I read a lot of news stories about development projects described by words like sustainable, walkable, dense, and multi-use. These characteristics are experiencing a real surge in emphasis from both a design standpoint and from media coverage, and rightly so. They are some of the pillars of community design that support the physical and economic… More
Part 1 of this blog series summarized recent studies in Minnesota, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and King City, Ontario, which all found that the difference between summer and winter performance of bioretention systems is not substantial, even on sites with severe winters. Now that we know that, how do we go about maximizing bioretention performance in… More
Research to date has shown that bioretention can be effective for water quality treatment and for preserving the pre-development hydrologic function of a site, but what happens when air temperatures dip below freezing? Studies indicates that with proper design and maintenance, bioretention can function well even in cold climates.
Many readers of this blog may already be aware that the Environmental Protection Agency recently started a national rulemaking process with the goal of creating a new program to reduce stormwater runoff. To prepare for this process, they put out a request for information about projects utilizing green infrastructure design techniques that mimic natural stormwater processes (evapotranspiration, infiltration,… More
Last week Graham and I stopped by a Silva Cell installation as it was going in to the ground at Mitchell Library and Community Center (3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA).
This hydrograph (diagram showing runoff flow versus time) compares the intense spike of a stream during a storm in an urbanized watershed without adequate controls, with the “gentle rolling hill” appearance of a forested watershed’s response to the same storm. Note the loss of dry weather base flow for the stream in the urbanized watershed…. More
Back in January we posted about a project in Shoreline, WA, where the Silva Cells were being used to extend a sidewalk rain garden underneath paving. This stretch of the project is finally completed! It looks amazing, and we’ve got a case study to tell you all about it.
Earlier this year I was able to provide you with some resources to help you model Silva Cells using HydroCAD, which is geared toward modeling the single storm event. Now I’d like to be able to do the same with US EPA SWMM, which is a continuous storm water model.
Philly’s awesome green infrastructure plan now has an accompanying Big Green Map from the Philadelphia Water Department.
The Castro Valley Boulevard project went in a couple of weeks ago in Hayward, CA. The installation occurred along this major thoroughfare between Nunes Avenue and Wilbeam Avenue. As you can see from the photos, this site has a fairly intricate stormwater component throughout the system. Permeable pavers will cover the parking bays to direct… More
We’ve got two new Silva Cell case studies!
Because we’re forever trying to keep things exciting for you, our dear readers, we try not to inundate you with too many Silva Cell installation photos. I know, our self-restraint is admirable. Still, even if we’re not shamelessly self-promoting ALL the time, new projects are happening constantly. We’ve had about 221 projects go in the… More
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