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Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Utility Credit Design for Sustainability
Citation:
Green, O., R. Kertesz, L. Rossman, AND W. Shuster. Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Utility Credit Design for Sustainability. Presented at ORD Green Infrastructure Seminar Series, Cincinnati, OH, May 01, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
Results may be used to provide guidance for stormwater utility credit programs.
Description:
A current trend in funding urban stormwater programs relies on the issuance of stormwater utilities (i.e., fees) based on some measure of impervious surface (e.g., actual, estimated, average), and local programs vary greatly, dependent upon state law, municipal ordinances, and community support and opposition, among other factors. To incentivize decentralized stormwater management, whereby citizens and institutions engage in on-site stormwater management, some municipalities offer stormwater utility credits to those that install green infrastructure on their private, industrial, or commercial property. Our effort reviewed stormwater credit programs in multiple precipitation zones in order to develop a typology of popular program aspects, with a particular focus on rain garden design parameters for single family residences. From there, we assessed these design parameters for hydrologic impact (i.e., runoff reduction) using a semi-quantitative assessment tool (internally codenamed the stormwater calculator) that can serve to quickly assess the rainfall-runoff performance impact of stormwater BMP installation using historic data (e.g., 20 yr precipitation) and site-specific information (e.g., soils, slope). Results may be used to provide guidance for stormwater utility credit programs.