Ahead of the Curve – Implementing Green Infrastructure in Rural and Growing Communities

This webcast will showcase two communities, Monona, Iowa and Clarkesville, Georgia, that are ahead of the curve in using green infrastructure to address some of their stormwater management challenges.

Green infrastructure is often framed as an approach to improving communities and addressing water quality in large urban areas, where high concentrations of impervious surfaces can result in large volumes of stormwater runoff. However, green infrastructure can also provide multiple benefits for small, growing communities and communities in rural areas. This webcast will showcase two such communities, Monona, Iowa and Clarkesville, Georgia, that are ahead of the curve in using green infrastructure to address some of their stormwater management challenges. Rural communities and small MS4s in particular will want to tune in to learn how to replicate these projects at home.

Session 1 – Effective Stormwater Management With Permeable Pavers

This session will discuss how a small, rural Midwestern city solved a water quality and quantity problem and poor functionality of a public parking lot by reconstructing with permeable pavers while having over 90% of the cost covered by an outside funding source. The presentation will discuss how this project can be replicated anywhere and achieve similar benefits.

Session 2 – Green Infrastructure Implementation in a Small Unregulated Community: The Evolution of Better Stormwater Management in Clarkesville, Georgia

The City of Clarkesville is a small, unregulated MS4 located northeast of Atlanta, GA. The Soque River, the drinking water supply for the City, has documented water quality impairments attributed to non-point source pollution and urban runoff. The Soque is a major tributary to the Chattahoochee River, the primary drinking water supply for millions who live downstream in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. In an effort to address the known impairments and prepare for anticipated growth, the City has taken incremental steps over the past decade to improve stormwater management. This session will focus on the recognition of stormwater as a major pollutant contributor and the evolution of local efforts to better manage polluted runoff.

Ahead of the Curve – Implementing Green Infrastructure in Rural and Growing Communities