Green roof studies
June 7, 2008 by stormwaterWe’ve seen varying claims on the hydrologic effects of green roofs. More studies like this one seem to be happening all the time.
This is why we do Stormwater Management
May 10, 2008 by stormwater
An impressive series of video from Vice TV on the garbage patch in the middle of the Pacific.
It is all about PLASTICS. We pull a lot of it from stormwater facilities we maintain. Too bad the majority in the world is missed.
Twelve parts to this series, so it is a time committment. Start the story here.
Short on time? Skip to their arrival at the patch in part 9 here.
Recycled Pervious Paving
April 4, 2008 by stormwater
Firestone is marketing a pervious paving product made from recycled tire material. Applications for vehicular use seem sketchy, but a sweet specification for hardscapes and walks. Check it out at http://www.firestonesp.com/sustainable_products.asp.
Living in the Floodplain - your problem, or someone elses?
March 17, 2008 by stormwaterInteresting flooding vs drinking water situation on the Delaware River, with impacts ranging from folks living in the floodplain to the water supply of NYC.
Read it all here.
Minimize Risks: Specify Micro-scale Practices
February 10, 2008 by stormwaterYet another horrifying example of the dangers of larger facilities, this time in Hawaii. A terribly awful story, and a brave Mom named . Read it here.
Pervious Paving Research
February 1, 2008 by stormwaterFrom RMC Research & Education Foundation:
The RMC Research & Education Foundation is proud to announce the release of its latest pervious concrete research report. The study Portland Cement Pervious Concrete Pavement: Field Performance Investigation on Parking Lot and Roadway Pavements was conducted at Cleveland State University over a three-year period. Field observations and testing were conducted at sites in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado, and Pennsylvania with results validating that pervious concrete has performed well in freeze-thaw environments, with little maintenance required.
Notable points Comment: Little Maintenance required - music to our ears, if it holds up. Inclusion of freeze-thaw climate areas should answer some questions that have been lingering for some.
Community Garden Rainwater Harvesting Freebie!
February 1, 2008 by stormwaterVia Therese Ciesinski, Senior Editor: Organic Gardening Magazine
Do you know a community garden that could use the
donation of a rainwater harvesting system?
Last year, Organic Gardening magazine provided
rainwater harvesting systems to 20 community gardens
around North America as part of our Waterworks
project. The effort was a great success. Our sponsors,
Aveeno and Nature’s Path, gained a true appreciation
for the important benefits community gardens bring to
their participants and neighborhoods.
We are planning to bring this program to 15 more
gardens in 2008. Right now, we are in search of worthy
gardens to consider for this year’s program. To that
end, we have posted an application on our Website,
which you will find here (along with brief profiles of
the gardens we worked with last year):
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-2-10-1531,00.html
She invites you to apply for any garden you are involved
with and ask that you please share this with any other
community gardeners you are in touch with.
If you have questions, contact at therese.ciesinski at rodale.com
East Coast Green Street Designer Sought for Panel at CNU XVI
February 1, 2008 by stormwaterFrom Mary Vogel of PlanGreen:
The Congress for New Urbanism is seeking a panel member who has
designed and seen built green streets (streets whose stormwater is
treated with bioretention) anywhere on the East Coast for its upcoming
Congress, April 3-6 in Austin, TX. Because of CNU’s orientation, the
more urban the street(s), the better. (We do have some fine examples
on the West Coast, with more to come.)
If you yourself are qualified and interested, or if you know someone
who is, please get in touch with Mary at maryvogel at yahoo.com
Lowe’s: Retail’s Stormwater Leader?
January 20, 2008 by stormwaterWith a national commitment on stormwater for all of their operating stores, Lowe’s is emerging as the leader among major retailers. They are demonstrating over and over that there is value in doing the right thing.
Read about the latest here.
A few Snippets:
… Anthony Iarrapino said planning for the Essex site “was emblematic of a new approach — to leave the watershed better than they found it.” Lowe’s says a “state-of-the-art stormwater treatment system” in Essex will “contribute a significant part in improving water quality in the Sunderland Brook watershed.”
“The Lowe’s settlement is a model for how development can go forward and not make the problem worse,” he said. “Lowe’s is a great example of a company stepping up, spending the money and doing the right thing.”
Spanked!
January 17, 2008 by stormwaterIt looks like these guys have a start on what’s coming to them, to the tune of $20,000,000.00. That’s a lot of zeros. The last paragraph below seems to put them into perspective. Maybe it is just the bad press coverage, but they certainly seem like a bunch of low lifes…. how do folks like this sleep at night? Never can tell, could be wrong - maybe it’s just the image put out there.
Read it all here.
“The country’s fourth-largest coal producer, Massey Energy Co., will pay a $20 million fine as part of a settlement with the government over allegations it routinely polluted hundreds of streams and waterways in West Virginia and Kentucky with sediment-filled waste water and coal slurry….
…Currently its president and chairman, Don Blankenship, is at the center of conflict of interest allegations involving the chief justice of West Virginia’s supreme court. Photographs surfaced with Blankenship and the justice, Elliott Maynard, socializing together on the Mediterranean last summer _ four months before the court in a 3-2 decision with Maynard in the majority reversed a $76.3 million judgment against Massey in a dispute brought by a bankrupt coal company. Other problems facing Massey include a $219.8 million jury verdict awarded to Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. in a contract dispute and a record $1.5 million in fines by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration for safety violations involving the deaths of two miners in a January 2006 mine fire. The fire at the Aracoma Alma No. 1 Mine in Logan County, W.Va., also is the subject of a federal criminal investigation. “
