2007 IWEA Annual Conference

Green Infrastructure for the

City of Indianapolis

Tim Method-Environmental

Coordinator

November 14, 2007

The Indy GreenPrint Includes Action Plans to Address the Following Areas :•Energy and Emissions•Natural Resource Stewardship•Materials and Waste Management•Smart Transit•People-Oriented Development•Community Education

The Vision: The Indy Green Print sets a vision for a sustainable Indianapolis that contributes to climate protection and promotes energy efficiency and conservation, one solution at a time.

For More Information:http://www.indygov.org/eGov/Mayor/GreenPrint/home.htm

• City Action Steps identified for each category

– City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

– Stormwater Green Infrastructure Guidance Document

– Many More in each category

• Green Commission for Community Action Plan

- Energy and Emissions Committee

- Sustainable Building Practices

- Natural Resources Committee

- Smart Development Committee

• Commission Initial Action Plan by December 2007

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines (work in progress)

Objectives: • Develop general Green Guidelines for city staff to

– use in the design/planning stage of each capital project (streets, wastewater treatment plants, sewers, stormwater)

– Identify standard contract language to implement agreed upon policies/approaches for:

• Purchasing• Vehicle/machinery usage• Drainage• Disposal/reuse practices• Energy efficiency and alternatives• Materials• Land use/development

as applicable for each city project.

• Provide training/awareness for all city staff involved in capital projects and management of construction related City operations work

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

• Premised on LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

• LEED – Design/Construction Practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and on occupants in five broad areas:

– Sustainable site planning– Safeguarding water and water efficiency– Energy efficiency and renewable energy– Conservation of materials and resources– Indoor environmental quality

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

• LEED: – New construction– Existing buildings– Commercial interiors– Core and Shell– Schools– Healthcare– Neighborhood Development– Homes

• Benefits:– Environmental: reduce impacts on natural resources– Economic: save money on operations– Health/Safety: enhance occupants comfort and health– Community: minimize strain on local infrastructure and improve quality of life

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

• City Capital Improvement Projects

Wastewater

• Sewer rehabilitation (DPW)

• New Sewers/Tunnels (DPW)

• STEP projects (DPW)

• Lift Stations (DPW)

• AWT Construction/Rehab

Stormwater/Drainage projects (DPW/DMD/DPR)

• use City Green Infrastructure Guidance Document

• factor in proper maintenance

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

Road construction (DPW)• City and INDOT projects

City Facilities• Construction of new buildings/ land alteration (DPW/DPR/DMD)

– LEED certification or principles• Facilities modifications and additions (DPW/DPR/DMD)• Park land design (DPR)

– Best practices in park design/management through Park Master Plans

– Creation of wetlands and other natural areas – AWT building structures/land alteration (DPW)– LEED certification or principles

• AWT facility modifications and additions (DPW)• Demolition (DPW/DPR/DMD)

– establish targets for material reuse and recycling

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

City OperationsWater services

• apply construction guidelines to minor capital projects throughUnited Water contract and direct City projects

• Apply to ditch, stream, levee maintenance activitiesStreet maintenance (DPW/DPR)

• Street/Parking lot Resurfacing– reuse all materials– factor in asphalt plants– vehicle/machinery usage– drainage, if applicable– Consider using recycled tire material in parks parking lots

• Curbs and Sidewalks (DPW)– reuse materials to extent practical– vehicle/machinery usage

• Traffic Lights (DPW)– LEDs– Traffic management

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

Maintenance and operations of Parks (DPR)• Splash Parks

– Explore options to recycle water, if possible• Resurfacing/constructing basketball/tennis courts

– Include recycled tire material• Rehabilitating/creating turf sports fields (football/soccer)

– Consider incorporating recycled tire material (and explore other best practices)• Trail Development

– Integrate best practices for trail location and surfacing– Drainage considerations

• Parks vegetation management – - Golf Courses/maintenance/land stewardship/forestry– BMPs for any pesticides, herbicides, maintenance Lighting in Parks– Reduce lights in parks to the greatest extent possible, without compromising

safety• Streambank restoration (DPW/DPR)

