Green infrastructure (e.g., rain gardens, green roofs, porous pavement, cisterns) is becoming an increasingly attractive way to recharge aquifers and reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that flows, untreated, into wastewater treatment plants or waterbodies. It provides many environmental, social, and economic benefits that promote urban livability, such as improved surface water quality, water conservation, and aesthetic and property value. Green infrastructure is also incorporated into municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permits for retention requirements for various states across the Nation. EPA researchers have been studying green infrastructure practices and developing models and tools to help communities manage their stormwater runoff and address nutrient impairment. This webinar will present a toolkit consisting of five EPA green infrastructure models and tools, along with communication material, that can be used as a teaching tool and quick reference resource for use by planners and developers when making green infrastructure implementation decisions and can also be used for low impact development design competitions. Models and tools included: Green Infrastructure Wizard (GIWiz), Watershed Management Optimization Support Tool (WMOST), Visualizing Ecosystem Land Management Assessments (VELMA) Model, Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), and the National Stormwater Calculator (SWC). This is a FREE webinar. Click here to register.
