FROM STORMWATER TO CLEAN WATER
Prevent pollution.
Reduce flooding.
Improve your community.

Stormwater runoff causes flooding and flushes contaminants into waterways, causing pollution in 90% of NJ's rivers, streams, and lakes. As a municipal leader, you have the power to improve your community's response to water challenges by using green infrastructure.

Getting Started

Put your community at the forefront of sustainability and resiliency with green infrastructure.

Find the all tools you need to plan, implement and sustain green infrastructure in your community.

Getting Started

Ways To Get Started With Green Infrastructure in Your Community

Learn from mayors

Take a quick look at how two leaders are moving their communities forward with green infrastructure. You can do it too! Watch the Video

Install a demonstration project

Green infrastructure is about problem-solving. Identify a challenge — perhaps an intersection that floods even after a mild storm, or a park with drainage problems, or a polluted stream or lake. Install a green-infrastructure solution: a rain garden, cistern, green roof, tree trench or pervious pavement, to help address the problem. And remember to include a good interpretive sign to help people understand why the project was built, how it works and the benefits it brings. Here are examples of municipal green infrastructure projects.

Build your team

Designing a site plan or capital project with green stormwater infrastructure is not a one-person, “end of the process” task. It requires a team that works early in the design process to integrate stormwater management into the broader project objectives, be they functional, societal, or economic. For example, green infrastructure in downtown streets can improve pedestrian and bike safety, increase property values and encourage the foot traffic that businesses love. Green infrastructure in parks can create valuable habitat for birds and pollinators while reducing flood damage and contributing to climate change resiliency. Ideally, your design team includes — but need not be limited to — a skilled engineer, landscape architect (with soils expertise) and planner.

Engage your planning board

A few key updates to your municipal Master Plan goals and principles will provide the rationale and stimulus for ordinance improvements, policy and procedural changes, training, and other steps that make sense. New or updated goals and principles for various sections (“elements”) of your Master Plan can be recommended and adopted by the planning board without undertaking a comprehensive Master Plan re-examination.

What Is Green Infrastructure?

Green infrastructure comprises stormwater management strategies that enable stormwater and melting snow to soak into soils near where they fall, or be captured for a beneficial re-use such as irrigation or flushing toilets. Keeping runoff out of the storm sewer system improves water quality and minimizes localized flooding. Examples include rain gardens, permeable pavement, street tree trenches, green roofs and cisterns.

Bioretention basin

Rain garden

Vegetated/grass swale

Downspout planter

Stormwater planter

Tree trench

Pervious pavement

Green roof

Cistern

Read our full list of green infrastructure examples and definitions

View All Definitions

Stormwater pollution happens almost everywhere; its impacts are felt in every community. Local decisions determine whether stormwater will be a resource or an environmental threat. Make sure the right decisions are made in your town.

Prevent pollution. Restore local waterways

Fact: More than half of the documented waterborne disease outbreaks since 1948 have followed extreme rainfalls.¹ Fact: A 10-acre surface parking lot will generate 270,000 gallons of stormwater after a one-inch rain storm. That equals the water used in nine average-sized swimming pools or more than 6,000 bathtubs. The polluted runoff generally contains high levels of oil and grease, sediment, salt, heavy metals and bacteria that end up in our local waterways.²

Reduce flooding

Fact: Our paved surfaces and rooftops generate 16 times more stormwater runoff than the green areas they replace, increasing the frequency and severity of flash flooding.³

Add economic value

Fact: Studies show that green infrastructure enhances property values, adds to foot traffic in downtown areas, and is associated with lower crime. Green infrastructure also cools and cleans the air, provides good “green” jobs, is associated with lower asthma rates and lowers energy costs.

Protect drinking water

Fact: About 77 percent of the freshwater used in the United States comes from surface-water sources. The other 23 percent comes from groundwater. Surface water is an important natural resource used for many purposes, the most important of which are drinking water and food growth.⁵

You have the power to make a difference.
Act locally. Go from gray to green.

