Houston Land/Water Sustainability Forum

‘Vested Interest’

Needs to be FilledGaps between disciplines

– Use of integrated design teams limited Individual constituent groups limited

– Inherent tendency to narrow focusGaps in education

– Focus on our soils, climate, topographyFocus on ‘nuts & bolts’

– Practical application rather than 5,000’ viewDriven by ‘enlightened self-interest’

– Inherent staying power of the business-minded

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

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

70%

30%

10%

90%

Development Increases Runoff

The High Price of Efficiency

Typical Developed Curve vs LID

Discharge Comparision

-0.02

0.00

0.02

0.04

13:55 14:24 14:52 15:21 15:50 16:19

Time, April 6, 2001

Disc

harg

e,

cfs/

acre

LID Q

Conv. Q

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

Bioretention

Bioretention cell, Rain garden, Bio-swale

Infiltration if sub-soils are pervious

Engineered soil mix allows rapid entry

and enhances pollutant removal

Perforated pipe sock, in gravel bed

Bioretention - Biofiltration

Geotextile separation fabric

Big perforated pipe with geotextile sock, in gravel bed

Bioretention - Biofiltration

Geotextile separation fabric

Bioretention - Biofiltration

Square pipe with open web surface in sand bed

Bioretention – Biofiltration - Storage

Square pipe with open web surface in sand bed

What Does It Look Like?

Permeable Pavers

To Existing Storm Sewer

Kendall Library

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

‘Skin in the game…’

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

Expert JudgesStage One

Finals Jury PanelAmer Al-Nahhas

SpawGlass Civil ConstructionRichard Johnson

Rice University - Center for Sustainability

John Blount Harris County Public Infrastructure Department

Frank LiuLovett Homes

Ralph DeLeonCity of Houston TIRZ 15

David Nussbaum Mischer Investments, LP

Commissioner Sylvia R. GarciaHarris County Precinct 2

Jimmy PappasCorinthian Development

Dan GilbaneGilbane Building Company

Ian PowellPresident-Elect, AIA Houston

Christopher GilbertGeneral Growth Properties, Inc.

Perry SennPeron Development

Carol Ellinger Haddock American Society of Civil Engineers – Houston

Andrew SteffenHines Interests

Terry HersheyBayou Preservation Association

Mike Talbott Harris County Flood Control District

David HightowerThe Wolff Companies

Dov WeitmanU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Bill HuntsingerMetro National Corporation

Ed WulfeWulfe & Company

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

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

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