Integrating Green Infrastructure into Stormwater Management Planning

As more communities consider how to integrate green infrastructure (GI) into stormwater management planning, many have expressed a need for an analysis framework and supporting tool to better quantify and monetize the benefits through a triple bottom line (TBL) approach.

The Water Environment & Reuse Foundation (WE&RF) recently awarded a contract to Corona Environmental Consulting with Kennedy/Jenks as a team member to begin research on a project entitled  Framework and Tools for Quantifying Green Infrastructure Co-Benefits and Linking with Triple Bottom Line Analysis.

As more communities consider how to integrate green infrastructure (GI) into stormwater management planning, many have expressed a need for an analysis framework and supporting tool to better quantify and monetize the benefits through a triple bottom line (TBL) approach.

The research team will develop a systematic approach to help utilities and municipalities quantify the financial, social, and environmental benefits of GI at the community level. They will create an economic framework and associated software tool that will guide utilities and municipalities through a TBL analysis to develop useful outputs that appropriately compare benefits and costs.

Results of TBL cost-benefit analysis can help communities identify stormwater management alternatives that maximize community value, compete for scarce funding, leverage private capital and alternative funding sources, support alternative project delivery models, and gain community support. 

The project will include utilities from North America such as :

• Anne Arundel County (MD)
• Capital Region Watershed District (St. Paul, MN)
• The City of Calgary (AB)
• The City of Fort Collins Utilities (CO)
• The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation (CA)
• The City of Raleigh Stormwater Program (NC)
• DC Water (Washington, D.C.)
• Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (OH)
• Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (IL)
• Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (WI)
• Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MD)
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NY)
• Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (OH)
• Philadelphia Water Department (PA)
• Seattle Public Utilities (WA)

The project is expected to be completed in 2019.

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Taxonomy

• Integrated Urban Water Management
• Stormwater Management
• Urban Water
• Water Management
• Infrastructure
• Urban Water Infrastructure
• Infrastructure Management
• Infrastructure