Green infrastructure examples play a major role in modern stormwater management systems, helping communities reduce runoff, improve water quality, and create more sustainable urban environments. Communities all over the world want to ensure the protection of their water quality while also ensuring they receive maximum benefits from every investment made. Many are conserving, enhancing, or restoring natural areas while also developing green infrastructure like rain gardens, bioretention facilities, vegetated roofs, and other stormwater best management practices designed to imitate natural systems for the sake of stormwater runoff management.
Green infrastructure elements are the term used to describe these practices and others that make use of or imitate natural resources in order to manage and treat stormwater runoff. Instead of treating runoff as waste, green stormwater infrastructure helps slow, capture, filter, and infiltrate water through natural or engineered systems before it overwhelms traditional drainage infrastructure. This approach supports more effective urban stormwater management while reducing strain on storm sewer systems and local waterways.
There are a number of common stormwater BMP examples and green infrastructure elements that can be found in many communities.
Common Green Infrastructure Examples for Stormwater Management
Many modern stormwater management systems use a combination of green infrastructure elements to improve drainage, reduce flooding risks, and support long-term environmental sustainability. Some of the most common examples include rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavement systems, planter boxes, and stormwater green streets.
Rain Gardens
Rain garden is a term normally used to describe areas that have been planted in order to capture and treat rainwater. These systems are one of the most widely used stormwater management best practices in residential and urban environments. Sometimes referred to as Bioretention facilities, many communities construct rain gardens adjacent to sidewalks and roadways for the purpose of collecting and managing stormwater. They are landscaped or vegetated depressions created with engineered layers of soil that helps treat stormwater runoff before it infiltrates into the underlying soil.
How a Rain Garden Works:
- Runoff flows along the curb line and street gutter into the rain garden’s inlet.
- Water permeates through the engineered sandy soil layer on top, then filters through the stone layer below.
- The filtered water seeps into the ground through infiltration, recharging soil moisture and groundwater.
- Trees and plants absorb remaining water through evapotranspiration; residual moisture evaporates after rain stops.
- During heavy storms, overflow bypasses the inlet and drains directly to the catch basin as a safety relief.
Stormwater Green Streets
Stormwater green streets are planted areas akin to rain gardens that are designed for the collection and management of stormwater that has run off streets and sidewalks. These systems are commonly used in urban stormwater management projects to help reduce runoff and improve drainage performance in densely developed areas. Stormwater green streets are however normally constructed in the roadway and are often bigger than rain gardens, with varying lengths, soil depths, and widths depending on the particular roadway’s individual characteristics.
Permeable Pavements
Permeable pavements make use of a wide array of techniques and materials including porous concrete or permeable pavers to enable water to get in between paving materials and then infiltrate into the earth. Permeable pavements are able to be used in place of the traditional concrete or asphalt, which are impervious to water. They are a common component of green stormwater infrastructure because they help improve infiltration and support better water runoff control.
Rain Barrels and Cisterns
Rain barrels and cisterns are receptacles that are watertight and designed for the capture and storing of stormwater from roofs and other surfaces that water cannot penetrate. Cisterns are frequently bigger than rain barrels and are more commonly installed at commercial properties. Cisterns can be situated either underground, on an elevated stand, or at ground level.
Rain barrels are often found in residential settings and connect to a roof’s existing downspout, allowing stormwater to be reused for the purposes of landscaping and watering plants.
Bioswales
A bioswale, also known as a dry swale, is the name given to a wide and shallow channel with bottom and side slopes that are covered by dense native vegetation. There are natural swales and they can also be constructed with the aim of promoting infiltration, reducing stormwater runoff’s flow velocity, and making the most of the time water spends in the swale to aid in the trapping of silt and particulate pollutants.
Bioswales are in common use around car parks, where pollution from automobiles that runs off of the parking lot can be treated prior to it entering the watershed. These systems are especially valuable for stormwater runoff management because they help slow water flow while naturally filtering pollutants before they reach nearby waterways.
Key Functions of a Bioswale:
- Slows stormwater runoff velocity, reducing erosion and downstream flooding
- Traps silt and particulate pollutants through dense native vegetation
- Promotes infiltration, allowing filtered water to recharge groundwater
- Commonly installed around parking lots and roadways to treat automotive runoff before it enters the watershed
Planter Boxes
Planter box is the name given to urban rain gardens that have vertical walls and come with bottoms that can be either open or closed. Planter boxes are normally located in downtown areas and are responsible for the collection and absorption of runoff from parking lots, sidewalks, and streets.
Planter boxes are particularly suited for use in areas that may have a limited amount of space and are an effective method of beautifying city streets.
As communities continue investing in more sustainable stormwater management systems, green infrastructure remains one of the most effective long-term strategies for reducing runoff, improving water quality, and supporting resilient site development.
Building More Sustainable Stormwater Management Systems
Muller, Inc. has been an industry leader in stormwater management and green infrastructure for over fifteen years. Our certified team of green infrastructure experts has experience installing and maintaining all types of green infrastructure and stormwater best management practices throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Whether you are planning a commercial development, municipal improvement project, or large-scale site development initiative, Muller provides expert guidance for effective stormwater runoff management and green infrastructure implementation.
Contact us today via our website to discuss your stormwater management needs.
