FIVE Sustainable Site Practices:
Through integrated best management practices, we are striving to incorporate measures that reduce the amount of runoff and improve the water quality of every site. There are site and design practices that can assist in creating a more sustainable, regenerative environment, while utilizing a natural systems approach – one that mimicking the ecological systems of the tall grass prairie.
Showcased here are five of those practices:
Permeable Pavements
Bioretention Cells
Stormwater Planters
Vegetative Roofs
Green Streets
Used in combination, these practices create healthier environments for humans and wildlife while capturing, cleansing, cooling and infiltrating stormwater. From large scale watershed management plans to urban plazas to green roofs, these practices help create healthy living environments through design.
#1. Permeable pavement promotes the infiltration of stormwater through a series of small openings within the pavement surface. This reduces the amount of runoff that causes flooding and helps remove pollutants from stormwater.
#2. Bioretention cells are an infiltration-based stormwater management practice that work to clean water, reduce flooding and recharge the groundwater. [FACT: Native Plants help to manage stormwater runoff from buildings, landscapes and the surrounding watershed. By filtering the excess rain water from the land, we can help keep our stream, lake and river water clean!]
#3. Stormwater Planters help promote stormwater infiltration, these planters remove pollutants and debris, that would otherwise be released directly into rivers. [FACT: Stormwater planters can remove many heavy metals and pollutants from stormwater runoff]
#4. Vegetative Roofs can be used in new and existing buildings, helping to reduce the amount of impervious cover in urban areas. [FACT: A green roof is composed of multiple different layers, all of which help to promote the health of the green roof and prevent leaks to the surface below.]
#5. Green Streets are a collection of stormwater management practices that promote healthy urban centers for people, plants and wildlife. [FACT: Green streets can significantly help improve water quality by removing up to 95% of suspended solids from stormwater.]
