What is the role of green stormwater infrastructure in managing extreme precipitation events?

Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is increasingly used to comply with stormwater management requirements under the Clean Water Act, but there is growing interest in leveraging GSI as part of climate change adaptation strategies. Success in contributing to this goal depends on what types of GSI are being used and how they are sized. Here we review GSI design storm requirements for the seven Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) cities in the United States. We find that while GSI in most of our study cities is designed for smaller, more common precipitation events (e.g., 1-year event) considered by current water quality regulations; GSI in several UREx cities is primarily focused on flood control and require design for much larger storms (e.g., 100-year events). In order for GSI to contribute to climate change adaptation, it is critical to ensure that design guidelines align with that goal.

Automated summary

There are differences in the design of green stormwater infrastructure for small precipitation events and large storm events in the seven cities in the United States. It is crucial to ensure that design guidelines for GSI align with climate change adaptation goals.