What is EPA Doing to Support Green Infrastructure?
EPA actively supports the use of green infrastructure to manage wet weather. EPA has released a series of policy memos encouraging the use of green infrastructure to meet regulatory requirements, as well as a series of Strategic Agendas describing the actions the Agency is taking to promote green infrastructure. A central theme of recent Agendas is engaging with local communities through community partnerships and technical assistance programs.
Since 2011, EPA has established partnerships with 10 communities, and has provided technical assistance to more than 20 communities. EPA Regions are key players in all of these efforts, and many offer a wealth of targeted information on their own green infrastructure websites.
On this page:
Strategic Agenda
In October 2013, EPA released the Green Infrastructure Strategic Agenda outlining the actions the Agency intends to take to promote its effective implementation.
While the new strategy maintains the focus of previous strategies on information exchange and community engagement, the 2013 Strategic Agenda adds a new focus on making green infrastructure a part of business as usual across different levels of government. The agenda identifies five focus areas that the EPA will pursue to encourage the implementation of green infrastructure:
- Federal coordination,
- Clean Water Act regulatory support,
- Research and information exchange,
- Funding and financing, and
- Capacity building.
Community Partnerships
In April 2011, EPA recognized 10 community partners for their commitment to green infrastructure, one in each of EPA’s 10 Regions. EPA coordinated with these partners to highlight effective approaches to implementing green infrastructure and share lessons learned with other interested communities:
- Region 1: Chelsea, Massachusetts
- Region 2: Onondaga County, New York
- Region 3: Anacostia River Watershed, Maryland/Washington, DC
- Region 4: Jacksonville, Florida
- Region 5: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
- Region 6: Austin, Texas
- Region 7: Kansas City, Missouri
- Region 8: Denver, Colorado
- Region 9: Los Angeles, California
- Region 10: Puyallup, Washington
Technical Assistance
Since 2012, EPA provided technical assistance to communities across the country to support implementation of green infrastructure practices nationwide. Three additional technical assistance projects were initiated prior to 2012. The program focuses on significant technical, regulatory, and institutional barriers to green infrastructure and building community capacity by sharing lessons learned.
For a summary of results from the program see Tools, Strategies and Lessons Learned from EPA Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Projects.
In 2015, EPA convened charrettes, or intensive planning sessions, in four cities -- Albuquerque, Grand Rapids, Los Angeles and New Orleans -- to explore ways in which green infrastructure could help cities become more resilient to climate change. A summary document, Green Infrastructure and Climate Change: Collaborating to Improve Community Resiliency, outlines how each city identified issues and recommended solutions by following the same four concepts: identify benefits; collaborate across city agencies; unify solutions across disciplines; and achieve efficiencies in project implementation.
2014 Technical Assistance Program
EPA selected 14 communities to receive $860,000 in technical assistance in 2014. The focus of the program is advancing adoption of green infrastructure in the communities, while developing knowledge and tools for a national audience. The selected communities are receiving assistance for projects related to:
- community resiliency,
- brownfield redevelopment,
- operations and maintenance,
- off-site mitigation, and
- green infrastructure design.
Willow Street Green Infrastructure Design
Green Infrastructure Implementation in Fall River, Massachusetts
Buffalo NY Urban Vacant Land Assessment Protocol
Clarkesville Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy
Elements of a Green Infrastructure Maintenance Business Plan
West Side Flats Greenway Conceptual Green Infrastructure Design
Pueblo de Cochiti Green Infrastructure Concept Design
Imperial Building Site Design-Albuquerque
Towards a Resilient Future: Restoration of Ralston Creek Within Riverfront Crossings Park
Green Checklists and Renderings
Building Resilience to Drought in Ozone Park
Fairview Avenue Green Street Conceptual Design
2013 Technical Assistance Program
EPA selected five communities in 2013 to receive targeted technical assistance to support the expanded use of green infrastructure. The selected communities received a total of $400,000 for projects addressing the selection and design of green infrastructure at a range of scales, in a range of urban contexts, and in a range of climates.
Green Infrastructure Targeting in Southeast Michigan
Lincoln Urban Pollutant Reduction Strategies
Conceptual Green Infrastructure Design and Community Engagement in Gary, Indiana
Green Infrastructure Tools for Arid and Semiarid Regions
Northside Neighborhood Green Infrastructure Master Plan
2012 Technical Assistance Program
EPA selected 17 communities in 16 states in 2012 to receive targeted technical assistance to advance green infrastructure implementation. The communities were provided a total of $950,000 for projects including code review, green infrastructure design, and cost-benefit assessments. As each project is completed, EPA will develop a report documenting key findings and lessons learned.
Nitrogen-reducing Green Infrastructure in Environmental Justice Communities
Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy for the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts
Conceptual Green Infrastructure Design for Washington Street, City of Sanford
Green Infrastructure Barriers and Opportunities in Camden, New Jersey EPA worked with the partnership on this report, which presents findings from EPA’s review of regulations and standards relevant to stormwater best management practices within Camden. The report identifies opportunities to minimize impervious cover and promote environmentally sensitive site design during development and redevelopment activities. It also identifies potential barriers to implementing structural green infrastructure practices.
City of Camden Green Infrastructure Design Handbook EPA and the partnership created this handbook to provide residents, builders, city and county staff, and other interested groups with practical information on integrating green infrastructure practices within Camden. The handbook also demonstrates how particular practices can be implemented within new development and retrofit projects
Boone Boulevard Green Infrastructure Conceptual Design
Block-Scale Green Infrastructure Design for the Historic Northwest Quadrant, City of Beaufort
Green Infrastructure Barriers and Opportunities in the Macatawa Watershed, Michigan
Using Green Infrastructure to Mitigate Flooding in La Crosse, WI
Green Infrastructure Barriers and Opportunities in Dallas, Texas
Support Process Development for Assessing Green Infrastructure in Omaha, NE
Green Infrastructure Barriers and Opportunities in Neosho, Missouri Technical assistance included a code review and a design handbook. The code review identifies regulatory updates needed to encourage green infrastructure implementation and to comply with Missouri's small MS4 general permit.
City of Neosho Green Infrastructure Design Handbook The design handbook provides a primer on some of the green infrastructure techniques available to the city of Neosho; and presents two conceptual designs to demonstrate the application of those techniques.
Green Infrastructure Barriers and Opportunities in Phoenix, Arizona
Green Infrastructure Barriers and Opportunities in the Greater Los Angeles Region
District-Scale Green Infrastructure Scenarios for the Zidell Development Site, City of Portland
Expanding the Benefits of Seattle's Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Earlier Technical Assistance Projects
The Economic Benefits of Green Infrastructure: A Case Study of Lancaster, Pennsylvania