The CITGO Chesapeake Terminal has installed a 3,000-square-foot green roof system which is designed to reduce stormwater runoff and help improve the local environment. The system integrates living plants into the building structure and is expected to eliminate almost 60,000 gallons of stormwater runoff into the nearby Elizabeth River.
The green roof incorporates the Sedum plant which stores high amounts of water and requires no maintenance throughout the life of the roof. The roof is expected to last at least 20 years.
The company says the introduction of the green roof is part of the ongoing commitment of the CITGO Chesapeake Terminal to improve the local environment and rebuild the ecosystem.
Water quality champion loses battle with pulmonary disease
The stormwater industry mourned the passing of Clark Use, who died October 6 of pulmonary disease. He was 68. Use was an owner and officer of CrystalStream Technologies, as well as the key inventor of the company's primary product, the CrystalClean Separator. Use dedicated his career to improving water quality in the realm of stormwater. He will be sadly missed by family and friends.
Stormwater treatment at Boeing Field to help protect Duwamish River
The U.S. EPA has signed an agreement with The Boeing Company to construct a new stormwater treatment system at North Boeing Field in Seattle. The treatment system will greatly reduce the amount of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are an on-going source of pollution to the Duwamish River.
With the installation of this stormwater treatment system, cleanup of Slip 4 – one of several hot spot cleanups on the waterway – will proceed in 2011. Several acres of contaminated sediments in Slip 4 will be cleaned up under an EPA settlement agreement with the City of Seattle and King County.
Recovery Act funded green roof showcased by EPA, DC
Federal and local officials recently celebrated the completion of the third largest green roof in DC. The $1.1 million project was funded in part by EPA through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 27,750 green roof sits atop the World Wildlife Fund headquarters in Northwest D.C. It will help reduce stormwater runoff to nearby Rock Creek and bring additional benefits to the urban environment.
Demand for green infrastructure projects higher than ever
A new report issued by American Rivers analyzes how the $1.2 billion of green water infrastructure funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been spent.
According to "Putting Green to Work: Economic Recovery Investments for Clean and Reliable Water," demand for green infrastructure projects has never been higher. The report highlights case studies and makes recommendations for how to best leverage future spending for clean and reliable water.
Of the 19 states studied for the report, Maryland stands out as exemplary, with the highest percentage (64 percent) of green projects. Other strong states include New York and Rhode Island, where over 40 percent of green reserve-funded projects added elements such as wetlands, green roofs and water efficiency to existing, centralized water infrastructure.
To read the report, visit americanrivers.org/greenfunding.
Stormwater infrastructure investments examined in Black & Veatch survey
A new survey from Black & Veatch includes elements of how to address combined sewer overflows and data related to billing consumers. The results of the company's eighth Stormwater Utility Survey comes at a time when utilities and local governments wrestle with numerous pressures including climate change, aging infrastructure, water quality and access to capital.
"The Black & Veatch survey provides valuable benchmark information on stormwater utility operations, user fee programs, key issues and trends that will help cities establish or enhance existing stormwater utility operations," said Prabha Kumar, Stormwater Utility Practice Lead in Black & Veatch's management consulting division.
A key finding of the survey shows that 47 percent of participants believe funding for their respective stormwater utility only meets the utility's most urgent needs, and 10 percent stated that funding was not sufficient to meet their most urgent needs.
Find the full survey results at http://www.bv.com/stormwatersurvey"
Environmental risks could cost Gulf Coast $700B, study says
Entergy Corporation and America's WETLAND Foundation released a study that shows communities along the Gulf Coast could suffer more than $350 billion in economic losses over the next 20 years due to growing environmental risks.
The study, "Building a Resilient Energy Gulf Coast," commissioned by Entergy and America's WETLAND Foundation, found that the economic losses could increase up to 65 percent by year 2030 due to economic growth and subsidence, as well as the impacts of climate change. On average, the Gulf Coast region already faces annual losses of nearly $14 billion.
A summary of the report can be found at entergy.com/gulfcoastadaptation.
Climate change adaptation report released by Task Force
The recently released Progress Report of the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force offers recommendations for how several federal agencies and programs can better prepare the United States to respond to the impacts of climate change.
In the report the Task Force identifies a set of guiding principles that public and private decision-makers should consider in designing and implementing adaptation strategies.
"I believe we need a diverse set of tools in our toolbox to effectively and efficiently respond and adapt to our changing climate," said House Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN).
The Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force is co-chaired by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Watershed projects awarded funds as compensation for 2004 oil spill
Using $20.3 million in funds from a federal trust fund, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection will restore nearly 200 acres of Salem County wetlands and grasslands, create an oyster reef, and build a public boat ramp to compensate the public for ecological harm caused to the Delaware River estuary by the massive oil spill from the tanker Athos I in 2004.
The Coast Guard awarded the DEP the money from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which is fueled by a tax on the oil industry.
Natural Resource Damage awards compensate the public for natural resources harmed by pollution as well as the public's lost benefits and enjoyment of those resources. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is funding Natural Resource Damage claims from New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania because the owner of the tanker has reached a liability cap on spill-related activities and damages.
The tanker spilled an estimated 263,000 gallons of crude oil when it punctured its hull on a submerged object while attempting to dock at the Citgo asphalt refinery at the border of West Deptford and Paulsboro on Nov. 26, 2004. The spill affected some 280 miles of shoreline to varying degrees, and shut down commerce and outdoors recreation opportunities for more than a week.
LEED-style program for water conservation to be developed
The Milwaukee Water Council and The Nature Conservancy announced the launch of the Alliance for Water Stewardship's North America Regional Initiative. The initiative, to be based in Milwaukee, is part of the Alliance for Water Stewardship's global effort to advance freshwater stewardship by helping develop sustainability standards for water use and management.
Through the Regional Initiative, water experts from businesses, cities, universities and nonprofit organizations in the United States and Canada will gather in Milwaukee over the next three years to gain and share knowledge in professional meetings, reviews and roundtables. They will work to develop voluntary water certification standards for North America and contribute to the development of a new international water stewardship program.
The Governor added that the Department of Commerce is providing a $50,000 grant to support the initiative.
Great Lakes watershed protection guidelines outlined
The New York Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council released its final report, Our Great Lakes Water Resources: Conserving and Protecting Our Water Today for Use Tomorrow. The report guides state implementation of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact by identifying key recommendations to ensure sustainable protections for New York's Great Lakes watershed.
The report was first released in draft form in June 2009 and now incorporates hundreds of citizen, industry, municipal, and scientific comments submitted and provided at public meetings. Key recommendations in the final report include: passing legislation to regulate water withdrawals statewide; increasing information collection on aquifer and stream flows; establishing incentives to promote business and residential water conservation; and investing in reduction of leaks in water infrastructure.
