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INFRASTRUCTURE: WATER
PROVISION, GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE
Lecture 8
 Today’s lecture
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 Green buildings and water

 Urban green infrastructure perspective
 For homework, watch Eric Sanderson Ted lecture:
 https://www.ted.com/talks/eric_sanderson_new_york_
before_the_city?language=en
 A natural history of New York City

 Reviews:
 Tesfaalem: Plastic waste as aggregate replacement
 Angel: green roofs, green buildings
Beginning with the urban landscale:
considering the water cycle

 Opportunities for Integrating

Sustainability to Engineering
Preparation
 Land use change

Undeveloped Developed
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(Eco)hydrologic change

Images adapted from USEPA graphics

 Management change

Grey, Centralized, Monofunctional Green, Decentralized, Multifunctional

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 Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO)

US EPA, 2015

• 772 cities in USA use combined sewer systems (CSS) (EPA 2015)
• CSS are designed to collect rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and
industrial wastewater in the same pipe.
• CSOs are caused during wet weather events, when stormwater
generated on impervious surfaces causes urban collection systems
to exceed their conveyance capacity.
 What is green infrastructure?

“Green infrastructure uses natural hydrologic features to manage

water and provide environmental and community benefits (EPA,
2015)”

BEFORE AFTER
Motivation

• $1.5 billion: NYC’s investment in green

infrastructure (NYC DEP, 2010)

• $1.6 billion: Philadelphia’s investment

in green infrastructure (PWD, 2011)
Mitigation for….

• Operation of municipal water and wastewater systems

(USEPA 2012)

o ~ 3-4 percent of energy use in the United States

o > 45 million tons of greenhouse gases annually
o Largest energy consumers of municipal governments,
accounting for 30-40 percent of total energy
consumed
o Expected to increase due to population growth and
more stringent regulations
 (Re)engineering the urban water cycle

Precipitation
(available free resource)
Potable water
(resource need)

Wastewater &
Stormwater (Waste
products)

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“Conventional”
 (Re)engineering the urban water cycle

Precipitation
Rainwater (EXPLOITED free resource)
harvesting

Potable water
(LESSER resource
need)

Wastewater &
Stormwater (FEWER
waste products)
Water (re)use

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“Green” Infiltration
practices 12
 Multiple Benefits

 Fewer water imports:

 Less
required hard infrastructure
 Greater regional resilience to drought

 Fewer diversions of water from ecosystems

 Less “waste” water:

 Reduced treatment costs
 Reduced impacts to surface water bodies

 Restored/enhanced urban ecohydrology

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 Rainwater for chiller topoff

Chiller
and ice
maker

14Habana Outpost, Brooklyn, NY Photo credit: F. Montalto

 Rainwater for toilet flushing

15Habana Outpost, Brooklyn, NY Photo credit: F. Montalto

 Rainwater for yard irrigation

Hollenbach Community Garden, Brooklyn, NY Photo credit: F. Montalto

 Blue roofs LIDRA: the Low Impact Development Green roofs
Rapid Assessment Model

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Rain gardens Porous

pavement

Rain barrels Curbside

infiltration

Average reduction in annual volume

of runoff : ~73%
Montalto 2007;
doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.02.004;
Yu 2010; doi.org/10.1061/41114(371)336 Funding: US Forest Service
 Back to LEED Categories
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 Environmental categories
 Sustainable sites
 Water efficiency
 Energy and atmosphere
 Materials and resources
 Indoor environmental quality
 Other categories (not applicable to all rating systems)
 Innovation in design
 Regional priority
 Location and linkages
 Awareness and education
 Site design and management strategies
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 Build small
 Minimize hardscape
 Minimize water usage
 Use reflective material
 Develop a sustainable management plan
 Storm Water Management Strategies
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 Minimize impervious areas

 Control storm water
 Harvest rainwater
 LCA to Evaluate Green and Grey Combined
Sewer Overflow Control Strategies

Study Area: drainage area (784 ha) contributing to two

CSO outfalls on the Bronx River: HP-007 and HP-009
DeSousa et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2012.00534.x
• Will engineered green infrastructure make the urban
watershed more resilient to climate risks?

Mitigation value: Does an investment in green (as opposed to grey)

infrastructure represent a viable means of reducing a city’s carbon
footprint?
Three equivalent strategies for reducing
CSOs to the Bronx River

 Scenario 1: GREEN STRATEGY

o Manage runoff from 1/3 of the total watershed area using rain
gardens, curbside infiltration planters, porous pavement and
stormwater chambers

 Scenario 2: GREY STRATEGY (detention tank)

 Scenario 3: GREY STRATEGY (treat + discharge)

Watershed-scale modeling

Change in # of Change in
Change in vol. of Change in flow to the
CSO reduction occurrence of annual runoff per year
annual sewer overflows WWTP (over do-
strategy sewer overflows (over do- (over do-
(over do-nothing case) nothing case)
nothing case) nothing case)

1. Green Down (-26%) Down (-15%) Up (+1%) Down (-3%)

2. Grey Detention Down (-26%) Down (-15%) Up (+1%) No change
3. Grey Detention +
Treatment Down (-26%) Down (-15%) No change No change
LCA Results
LCA Results
CO2 emissions associated
with GI << emissions
associated with either of
the grey approaches
LCA Results

By year 20, trees

had completely
compensated for
required O&M
activities
 Sensitivity analysis
Same conclusion even after considering all of the
uncertainty and potential variability in the LCA

Grey : treat
and discharge

Grey:
detention
Green
Implemented at the large scale, GI programs can be
viewed as a way for municipalities to significantly
reduce their carbon footprint, while simultaneously
meeting more stringent environmental goals (e.g.
controlling CSOs)
 A Building’s Water Usage: LEED points
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 Water Efficiency
 Buildings are major users of our potable water supply.
 This category encourages smarter use of water, inside
and out.
 Worth 10 points

 Water reduction is typically achieved through

◼ more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings inside
◼ water-conscious landscaping outside.
 Water Efficiency
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 Addresses:
 Efficiency
measures that reduce the amount of potable
water used to meet needs of system and occupants
 Includes:
 Indoor water for restrooms
 Outdoor water for landscaping

 Process water for industrial purposes and building systems

 Water conservation
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• Low flush toilets

• Signage for operation
 Stormwater Harvesting Strategies
 Minimize impervious areas
 Control storm water
 Harvest rain water

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 Rainwater harvest/storage
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• Rainwater
underground storage
• Landscape uses
 Rainwater harvesting at Drexel’s new Athletic
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Center

Roof
Rainwater harvesting &
Re-use for toilet flushing

Estimated annual savings:

Driveway Yard $2000 potable water

$400 runoff avoided
 Jacob K. Javits Center, NYC
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• 27,316-m2 green roof

• Observations over 4
years quantified
capture and reuse of
55% precipitation
• Increasing substrate
depth can improve
capture performance

Abualfaraj et al. 2018, doi:10.3390/w10111494

 Reclaimed water: distribution
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• Separate pipe (from potable water supply) for reclaimed water

distribution
 Constructed Wetlands
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• Wastewater treatment
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10-minute Break
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