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.
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.
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.
Funding Green Infrastructure in Pennsylvania
ISSUES: Water Pollution
American Rivers has investigated the spending history and authority of several agencies to fund green solutions to stormwater management in Pennsylvania. The Green Project Reserve has provided a timely model from which agencies can transform the state’s failing water infrastructure by progressively integrating greener solutions, backed by greener investments, to manage polluted stormwater runoff.
Low Impact Development Manual for the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River Watersheds
ISSUES: Water Pollution
This manual provides stormwater managers and site designers with a common understanding of Low Impact Development (LID) goals and objectives, site assessment considerations, and a toolbox of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) applicable to the Lower Maumee and Ottawa River watersheds. BMP information includes design guidelines, specifications, details, and maintenance concerns as well as assistance in selecting the BMPs based on the unique characteristics of a particular site. This is a technical manual and the information provided is targeted toward engineers, planners, landscape architects, and technical staff, as well as policymakers and developers.
Clean Water for Maryland: Local Ordinances for Environmental Site Design
ISSUES: Stormwater & Sewage, Water Pollution
This document describes the benefits of sustainable stormwater practices and details the key elements of a strong stormwater ordinance that will meet the clean water challenges Maryland faces using innovative and cost-effective techniques.
Local Water Policy Innovation: A Road Map for Community Based Stormwater Solutions
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage
This report was developed to help citizens improve the stormwater practices in their community. Stormwater is a leading cause of water pollution nationwide and the effects are primarily felt locally. This guide explains how local government processes affect stormwater management and how these processes can be used to improve stormwater policies in your community.
Using Green Infrastructure in Karst Regions
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage
This report shows how green infrastructure can be applied in regions around the country with karst topography, including the Shenandoah Valley, parts of Texas, Florida, and the Great Lakes. Stormwater management is even more complicated in karst regions, which are made up of soluble bedrock that can easily erode when it comes in contact with water. Green infrastructure offers an alternative approach to traditional development, and with proper use and careful siting, these techniques can successfully be applied in karst areas.
Catching the Rain: a Southeast Resource Guide to Natural Stormwater Management
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage
This handbook is a concise resource guide to more natural, or "soft path" solutions for stormwater problems. It offers an easy reference to a variety of low impact development approaches suitable for the Southeast region.
What's In Your Water: The State of Public Notification in 11 U.S. States
ISSUES: Water Pollution, Stormwater & Sewage
This report shows that residents from 10 states, out of 11 examined across the country, are provided with little to no information about sewage pollution in their local waterways. Only one of these states has adequate public notification provisions for sewage spills and overflows. The report makes recommendations for improving the public's access to information about sewage spills, so that all Americans can know when they can safely use local waterways.
