by Jbs012109d 3 — January 23, 2009—The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Botanic Garden have produced an online video, “Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In,” that highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs, and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff.
The film showcases green techniques that are being used in urban areas to reduce the effects of stormwater runoff on the quality of downstream receiving waters. EPA says the goal is to mimic the natural way water moves through an area before development by using design techniques that infiltrate, evaporate, and reuse runoff close to its source.
The techniques are innovative stormwater management practices that manage urban stormwater runoff at its source, and are reportedly very effective at reducing the volume of stormwater runoff and capturing harmful pollutants. Using vegetated areas that capture runoff also improves air quality, mitigates the effects of urban heat islands, and reduces a community’s overall carbon footprint, notes EPA.
The video highlights green techniques on display in 2008 at the US Botanic Garden’s “One Planet–Ours!” exhibit as well as techniques used at the US EPA headquarters in Washington, DC, such as recently completed cisterns.
The video is available on EPA’s Low Impact Development Web page. More information on stormwater management is available on EPA’s Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure page.
