Green Infrastructure Types
Rain Garden
Rain Gardens are shallow, vegetated basins that collect and absorb runoff from rooftops, sidewalks, surrounding lawns, and streets.
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FYI: Rain gardens are 30% more absorbent than a conventional lawn, and can filter thousands of gallons of stormwater per year.
Green Roof
Green Roofs are vegetated roofs that enable rainfall infiltration and evapotranspiration of stored water. Runoff is also released slowly and reduced which curbs flooding and erosion.
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FYI: Green roofs outlast and cuts down cooling- and heating-related energy usage and costs, compared to conventionally dark roofs.
Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater Harvesting collects and stores rainfall for later use. This slows and reduces runoff and provides a source of water.
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FYI: Rainwater harvesting has the potential to meet 20-75% of a city’s annual water needs, supplying enough water for up to hundreds of thousands of residents, particularly for non-potable use.
Permeable Pavement
Permeable Pavement are pervious concrete, porous asphalt, or permeable interlocking pavers that allows rainfall to seep through to underlying layers of pollutant-filtering soil before making its way to groundwater aquifers.
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FYI: Permeable pavement is less expensive per square foot, and is much less labor-intensive than asphalt and concrete installations.
Tree Canopy
Trees reduce and slow stormwater by intercepting rainfall before it hits the ground, and “drinking in” stormwater that hits the ground through its roots.
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FYI: Increased tree canopy could reduce ozone and particulate pollution levels enough to significantly reduce mortality, hospital admissions, and work loss days.
Bioswale
Bioswales are vegetated, mulched, or xeriscaped channels that provide treatment and retention to stormwater. It allows the stormwater to move stormwater from one place to another.
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FYI: Bioswales can capture and filter trace metals, oil, grease, sediment and phosphorus from the stormwater runoff they collect.
Urban Wetlands
Urban Wetlands are constructed vegetated areas that capture and filter stormwater, while mimicking the functions of natural wetlands.
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FYI: Wetlands in the U.S. save billions in annual flood damage repair costs absorbing large amounts of water during floods.