MWRD Dives Into Green Infrastructure
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) has just established a new Green Infrastructure Program, voting to budget $1,000,000 to the effort in 2012. This is a visionary policy advancement that will seek to alleviate basement flooding and stream pollution, while at the same time reducing the cost of stormwater management in Cook County.
MWRD’s new executive director, David St. Pierre, proposed the new program to the Board of Commissioners today at the agency’s monthly meeting. While details of the program are still being worked out, St. Pierre said he intends to use the money “to facilitate the planning, design, and construction of multiple GI projects throughout Cook County in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, including non-profit groups and municipalities.”
Green infrastructure, or GI, includes projects that infiltrate stormwater into the ground, helping reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that enters sewers and streams. Rain gardens and pervious pavement are typical examples.
In his remarks, St. Pierre referred to CNT and its current green infrastructure projects as potential models for the new MWRD program. Hal Sprague, Manager of Water Policy at CNT, spoke in support of the initiative at the board meeting and answered questions from the commissioners on how CNT and other organizations might play a role in its implementation.
To learn more about CNT’s water initiatives, go to: http://www.cnt.org/water/
