Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure
Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure
Green Infrastructure Municipal Toolkit
Permeable Pavement
Developers' Green Infrastructure Guide
Stormwater Camp in Sussex County
Stormwater never travels alone.
Under today’s climate trends, the art and science of managing stormwater is getting more complicated. Even moderate rain events and brief but powerful downpours cause flooding, and carry pollutants like motor oil, trash, fertilizer, pesticides, and animal waste into local bodies of water, making many of our waterways unsuitable for recreation. Stormwater runoff pollutes the majority of New Jersey’s rivers, streams, and lakes.
Green infrastructure (GI) helps address these problems. On a given site, GI can be designed to capture the rainfall from at least 90% of rain events, preventing runoff that leads to pollution and flooding. GI techniques enable stormwater and melting snow to soak into soils near where they fall or be captured for a beneficial re-use such as irrigation or flushing toilets. Keeping runoff out of the storm sewer system improves water quality and minimizes localized flooding. GI also delivers multiple associated benefits. It cleans and conserves the world’s most precious resource, reduces flooding, improves public health, provides jobs, raises property values, beautifies neighborhoods, and supports wildlife.
Examples of GI include street trees, pervious pavement, rain gardens, rain barrels and cisterns, green roofs, and vegetated swales.
Learn how to make GI a mainstream practice in your municipality using the Green Infrastructure Municipal Toolkit or in your development project using the Developers Green Infrastructure Guide 2.0.
Our Program
Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure is a program aimed at moving green stormwater infrastructure practices into common practice. Years ago, green building standards such as LEED were considered eccentric and expensive. Now, they are understood to be the smart way to build. The same thing is happening with green infrastructure. An important paradigm shift has accelerated the mainstreaming process: the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection updated its stormwater rule, which takes effect in March 2021, to mandate the use of green infrastructure to meet the rule’s stormwater management requirements. The implications of this rule change will affect many, but not all, developments. There is more work to be done to improve water quality and reduce flooding.
To ensure successful and widespread implementation of GI New Jersey Future works with:
- State agencies to update and improve rules, manuals, standards, programs, and review processes to facilitate GI.
- Developers to promote and advance the implementation of GI, and to encourage and assist a group of developers to act as ambassadors to the industry.
- Municipalities to understand local challenges to green infrastructure implementation and develop solutions.
Download a factsheet to learn more about this program.
Our Work with State Agencies
New Jersey Future is working with state agencies to update and improve rules, manuals, standards, and programs to facilitate and incentivize the use of green infrastructure.
For example, we collaborated with our partners in the building and environmental communities to advocate for amendments to the state’s stormwater management rules (NJAC 7:8). New Jersey Future is continuing work with our partners to advocate for further state-level improvements to mainstream green infrastructure.
Our Work with Developers
Photo courtesy of PaverGuide
GI can offer a powerful return on investment. New Jersey Future partners with the New Jersey Builders Association to convene the Developers Green Infrastructure Task Force, which helps New Jersey’s developers and their design professionals learn about, finance, and build green infrastructure. The task force includes developers, engineers, green infrastructure experts, and attorneys who advise and assist this important work and act as ambassadors to the industry.
The Developers Green Infrastructure Guide, a product of the Task Force, breaks down New Jersey’s Stormwater Rule amendments and helps developers and decision makers understand green infrastructure options (even for challenging sites), advantages, costs, and benefits.
Our Work with Municipalities
New Jersey Future and partners install a rain garden in Newton.
Municipalities are on the front lines of installing GI on municipally-owned land including city hall, public parks, local streets and sidewalks. In addition, municipalities are required to update their stormwater control ordinances by March of 2021.
We provide resources for municipalities in our Green Infrastructure Municipal Toolkit to:
- Comply with NJDEP’s stormwater rules;
- Plan the right GI for their towns;
- Implement their plans; and
- Sustain the good work with training, community engagement, and maintenance.
To learn more about how to plan, implement, and sustain GI in municipalities, view the recently-updated Green Infrastructure Municipal Toolkit.
Fact Sheets and Brochures
Mainstreaming Green Infrastructure Fact Sheet
New Jersey Green Infrastructure Municipal Toolkit
Developers Green Infrastructure Guide 2.0
Much of New Jersey Future’s work to mainstream green infrastructure
is supported by a grant from the William Penn Foundation.
Email us for more information (greeninfrastructure
njfuture
org)
Future Facts
Despite New Jersey facing growing flood risks, the federal government is now targeting low-cost solutions like green infrastructure for funding cuts to reduce spending. Green Infrastructure absorbs and slows stormwater runoff, curbs flooding in communities, and reduces the pollution that reaches waterways; however, green infrastructure needs broad implementation to make a difference. The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) previously provided federal funding for projects that incorporated green infrastructure, but staff with the Urban Institute shared a leaked memo revealing new priorities.
Funding, funding, funding–the chorus frequently heard at the inception of almost every community improvement project. Financing remains one of the largest obstacles to infrastructure improvements.
Budd Lake, New Jersey’s largest natural freshwater body, was once an attractive vacation spot in North Jersey during the latter half of the 19th century for sunbathing, swimming, boating, and nearby attractions that have continued to today. Now, Budd Lake faces water quality impairments that threaten the recreation season and associated economic activities.
“Stormwater follows watershed boundaries, not political boundaries,” said Dr. Dan Van Abs, Professor at Rutgers University, during the 2024 New Jersey Planning & Redevelopment Conference (PRC). Many of New Jersey’s 564 municipalities grapple with flooding issues. For some, it is not uncommon for as little as three inches of rainfall to grind daily life to a halt.
The future of New Jersey’s water relies on commitment to equitable decision-making to solve legacy water infrastructure issues like lead service line replacement, combined sewer overflows, coastal and riverine flooding, and upgrading water infrastructure. By working together to address the growing needs of our water systems, we can properly mitigate the stress they will face with growing and more frequent storms fueled by climate change, and ensure that natural and tap waters are free from contaminants to support healthy and resilient communities across the state.
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