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Developing a framework for stormwater management: Leveraging ancillary benefits from urban greenspace
Citation:
Hoover, F. AND M. Hopton. Developing a framework for stormwater management: Leveraging ancillary benefits from urban greenspace. Urban Ecosystems. Springer Science+Business Media B.V, Dordrecht, Netherlands, 22(6):1139-1148, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-019-00890-6
Impact/Purpose:
The research addresses issues related to the Clean Water Act and proposes a framework to assist stakeholders and decision makers to better manage their environmental systems while managing stormwater. The framework is applicable to local, state, regional, tribal, and federal partners.
Description:
Managing stormwater and wastewater has been a priority for cities for millennia, but has become increasingly complicated as urban areas grow and develop. Since the mid-1800s, cites often relied on an integrated system of underground pipes, pumps, and other built infrastructure (termed gray infrastructure) to convey stormwater away from developed areas. Unfortunately, this gray infrastructure is ageing and often exceeds its designed capacity. In an effort to alleviate issues related to excess stormwater, many urban areas across the United States are interested in using green infrastructure (e.g., soil and vegetation) as a stopgap or solution to inadequate gray infrastructure. Green infrastructure and other greenspace promotes interception and/or infiltration of stormwater by using the natural hydrologic process. Furthermore, there are numerous ancillary benefits, in addition to stormwater benefits, that make the use of greenspace desirable. Collectively, these ecosystem services can benefit multiple aspects of a community by providing benefits in a targeted manner. In this paper, we present a framework for balancing stormwater management against ancillary benefits of urban greenspace. The framework is structured around the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment ecosystem service categories: provisioning, cultural, regulatory, and supporting services. The purpose is to help communities better manage their systems by 1) allowing stakeholders to prioritize and address their needs and concerns within a community, and 2) maximize the ecosystem service benefits received via urban greenspace.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Developing a framework for stormwater management: Leveraging ancillary benefits from urban greenspace
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