Plants Not Pipes: Promoting Green Infrastructure and its Side Benefits in Region VI Prepared by: Downstream Strategies 219 Wall Street Morgantown, WV 26505 www.downstreamstrategies.com Evan Hansen, Anne Hereford, Fritz Boettner, Sera Zegre Prepared for: Region VI Planning and Development Council Jim Hall, Executive Director 34 Mountain Park Drive White Hall, WV 26554 Photos: Sherry Wilkins. August 25, 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 2. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 TYPES OF GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE.............................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Infiltration ...................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.2 Evapotranspiration ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.1.3 Capture and use ............................................................................................................................. 7 2.1.4 Managed conveyance .................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Conservation design ....................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.2 Low impact landscaping ................................................................................................................. 8 2.2.3 Infill development and brownfields redevelopment ....................................................................... 8 2.3 SIDE BENEFITS ......................................................................................................................................... 9 2.3.1 Direct monetary savings................................................................................................................. 9 2.3.2 Indirect monetary savings ............................................................................................................ 10 2.3.3 Other side benefits ....................................................................................................................... 11 3. STREAM IMPACTS .......................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 STORMWATER POLLUTANTS ..................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 CURRENT STATUS OF REGION VI SURFACE WATERS ...................................................................................... 14 4. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE UNITED STATES ............................................................................ 17 4.1 DOWNSPOUT DISCONNECTION ................................................................................................................. 17 4.2 RAIN BARRELS AND CISTERNS ................................................................................................................... 18 4.3 RAIN GARDENS ...................................................................................................................................... 19 4.4 BIOSWALES .......................................................................................................................................... 19 4.5 TERRACED PLANTER SYSTEMS ................................................................................................................... 20 4.6 GREEN ROOFS ....................................................................................................................................... 21 4.7 GREEN WALLS ....................................................................................................................................... 22 4.8 URBAN TREES ....................................................................................................................................... 23 4.9 TRAFFIC ISLANDS, CURB EXTENSIONS, AND SIDEWALK LANDSCAPING ............................................................... 23 4.10 PERVIOUS PAVEMENT ............................................................................................................................. 24 5. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN WEST VIRGINIA AND REGION VI .......................................................... 26 5.1 DOWNSPOUT DISCONNECTION ................................................................................................................. 26 5.2 RAIN BARRELS AND CISTERNS ................................................................................................................... 26 5.3 RAIN GARDENS ...................................................................................................................................... 27 5.4 BIOSWALES .......................................................................................................................................... 30 5.5 GREEN ROOFS ....................................................................................................................................... 31 5.6 GREEN WALLS ....................................................................................................................................... 33 5.7 URBAN TREES ....................................................................................................................................... 33 5.8 TRAFFIC ISLANDS, CURB EXTENSIONS, AND SIDEWALK LANDSCAPING ............................................................... 33 5.9 POROUS PAVEMENT ............................................................................................................................... 33 5.10 LEVEL SPREADERS .................................................................................................................................. 34 ii 6. EXISTING POLICIES AND RULES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ........................................................... 35 6.1 FEE DISCOUNTS ..................................................................................................................................... 35 6.2 DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES ..................................................................................................................... 36 6.3 REBATES AND INSTALLATION FINANCING .................................................................................................... 36 6.4 TAX INCREMENT FINANCING .................................................................................................................... 37 6.5 GRANTS ............................................................................................................................................... 37 6.6 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION .................................................................................................................... 37 6.7 MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................... 37 6.8 MODEL DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPLES ........................................................................................................... 38 6.9 ABANDONED AND DILAPIDATED STRUCTURES PROGRAMS .............................................................................. 38 6.10 OTHER REGULATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 39 7. EXISTING POLICIES AND RULES IN REGION VI .................................................................................. 40 7.1 FEE DISCOUNTS ..................................................................................................................................... 40 7.2 DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES ..................................................................................................................... 40 7.3 REBATES AND INSTALLATION FINANCING .................................................................................................... 40 7.4 TAX INCREMENT FINANCING .................................................................................................................... 40 7.5 GRANTS ............................................................................................................................................... 40 7.6 AWARDS AND RECOGNITION .................................................................................................................... 40 7.7 MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................... 41 7.8 ABANDONED AND DILAPIDATED STRUCTURES PROGRAMS .............................................................................. 41 7.9 OTHER REGULATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 41 8. GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE TOOLS .................................................................................................... 45 8.1 CATCHING THE RAIN RESOURCE GUIDE.....................................................................................................