How can green infrastructure help to manage rainfall in an urban watershed?
The described in this research brief shows how the challenges in managing the increasing volumes of stormwater flows in a complex urban environment can be effectively addressed by a mix of solutions.
Focused on a key watershed in the city of Pittsburgh, this analysis shows that a centralized system of stormwater management could yield cost-effective sewer overflow reduction, reduce street flooding, and provide positive net economic benefits across a range of assumptions about future rainfall and implementation costs.
On its key findings, the study presents recommended next steps for stormwater planning in Negley Run (Negley Run is a large watershed that drains a diverse area of Pittsburgh’s East End). These recommendations are directed toward all NRWTF members, but they should be of particular interest to participating local, state, and federal agencies and authorities.
- Invest in design and engineering efforts for the Central Daylighting strategy (strategy 4) as a solution with few, if any, downsides.
- Employ an adaptive planning approach to support assessment and decisionmaking for further increments of connected GSI.
- Work together to expand the range of options to address street and basement flooding.
- Continue to invest in distributed local GSI projects in Negley Run neighborhoods to take advantage of benefits for residents, irrespective of flood risk reduction.
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