Turning Stormwater Problems Into Water Supply Assets

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency’s Edison, N.J. facility. Green infrastructure applications and approaches can reduce, capture, and treat storm water runoff at its source before it can reach the sewer system. Site-specific practices, such as green roofs, downspout disconnections (downspouts on many homes are connected directly the sewer system — I passed smooth out when I first heard about that little modern convenience!), rain harvesting/gardens, planter boxes, and permeable pavement are designed to mimic natural hydro logic functions and decrease the amount of impervious area and storm water runoff from individual sites. These applications and approaches can keep storm water out of the sewer system to reduce overflows and to reduce the amount of untreated storm water discharging to surface waters. (more…)