Resources and Publications
Staying Green: Joint Reports on Operations and Maintenance of Green Infrastructure in the Chesapeake Bay
ISSUES: Climate Change, Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution, Water Supply, Urban Rivers
As more communities move towards adopting green infrastructure as a cost-effective approach to manage polluted runoff, it is critical that local governments address barriers to operations and maintenance. Despite the benefits of green infrastructure, operations and maintenance has been repeatedly raised as a technical barrier to adoption of green infrastructure and remains a concern for many local governments in the Chesapeake Bay region and across the country. American Rivers and Green for All collaborated on two reports; one to identify significant barriers to operations and maintenance and recommend strategies to address them and a second report to assess the landscape of career opportunities for workers with applicable skills to conduct operations and maintenance of green infrastructure practices.
Running Dry: Challenges and Opportunities in Restoring Healthy Flows in Georgia’s Upper Flint River Basin
ISSUES: Climate Change, Water Supply, Urban Rivers
Georgia’s upper Flint River is a river running dry. While rivers and streams in arid parts of the United States often dry up seasonally, the Southeast has historically been known as a water-rich area with plentiful rainfall, lush landscapes, and perennial streams and rivers. The upper Flint supports recreation, fisheries, local economies, and threatened and endangered species that all depend on healthy and reliable flows which are becoming increasingly rare. This report examines low-flow problems in the river basin and points the way toward solutions to these multi-faceted problems. The Flint’s are the same challenges facing rivers in many urbanizing areas and in regions facing increasing water quantity stress, and finding solutions to these challenges will only grow more important in the future.
Getting Climate Smart
ISSUES: Climate Change, Floods & Floodplains, Stormwater & Sewage, Urban Rivers
This guide provides information for state governments, water managers and other stakeholders to use in preparing for the consequences of hotter temperatures, more variable and volatile precipitation events, and rising seas. By undertaking climate preparedness planning, states can better manage the impacts of climate change and protect the well-being of residents, communities, the economy and natural resources.
Permitting Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Improving Municipal Stormwater Permits and Protecting Water Quality
ISSUES: Climate Change, Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution
Municipal stormwater continues to be one of the biggest sources of water pollution across the nation. Addressing this problem will require real improvements to the Clean Water Act permits that regulate stormwater. This report provides a survey of several, new generation stormwater permits that take strong steps to keep stormwater from running into our streams, lakes and rivers. These permits succeed by establishing a preference for green infrastructure as the best way to manage stormwater. The report documents several approaches that states have adopted to increase the use of green infrastructure, and provides clear examples of how motivated watershed advocates can provide information and support to permit writers.
Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standard (GIPS)
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Urban Rivers, Stormwater & Sewage
The Green Infrastructure Portfolio Standard (GIPS) guide provides a framework for the long term and predictable implementation of green infrastructure and the reduction of polluted stormwater runoff. Based upon the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard concept, the GIPS guide helps overcome challenges to green infrastructure solutions by providing easy to follow steps to increase municipal teamwork, set polluted stormwater pollution reduction goals, and establish and prioritize green infrastructure installation.
Money Pit: The High Cost and High Risk of Water Supply Reservoirs in the Southeast
ISSUES: Water Supply
When seeking to secure reliable supplies of clean water for today and the future, many Southeastern communities reach reflexively for dams and reservoirs. However, the region has many more expedient, lower cost, lower-impact solutions at hand. Meanwhile, the risks inherent in new reservoir development in the region are becoming more and more apparent. This report documents the financial risks and water resource risks tied to the development of new water supply reservoirs in the Southeast. It also outlines a set of key recommendations for local leaders who seek to reduce their communities’ risks—both financial risks and closely linked water resource risks—in planning for enough clean water for the future.
Dam Removal in New Jersey: Background, Regulatory Guidance, and Practical Aspects
ISSUES: Dams & Dam Removal
These documents provide an overview of the regulatory framework that creates unintended obstacles to dam removal and river restoration in the State of New Jersey. “Dam Removal in New Jersey: Background, Regulatory Guidance, and Practical Aspects” provides a clear and concise list of recommendations to the NJDEP based on a review of pertinent background information and existing regulatory language. It also includes materials that will support the development of a formal dam removal program in the State of New Jersey. “Review of New Jersey Regulations Pertaining to Dam Removal & Stream Restoration” is a supporting document provides a more comprehensive review of regulations pertaining to dam removal and river restoration, detailed case studies of projects that encountered regulatory hurdles, and the findings of a survey pertaining regulatory issues.
