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Stormwater Greenstreets

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What are they:

Green street infrastructures are implemented into sidewalks to work towards the goal of preventing damage to the sidewalk itself and also the area nearby. Green streets have multiple components: street trees, permeable pavements, bioretention, and bioswales. By adding green streets to urban areas, the environment will be positively affected.

Advantages:
  • Green street infrastructures protect downstream water quality and also reduce quantities of CSO. 
  • Decreases damage to sidewalks 
  • Takes advantage of sidewalk space that is not being used for anything necessary 
  • By planting trees within the area of the green street infrastructure area, it will decrease the amount of the urban island heat effect. 
Disadvantages:

  • It is a relatively new design, thus there is still much to research on how to make it better.
  • Location. Different areas in the country experience different types of storms. Green street infrastructures work best in locations that experience low rainfall and long durations.
  • Budget constraints, especially in an urban community.
  • The necessity of regular maintenance.

How they work:

  • During a rainfall, the water usually collects in a specific area that has been degrading for a while. But, green streets act as guides for the water. 
  • Depending on the design of the green street, the water will follow a pathway to many different options. In our case, we are planning to guide the water to rain gardens. 
  • Once the water is captured within the infrastructure, the green street implementation will slow, filter, and clean stormwater runoff from the surface of the sidewalk, road and nearby areas. 
  • Over time, green streets will then reduce sewer overflows that damage and infiltrate the waterways of the community, which is a huge problem in urban areas.


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