Image courtesy of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Benefits of Green Infrastructure

Economic

Reduced construction costs and long-term cost savings for public and private development by reducing the quantity of pavement, curbs and gutters
Less damage and lower cost impacts from localized flooding
Higher property values through improved community aesthetics

Energy savings through green roofs and tree shading
Reduced drinking water treatment costs
Less stress on existing gray infrastructure extends useful life of the stormwater system

Environmental

Keeps polluted water out of creeks, lakes, and rivers; improves water quality by filtering pollutants
Increases groundwater and aquifer recharge
Improves air quality through reduction in greenhouse gases

Provides wildlife habitat by preserving forest canopy and open space
Restores aquatic habitat through improved water quality
Mitigates climate change through the sequestering of carbon in plants

Community/Public Health

Meets the public’s growing demand for sustainable communities
Cooler air: reduced urban heat island effect through evaporation and tree canopy cover
Dedicated open space provides opportunities for passive and active recreation

Provides physical and mental health benefits: People are happier, healthier and safer living in places with trees and greenways
Proximity to green infrastructure is associated with lower asthma rates
Protects drinking water supplies
Increases pedestrian safety through curb retrofits reducing the roadway width at crossings
Improves aesthetics in the public (streetscape) and private (parking and stormwater management areas) realms
Improves water quality for beach-goers and fishermen.

MYTH: Green Infrastructure is more expensive to construct and maintain then conventional gray infrastructure techniques.

FACTS: As green infrastructure BMPs have become more common, published case study data show that green infrastructure is actually less expensive than conventional “gray infrastructure,” in terms of both initial capital costs and annual maintenance costs. The cost savings estimated by the USEPA of green infrastructure BMPs versus conventional gray stormwater BMPs ranges from 15 percent to 80 percent…

MYTH: Green infrastructure BMPs require specialized and costly maintenance.

FACTS: Not so. Maintenance requirements of some green infrastructure BMPs are really not that different than old-school stormwater systems like detention basins. NJDEP requires all stormwater BMPs be inspected quarterly and after all storm events generating more than an inch of rainfall; this applies to conventional detention basins as well as green infrastructure BMPs. The routine maintenance of all BMPs also includes the periodic removal of debris from inlets and outlets, weeding of invasive species, replanting of bare areas and the occasional removal of accumulated sediment. Whereas conventional grassed detention basins need to be mowed weekly, bioretention basins, rain gardens, and vegetated swales need only be mowed once per year…

MYTH: Green infrastructure BMPs are not dependable.

FACTS: Just the opposite. Green infrastructure has been implemented and tested throughout North America, South America and Europe. It has been shown repeatedly to be dependable and highly effective in various settings and climates. Green infrastructure BMPs are utilized extensively in large cities such as Philadelphia, Milwaukee, New York, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, as well as in smaller cities and towns such as Syracuse, Nashville, Lancaster, Austin and Chattanooga. In many large, older cities, green infrastructure BMPs are used to combat combined sewer overflow (CSO) problems. These cities rely on green infrastructure BMPs to reduce the off-site volume of runoff, thus decreasing how much runoff enters the storm sewer collection system. This in turn decreases the occurrence of CSOs…

MYTH: Green infrastructure doesn't work in winter.

FACTS: Green infrastructure BMPs are routinely utilized with a high rate of success and effectiveness even in cold-weather climates. Studies at the Sustainable Technology Evaluation Program at the University of Calgary have shown that all types of permeable paving perform well in winter. And there is no evidence of increased damage due to frost heaving for permeable pavement as compared with regular pavement because there is no standing water and associated freeze-thaw cycle, something that also cuts down on slip/trip injuries. Similarly, data compiled by the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center demonstrate the utility and functionality of various green infrastructure BMPs under cold climate conditions. Likewise, there are numerous studies available through the USEPA demonstrating the functionality of green infrastructure BMPs in cold climate settings. The majority of these studies demonstrate that even though the plants may be dormant, there is still some degree of filtering and settling attributable to the remaining residual plant material. Thus, although the plants may not be actively assimilating nutrients and attenuating other pollutants, removal of settleable solids and suspended sediments still occurs. Properly designed and constructed green infrastructure BMPs are capable of managing large storm events. Climate change induced increases in storm intensity and runoff volumes do not pose a challenge to the implementation of green infrastructure BMPs. In fact, as compared to conventional stormwater management techniques, green infrastructure can greatly reduce the volume of runoff generated from large storm events. Capturing and infiltrating the first inch of rainfall helps delay peak flows during extreme events, allowing stormwater infrastructure to work more effectively. Numerous studies have documented that green infrastructure reduces average losses from flood events, even in areas with low-infiltration soils and higher flood risk. This often translates to flood control cost savings and performance benefits. As illustrated in Hoboken, when implemented on a community-wide scale green infrastructure BMPs help make cities more resilient to extreme storm events.