Going Green to Save Green: Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure Practices
ISSUES: Water Supply
American Rivers’ series of new reports highlights the economic benefits of green infrastructure strategies to better manage polluted runoff. These practices, from rain gardens to green roofs, work by capturing rainwater where it falls. By reducing the polluted runoff that flows into rivers and streams, green infrastructure practices play a critical role in protecting clean rivers. Unlike most traditional water infrastructure, green infrastructure practices can help communities save money while also providing a number of economic benefits that include reduced costs, increased energy efficiency, mitigating flooding and improving air quality.
The Multiple Benefits of Floodplain Easements
ISSUES: Floods & Floodplains
This report provides a snapshot of a single round of successful and highly sought after Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) floodplain easements in the Upper Mississippi River Basin states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. Floodplain easements are a cost-effective way to minimize flood impacts, reduce repeat damages, and store floodwaters for benefits of downstream residents and communities.
Managing Stormwater in Redevelopment and Greenfield Development Projects Using Green Infrastructure
ISSUES: Water Pollution
Clean water and healthy communities go hand in hand. Urban areas are increasingly using green infrastructure to create multiple benefits for their communities. However, there have been questions whether strong stormwater standards could unintentionally deter urban redevelopment and shift development to environmentally damaging sprawl. Working with Smart Growth America, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, River Network and NRDC, we commissioned a report by ECONorthwest titled "Managing Stormwater in Redevelopment and Greenfield Development Projects Using Green Infrastructure." Highlighting several communities that are protecting clean water and fostering redevelopment, the findings show that clean water and urban redevelopment are compatible.
Weathering Change
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Floods & Floodplains, Climate Change, Water Supply, Stormwater & Sewage
Many federal policies still encourage the same backward-looking water management approaches that didn’t work in the past and are even less suited to the future. These ten reforms are some of the best ways we can change outdated federal policies and embrace a forward-looking approach to water management. They represent proactive steps Congress and the Executive Branch can take to address climate change.
The Value of Green Infrastructure
ISSUES: Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution
“The Value of Green Infrastructure” provides a framework to help communities measure and value the air quality, energy use, and many other benefits that green infrastructure provides. It allows communities to more accurately compare different infrastructure investments and choose the option that provides the greatest long-term benefit.
Natural Defenses: Safeguarding Communities from Floods
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Floods & Floodplains, Climate Change
“Natural Defenses: Safeguarding Communities from Floods” calls on Congress and the Administration to adopt a 21st century approach to flood management. In a changing climate, our nation is in dire need of national flood risk management policies that protect and restore the nation’s natural defenses – our wetlands, rivers, floodplains, and upland areas.
Putting Green to Work: Economic Recovery Investments for Clean and Reliable Water
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage, Climate Change
American Rivers new report evaluates the groundbreaking water infrastructure investment in green infrastructure pioneered under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) that provided $1.2 billion for green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency, and environmental innovation. Our report highlights how states have been using their allotment of federal dollars. Nearly 30 percent of state water infrastructure dollars went to green strategies -- well over and above what was mandated by the Act. We highlight innovative examples of how communities have used these funds and make recommendations for how these funds should be used and improved in the future to ensure clean and reliable water.
The Benefits of Conservation Planning: A Toolkit for the Tax Professional
ISSUES: Blue Trails
As part of our effort to educate local communities on the vast benefits and opportunities associated with private land conservation, our Waccamaw River Blue Trail partners are hosting a series of workshops. The first of these workshops, “The Benefits of Conservation Planning: A Workshop for the Tax Professional” provided accountants, estate planners, and tax attorneys with information on conservation easements and planning. Presentations were made by the Pee Dee Land Trust, United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Turner Padgett, LLP a local law firm whose staff specializes in conservation planning. This toolkit was created as an outline of the discussion so that all may have access to the information offered.
