It mimics natural hydrological processes and uses natural elements such as soil and plants to turn rainfall into a resource instead of a waste. Green infrastructure captures the rain where it falls. In doing so, it cuts down on the amount of flooding and reduces the polluted runoff that reaches sewers, streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Green infrastructure encompasses a variety of water management practices, such as vegetated rooftops, roadside plantings, absorbent gardens, and other measures that capture, filter, and reduce stormwater. Kristina Blokhin/Alamy Stock Photo What Is Green Infrastructure?
Here’s a look at what green infrastructure is, what it does, and why we should invest so much green paper in it.
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As an alternative to traditional water management systems, green infrastructure offers a cost-effective solution to many of our water woes, including how to handle flooding and stormwater pollution. The country’s urgent infrastructure needs also present a major opportunity. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that upgrading our stormwater and other public wastewater systems will require at least $150 billion in investments over the next two decades.
Not surprisingly, in 2021, the American Society of Civil Engineers bestowed a lowly D letter grade on U.S. In many urban and suburban areas, this runoff causes significant flooding as well. waterways from city sewer systems every year, polluting the environment and drinking water supplies. An estimated 10 trillion gallons of untreated stormwater runoff, containing everything from raw sewage to trash to toxins, enters U.S. The critical systems we rely on nationwide endure chronic overuse and underinvestment, including our stormwater management systems. What Are Other Benefits of Green Infrastructure?įrom highways to bridges to airports, America’s infrastructure is in dire need of a face-lift.