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Houston Land/Water Sustainability Forum

Houston Land/Water Sustainability Forum. ‘Vested Interest’. US Green Building Council (USGBC) – Houston Chapter International Erosion Control Association (IECA) – South Central Chapter Associate General Contractors (AGC) – Houston Chapter American Society of Civil Engineers – Houston Chapter

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Houston Land/Water Sustainability Forum

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  1. Houston Land/Water Sustainability Forum

  2. ‘Vested Interest’ US Green Building Council (USGBC) – Houston Chapter International Erosion Control Association (IECA) – South Central Chapter Associate General Contractors (AGC) – Houston Chapter American Society of Civil Engineers – Houston Chapter Houston Council of Engineering Companies (HCEC) American Institute of Architects (AIA) - Houston American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) – Houston/Gulf Coast Section Texas Coastal Watershed Program Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) Harris County Flood Control District City of Houston Public Works & Engineering Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Harris County Public Infrastructure Division Bayou Preservation Association Energy Corridor District Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT)

  3. Needs to be Filled • Gaps between disciplines • Use of integrated design teams limited • Individual constituent groups limited • Inherent tendency to narrow focus • Gaps in education • Focus on our soils, climate, topography • Focus on ‘nuts & bolts’ • Practical application rather than 5,000’ view • Driven by ‘enlightened self-interest’ • Inherent staying power of the business-minded

  4. Launched September 2007 • Change in how development done is inevitable • Current development MO is not sustainable • Incremental solutions can help reduce flooding, improve water quality and improve quality of life • EPA committed to driving ‘Green Infrastructure’ • Leadership the only viable alternative • Educational programming on sustainable development • ‘Levelers’ • In-depth Workshops • Local Case Histories • Program facilities inevitably filled to capacity • 100 to 400 seat rooms

  5. Low Impact Development - LID 101 • New tools for the engineer’s toolbox • Goal is to mimic the way nature handles water • Maintain/restore ‘sponge’ factor • Slow water for plant uptake and evaporation • Use natural filtration to cleanse polluted water • Site level, small-scale controls • Decentralized, distributed controls • Powerful cumulative impact

  6. Development Increases Runoff 70% 10% 30% 90%

  7. The High Price of Efficiency Typical Developed Curve vs LID

  8. Integrated Management Practices • Increase Time of Concentration • Disconnect & disperse drainage • Maximize sheet flow • Lengthen flow paths • Improve ‘sponge’ factor • Storm Water Management in the landscape

  9. Bioretention Bioretention cell, Rain garden, Bio-swale

  10. Bioretention - Biofiltration Infiltration if sub-soils are pervious Engineered soil mix allows rapid entry and enhances pollutant removal Geotextile separation fabric Perforated pipe sock, in gravel bed

  11. Bioretention - Biofiltration Big perforated pipe with geotextile sock, in gravel bed Geotextile separation fabric

  12. Bioretention - Biofiltration Square pipe with open web surface in sand bed

  13. Bioretention – Biofiltration - Storage Square pipe with open web surface in sand bed

  14. What Does It Look Like?

  15. Permeable Pavers To Existing Storm Sewer

  16. Kendall Library

  17. LID Benefits • Reduce runoff • Reduce downstream infrastructure needs • Improve water quality • Protect and expand habitat • Reduce costs of development • Lower initial costs (shift from hard costs to soft ) • Lower long term maintenance costs • Compliments large-scale infrastructure efforts • Reduce downstream requirements

  18. ‘Skin in the game…’

  19. Demographics • 22 submitting teams • 9 Green Roadway • 4 Urban Redevelopment • 9 Suburban Residential • 230 design professionals • Architects, Civil Engineers, Landscape Architects, Hydrologists, Urban Planners, Construction Consultants, Homebuilders, Environmentalists, Transportation Engineers, Irrigation Consultants • 52 firms represented • TX, IL, NC, GA, CO, CA, KS

  20. Expert JudgesStage One

  21. Finals Jury Panel

  22. Consistent Results • Impressive reductions in runoff • 100 yr event reduced more than 30% on avg. • Dramatic water quality improvements • Far better than manufactured solutions • Significant cost savings when compared to traditional development methods • Varied by category but 20+% on average

  23. Outcome Counterintuitive? • Mimicking nature really does work • Compatible with traditional large scale infrastructure • Validity of LID is not solely dependent on water quality values • ‘Old school’ civil firms now proselytize ‘green infrastructure’ • The single most powerful element of the competition

  24. What’s Next? • In-depth White Paper goes out in June • What you need to know to replicate the Competition • Collaborative LID Permitting Workshops in June, July, August • Develop criteria for automatic variance waiver • Get LID-based projects on the ground now • Use experience as guide for future code revisions • EPA Webcast in August

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