Green Infrastructure

As cities and suburbs expand into the countryside, industrial, commercial, and residential development increases the impervious surface area of each watershed. Impervious surfaces increase storm water runoff resulting in increased volume and velocity of water in our streams.

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This untreated runoff also carries pollutants from asphalt, concrete, and vehicle exhaust downstream, placing our natural streams under constant stress. The effects of these stressors are flooding, habitat destruction, erosion, and water quality degredation.

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Constructed Wetlands, Rain gardens, and Bioswales are used to manage storm water. These systems hold storm water on site allowing for some of the water to infiltrate back into the soil.

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As this water percolates into the soil, the deep root systems from native plants help to filter pollutants out. When water does leave the site, there is less volume and the quality has been improved benefiting our lakes and streams.

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