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Green Stormwater Infrastructure Overview & Resources

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI)—also known as low-impact development (LID)—refers to constructed features that use living systems to provide environmental services, such as capturing and filtering stormwater, creating wildlife habitat, providing shade, and recharging groundwater.

Resources

Green Infrastructure Manual for Southwestern Neighborhoods Green Stormwater Infrastructure Supplement for Avondale's Street Tree Master Plan

Solving Flooding Challenges with Green Stormwater Infrastructure in the Airport Wash AreaSonoran Desert Green Infrastructure Resource Library

Why use green stormwater infrastructure?

A growing number of communities are using GSI to manage stormwater more sustainably while realizing many additional benefits and services.

Cleaning stormwater: Healthy soils, plant roots, and organic matter filter and break down pollutants in stormwater.

Curb cuts help reduce street flooding. Flood mitigation: Earthen basins infiltrate stormwater into the soil, reducing flowing and standing water on streets and parking lots.

Water conservation: Using stormwater to support trees and shrubs greens neighborhood streets without increasing demand for water from non-renewable supplies.

Traffic calming and livability: Chicanes, medians, traffic circles, and right-of-way improvements help create neighborhood streets that are safe and inviting for people walking and biking.

Aesthetics and wildlife: Native and low-water-use plants thrive on stormwater and create beautiful landscapes, habitat for native birds and insects, and a sense of place that celebrates each community’s unique ecosystem.

Shade: Removing asphalt and concrete and planting trees provides cooling shade along neighborhood streets, which mitigates the urban heat island effect (the measurable temperature increase in urban areas with high proportions of heat-trapping and heat-radiating surfaces).

Increased property values: The Arbor Day Foundation has proven that homes and neighborhoods with trees have higher property values.

Community building: A more attractive, safe, and comfortable outdoor environment that uses affordable, integrated stormwater irrigation increases the use of public spaces and makes them more inviting for neighbors to gather.

Common green stormwater infrastructure strategies

Rain gardens that capture stormwater in rights-of-way, streets, and parking lots (often utilizing curb cuts or cores)

Downspout disconnection and rain gardens on residential properties to harvest rainwater

Removal or reduction of hardscapes, such as concrete and asphalt

Restoration of riparian buffers, greenways, and wildlife corridors

Creation of neighborhood mini-parks, featuring rain gardens and native landscaping

All of these approaches follow the basic water-harvesting tenet of Slow it, Spread it, Sink it. By capturing water where it falls and using it to grow native trees and plants, stormwater becomes a resource rather than a nuisance.

Streetside rain gardens harvest stormwater off the street to support shade trees and native vegetation.

Learn how you can green your neighborhood streets

Visit our online Resource Library for manuals, videos, and other resources about green infrastructure

Learn hands-on design, installation, and maintenance strategies for GSI practices with WMG’s Technical Trainings

Contact us to plan and implement GSI practices for your neighborhood, school, business, or home