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Green Stormwater Infrastructure Programs

Green Streets

Green Streets emphasize the capture of stormwater runoff from public right-of-ways, such as streets. Various green stormwater infrastructure practices can be employed, such as stormwater tree trenches, planters, and bump-outs, or pervious pavement.

Green Schools

Schools are important neighborhood anchors and therefore offer excellent opportunities to educate the local community about green stormwater infrastructure. An array of green stormwater infrastructure practices can be implemented on school properties, such as rain gardens, green roofs, pervious pavement, tree trenches, and rain barrels.

Green Public Facilities

The value in retrofitting public facilities with green stormwater infrastructure allows public facilities to lead by example. The full array of green stormwater infrastructure practices can be implemented at public facilities, including rain gardens, green roofs, pervious pavement, stormwater tree trenches, rain barrels, and cisterns.

Green Parking

Retrofit and redesign of existing parking lots presents an opportunity to reduce stormwater runoff while also improving the visual appearance within communities. A number of green stormwater infrastructure practices can be used to manage stormwater in parking lots, including vegetated strips and swales, rain gardens, infiltration beds and trenches and pervious pavements.

Green Parks

Draining the nearby highly impervious areas to the open spaces enhances the visual appearance and the amenities at parks, in addition to managing stormwater runoff. Parks and recreation centers provide excellent opportunities to implement highly visible demonstration projects.

Green Industry, Business, Commerce, and Institutions

The City’s new stormwater management regulations for development and redevelopment and the parcel-based billing for stormwater management services provide incentives for private entities to install green stormwater infrastructure.

Green Alleys, Driveways, and Walkways

Philadelphia has many smaller alleys, driveways and walkways that are currently impervious. These often underutilized areas present an opportunity to retrofit, to allow infiltration, or to redesign. Such projects include diverted rooftop runoff to green stormwater infrastructure at the end of an alley and within the public right-of-way.

Green Homes

Residential roofs make up a significant amount of impervious cover in the City. PWD wants to work with homeowners to help them undertake projects to mitigate the impact of roof runoff. The Green Homes program envisions a number of small-scale solutions that homeowners can carry out themselves. These potential projects include installing rain barrels and/or connecting rain leaders to rain gardens or flow-through planters. More ambitious actions could include reducing the amount of impervious pavement, planting trees or building green roofs.