MYTH: Green infrastructure fosters mosquitoes.

FACTS: This is one of the greatest fallacies concerning green infrastructure BMPs. In fact, green infrastructure BMP design standards for bioretention and infiltration basins specifically require that standing water drain from green infrastructure BMPs within 72 hours. This keeps mosquitoes from breeding. Additionally, the complexity of plants used in green infrastructure BMPs attracts and supports beneficial organisms that feed on mosquito larvae. A properly maintained green infrastructure BMP will not breed mosquitoes or attract pests…

MYTH: There is no financial benefit to developers for using green infrastructure.

FACTS: There are numerous monetary, regulatory, aesthetic, and flood-control benefits to implementing green infrastructure BMPs as opposed to conventional gray infrastructure techniques. One of the biggest incentives is that decentralized stormwater management systems often free up more land than the traditional large-basin stormwater management methods…

MYTH: Green infrastructure is only used in urban settings or when retrofitting existing development.

FACTS: Green infrastructure stormwater best management practices (BMPs) can be implemented in rural or urban settings, as part of new land development projects or as part of site redevelopment projects. However, green infrastructure BMPs have proven to be especially effective in correcting stormwater problems (rate, quality, volume and recharge) in urban settings. Thus, green infrastructure BMPs are often associated with urban sites, especially urban redevelopment projects…

Read our full list of green infrastructure myths and facts

View All Myths

Plan

Whether your town is starting from scratch or looking to move to the next level with green infrastructure, smart planning is a must. Chart your course with guidance and tools found here.

Learn More

Implement

Green infrastructure isn’t rocket science, but proper design, construction and maintenance – all essential to long-term success – requires a different approach. This section of the toolkit provides the tools needed and practical applications of implementing green infrastructure within your municipality.

Learn More

Sustain

Like all infrastructure, green infrastructure requires monitoring and maintenance in order to function properly over the long term. This section of the toolkit will provide operations, maintenance, and monitoring guidance, as well as ways to alert and engage your community about the benefits of green infrastructure.

Learn More

Stay Informed.

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FROM STORMWATER TO CLEAN WATER Prevent pollution. Reduce flooding. Improve your community.

Put your community at the forefront of sustainability and resiliency with green infrastructure.

Getting Started

Ways To Get Started With Green Infrastructure in Your Community

Learn from mayors

Install a demonstration project

Build your team

Engage your planning board

What Is Green Infrastructure?

Read our full list of green infrastructure examples and definitions

What’s at Stake?

Prevent pollution. Restore local waterways

Reduce flooding

Add economic value

Protect drinking water

You have the power to make a difference.Act locally. Go from gray to green.

Benefits of Green Infrastructure

Economic

Environmental

Community/Public Health

Common Myths and Facts

MYTH: Green Infrastructure is more expensive to construct and maintain then conventional gray infrastructure techniques.

MYTH: Green infrastructure BMPs require specialized and costly maintenance.

MYTH: Green infrastructure BMPs are not dependable.

MYTH: Green infrastructure doesn't work in winter.

MYTH: Green infrastructure fosters mosquitoes.

MYTH: There is no financial benefit to developers for using green infrastructure.

MYTH: Green infrastructure is only used in urban settings or when retrofitting existing development.

Read our full list of green infrastructure myths and facts

What Can You Do?

Plan

Implement

Sustain

Stay Informed.

FROM STORMWATER TO CLEAN WATER
Prevent pollution.
Reduce flooding.
Improve your community.

You have the power to make a difference.
Act locally. Go from gray to green.