– Incorporate BMPs along stream corridors to the extent possible

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

• Coordination on economic development projects (public and private) with city investment or involvement (DMD)

– incorporate city green guidelines where possible• Affordable housing (DMD)

– incorporate city green guidelines where possible + HOME green guidelines

• Others– porous pavement if appropriate – landscaping/trees considered for each project– consider alternative energy sources such as geothermal, wind, solar

wherever practical– energy efficiency guidelines for each project– city practices should correspond to what’s sought in City permits/zoning

commitments for private sector– measure results for energy, recycle/reuse, drainage– Incorporate staff training/public education element

City Green Construction/Operation Guidelines

Next Steps

- Complete City Guidance Document

- Train Staff

- Incorporate Guidelines into everyday planning and operations

- Modify continuously

Examples – United Water Contract

AWT/Collection System O&M Contract – United Water (October 2007)

- implement GreenPrint policies (e.g., city green guidelines, energy efficiency, mandatory recycling, anti-idling)

- Environmental Partnership Program:- Green Infrastructure Matching Grant Program

- Purchase of Green Power (20%)- 5000 trees as part of Neighborwoods- 5 new splash parks- expansion of City’s Mobile Environmental Education Program

- Contractor to conduct thorough system-wide evaluation and make recommendations on energy efficiency, alternative energy sources and material resource management

Examples – Solid Waste Disposal/Recycling Services RFP

Solid Waste Disposal/Recycling Services RFP (Proposals due November 2007)

- Implement GreenPrint policies (e.g., city green guidelines, energy efficiency, mandatory recycling, anti-idling)

- Pursue LEED certification (or comparable system) for any new structures

- Evaluate energy and fleet usage for opportunities for efficiencies and alternative energy sources

Indianapolis Stormwater Design and Construction Specifications

Manual

•The Stormwater Design and Construction Manual has been in use since 1995

•Updated only once with water quality standards in 2004

•Purpose of update is to better serve the residents of Indianapolis by determining the most up to date content for the manual, addressing common misinterpretations and address regulation changes

Major Issues for Update:

•Downstream Impacts of Developing Properties

•Redevelopment Standards

•Maintenance Responsibility

•Water Quality

•Administrative “clean up”

•Create Green Infrastructure Document

Green Infrastructure for the City of Indianapolis:

Creating a Stormwater

Green Infrastructure

Manual

Why Green Infrastructure?

• Redevelopment and New Development continues in the City, placing a higher demand on current stormwater/sanitary infrastructure

• Typical land development techniques causes an increase in impervious surface– Increase in impervious surface = increase in

stormwater quantity– Increase in impervious surface = decrease in

water quality• Current City infrastructure cannot support

the volume of water generated during wet weather events (especially in the combined sewer area)– Flooding– Increase volume of stormwater being

treated by the wastewater treatment plants– Raw Sewage in combined sewer areas going

into local water bodies

=

Why Green Infrastructure?

• City Currently has the Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) in Place– Primarily uses hard infrastructure

(pipes, tunnels, storage vaults)• City requires all development disturbing

½ acre or more to integrate best management practices (BMPs) to further manage stormwater quality and quantity– 80% Total Suspended Solid (TSS)

removal• Currently the City has 40-80 storms per

year causing overflows • The LTCP will bring this number down to

2-4 storms per year by 2025• Shift of Stormwater Design

Paradigm: reduce impervious cover and disconnect impervious surface at development and redevelopment sites

Green Infrastructure

• EPA has made green infrastructure a priority encouraging cities to use innovative design:– “Green infrastructure can be both a

cost effective and an environmentally preferable approach to reduce stormwater and other excess flows entering combined or separate sewer systems in combination with or in lieu of, centralized hard infrastructure solutions.”

