generally remove the highest levels of key contaminants.
The University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center’s 2005 Data Report (PDF) (16 pp, 2.0MB) -
This report from the UNH Storm Center examines the effectiveness of various stormwater treatment systems. Between September 2004 and August 2005, researchers evaluated 12 stormwater treatment methods, in which they assessed water quality parameters such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, and turbidity, as well as pollutant removal, peak flow reduction, maintenance, cost of installation, and materials. The evaluation reveals distinctive trends. Several green infrastructure designs exhibited pollutant removal efficiencies of 80 to 99 percent. In contrast, traditional approaches did poorly to moderately.
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Stormwater Center's 2007 Annual Report (PDF) (36 pp, 12.8MB) - Between September 2004 and August 2006, UNH researchers evaluated 16 stormwater treatment systems for their ability to improve runoff water quality and reduce runoff quantity over 30 rainfall-runoff events with a range of seasonal and storm characteristics. A summary of their analysis for these systems is presented in this report. The report also provides basic information on how these systems work, their design, cost of installation, implementation and maintenance considerations, and where to go for more information.
Economics
A Triple Bottom Line Assessment of Traditional and Green Infrastructure Options for Controlling CSO Events in Philadelphia's Watersheds (PDF) (160 pp, 2.46MB) - The Philadelphia Water Department conducted a triple botttom line (TBL)
study as a component of options analyses for controlling combined sewer
overflows (CSOs). The options include combinations of traditional
infrastructure and green infrastructure approaches. The key finding of
the TBL assessment is that green infrastructure approaches provide a
wide array of important environmental and social benefits to the
community that are not typically provided by traditional infrastructure
approaches.
User's Guide to the BMP and LID Whole Life Costs Models - This model
is an extension of a 2005 Water Environment Research Foundation life cycle cost tool. A set of spreadsheet tools help users identify and combine capital costs and ongoing maintenance expenditures in order to estimate whole life costs for stormwater management. The models provide a framework for calculating capital and long-term maintenance costs of individual best management practices and low impact development techniques. Models are included for: retention ponds, extended detention basins, swales, permeable pavement, green roofs, large commercial cisterns, residential rain gardens, curb-contained bioretention, and in-curb planter vaults.
A Comparison of Sustainable and Traditional Landscapes (PDF) (7 pp, 94K) - A paper from Conservation Design Forum, Inc. which lays out a cost-comparison between native and non-native landscaping projects.
Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices - This EPA developed report contains 17 case studies from developments across North America that examine the economic viability of green infrastructure practices compared to traditional stormwater management design practices. It also highlights examples, where green infrastructure practices were shown to be both fiscally and environmentally beneficial to communities by reducing project costs and improving environmental performance.
Modeling
BMP Modeling Concepts and Simulation (PDF) (9 pp, 34K) - This publication evaluates the performance of stormwater management practices to facilitate the integration of improved stormwater control modeling methods into EPA’s Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Several other models are examined as part of this study. Options for enhancement of SWMM’s green infrastructure simulation capabilities are also presented. Two extensive case studies in Portland, Oregon help to clarify current SWMM capabilities and needs for enhancement.
Rapid Assessment of the Cost-Effectiveness of Low Impact Development for CSO Control (PDF) (15 pp, 1.4MB) - This paper presents a simple model for assessing the cost-effectiveness of investments in green infrastructure for reducing combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in urban watersheds.
Stormwater Management: Structural Soils in Urban
Forestry -
Available resources include a 55-page stormwater management practice manual, a
PowerPoint presentation, and information on 4 demonstration sites across
the country. Partners for this research initiative include Virginia
Tech's Urban Forestry Gateway, Cornell's Urban Horticulture Institute,
and the U.S. Forest Service's Center for Urban Forest Research.
North Carolina State University -
The NCSU Stormwater Engineering Group performs research on the function and impacts of green infrastructure practices such as bioretention areas, green roofs, stormwater wetlands, permeable pavements, water harvesting systems, and other innovative treatment practices.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville -
SIU Edwardsville is currently involved in a collaborative research initiative focusing specifically on evaluating the benefits and performance capabilities of green roofs.
Temple University - Temple University's Center for Sustainable Communities develops and promotes new approaches to protect and preserve quality of life through
sustainable development. A working resource for government agencies,
community organizations, and developers, the Center provides objective information and services to improve decision-making relative to land use and water resources planning in addition to conducting interdisciplinary research and offering educational and community outreach programs.
University of California at Davis - UC Davis' Center for Water and Land Use focuses its efforts on
increasing awareness and understanding of the relationships between
water resources and land use practices through education, training,
applied research and collaboration.
University of Florida - The University of Florida's Program for Resource Efficient Communities promotes the adoption of best design, construction, and management practices that measurably reduce energy and water consumption and
environmental degradation in new residential development projects. The
Program supports the implementation of resource efficient community development practices, including green infrastructure, through direct training and consulting activities, applied research projects and case studies, academic courses and degree programs, and evaluation of "green"
certification standards.
University of New Hampshire -
UNH’s Stormwater Center is currently involved in research projects covering a wide range of green infrastructure practices, including vegetated swales, porous pavements, tree boxes and pocket wetlands.
University of Washington -
The UW Green Futures Lab (GFL) develops innovative approaches to the ecological planning and design of public space through interdisciplinary research, design and education. Faculty and students advance solutions related to urban green infrastructure — streets, trails, parks, open spaces, drainages and shorelines — systems that together comprise interconnected networks of the public realm. Such high performance multi-functional networks support successful dense urban settlement, providing facilities that may help to protect climate, preserve biodiversity, foster equitable health and improve quality of life. The GFL works with communities to envision their sustainable futures, exploring solutions that incorporate low-impact development strategies, community space, habitat restoration and pedestrian and bicycle mobility.
Villanova University -
Villanova University’s Urban Stormwater Partnership focuses research efforts on innovative Stormwater Management Practices, most of which can be categorized as green infrastructure techniques.
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