“Breaking ground with a $1.6 billion plan to tame water”
FROM: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sun, Sep. 27, 2009, By Sandy Bauers
Philadelphia has announced a $1.6 billion plan to transform the city over the next 20 years by embracing its storm water – instead of hustling it down sewers and into rivers as fast as possible.
The proposal, which several experts called the nation’s most ambitious, reimagines the city as an oasis of rain gardens, green roofs, thousands of additional trees, porous pavement, and more.
All would act as sponges to absorb – or at least stall – the billions of gallons of rainwater that overwhelm the city sewer system every year.
The plan’s complex funding formula would raise rates somewhat but also attract grants and encourage private investment.
Further, the Water Department says the city’s greening would result in more jobs, higher property values, better air quality, less energy use, and even fewer deaths – from excess heat.
The plan is a radical departure from the highly engineered tunnels and sewage plant expansions cities have traditionally opted for.
“This is the most significant use of green infrastructure I’ve seen in the country, the largest scale I’ve seen,” said Jon Capacasa, regional director of water protection for the Environmental Protection Agency, which has the final say on whether the plan passes muster.
“We commend Philadelphia for breaking the ice,” he said.
Whether the plan will work as the department intends is still being analyzed by regulators and environmental experts. (This will take a while. The printed plan is 3,369 pages.)
Theoretically, it’s workable, said the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water expert, Nancy Stoner. The green techniques “are well-demonstrated,” she said. “It’s the scaling up that’s new. That’s what’s really exciting.”