• Types of green infrastructure– Green Roofs– Trees and tree boxes– Porous Pavement– Low Impact Development:– Rain Gardens– Vegetated Swales– Pocket Wetlands– Vegetated Median Strips

Creating Stormwater Green Infrastructure Manual - Incentives

• Create Document Outlining Incentives– Ancillary Benefits– Reduced Strormwater Quality Sizing Criteria– Reduced Stormwater Quantity Sizing Criteria– Reduced Stormwater Utility Fee

• Create Green Design Fact Sheets• Conduct Policy and Technical Discussion Forums to Obtain

Input on Incentives and Manual:– Policy : Identify language/barriers in existing City/State

regulations that discourage the use of green infrastructure/LID techniques

– Technical: Provide review of green design fact sheets• Finalize Stormwater Green Incentives Document

and Design Fact Sheets• Educate Private/Public through Workshops,

Demonstration Sites, and Symposiums• Use Website to Provide Information on Manual and

Green Infrastructure Practices

Benefits of Utilizing Green Infrastructure in Stormwater Design:

Ancillary Benefits

• Possibly cover more than one requirement (i.e. landscape requirement and stormwater requirement)

• Cleaner Water• Enhance Water Supplies• Cleaner Air • Reduced Urban Temperatures• Increased Energy Efficiency• Community Benefits• Cost Savings

Benefits of Utilizing Green Infrastructure in Stormwater Design: Ancillary Benefits

NEED TO ADD FIGURE OF GREEN ROOF

Benefits of Utilizing Green Infrastructure in Stormwater Design:

Reduction in Stormwater Sizing Criteria

• Water Quality Volume sizing criteria is directly related to percent impervious surface

• Water Quantity Volume can be reduced by lowering Curve Number (CN)

• Green Incentives document will provide site design examples and impervious area reduction spreadsheet

(Source: Philadelphia Stormwater Guidance Manual)

Benefits of Utilizing Green Infrastructure in Stormwater Design:

Reduction in Stormwater Utility Fee

• Stormwater utility fee is directly related to the percent of impervious surface

• By reducing the effective impervious footprint of new development or redevelopment the property owner can reduce his/her fee either directly by reduction of impervious surface or through the credit program by using BMPs that reduce the “effective” imperviousness of the site.

Community Benefits• In contrast to traditional stormwater management

techniques (e.g. buried stormwater pipes, mechanical BMP devices), green infrastructure is often blended within the urban landscape creating both a functional and educational stormwater palette. – Pedestrian trails, roof tops, and city sidewalks are all

easily and frequently used and/or viewed by patrons.

• Neighborhood revitalization• City beautification efforts• Public/Private opportunities

Community Benefits: Local Examples

• Indianapolis Cultural Trail– Integrating functional stormwater planters/rain

garden areas into design– Over 5 year study period would keep 1.2 million

gallons out of the combined sewer system• 91% of all runoff volume would be collected

– Integrating permeable brick pavers into parking area would increase this number

– Great potential for Public Education/Awareness

• E10th and Rural Street (Moon Block Building)– Community developer gave presentation at

GRHC conference displaying a conceptual idea for a small commercial building

– Several private companies donated time and materials to complete this vision and conceptual design

– Green Roof was completed in June 2007– Rain gardens and rain barrels will also be used

at this site which resides on a corner lot w/ heavy pedestrian traffic

– Over 60 city officials, designers, professionals have been up on this rooftop

Cultural Trail: East Corridor http://www.indyculturaltrail.info/east.html

Green Roof: East 10th and Rural

Create Green Design Fact Sheets

• Downspout Disconnection • Rain Barrels• Cisterns• Rain Gardens • Green Roofs• Rooftop Storage• Stormwater Trees

– Tree Preservation Credit– Tree Planting Credit

• Porous Pavement • Bioretention• Onsite Filtering Practices • Pocket Wetlands • French Drains and Dry Wells• Infiltration Sumps

(Source: Philadelphia Stormwater Guidance Manual)

Green Infrastructure Next Steps

• Conduct Public Information Sessions• Continue to enlist assistance of interested

designers, engineers, citizens and other disciplines to advise on incentives, barriers, technical issues and effective communication and outreach

• Complete Green Infrastructure Document and Stormwater Design Manual Update (Spring 2008)

• Implement Manual • Continue Education/Outreach efforts to

promote green infrastructure

Public Information Session Green Roofs

Public Information SessionLow Impact Development

Public Information SessionPervious Pavement

Questions:

ContactTim Method

Environmental CoordinatorIndianapolis Department

ofPublic Works

tmethod@indygov.org317-327-4949