Stormwater management in Boston : to what extent are demonstration projects likely to enable citywide use of green infrastructure?

Abstract

Green infrastructure (GI) has been increasingly recognized as the most effective approach for major cities to manage the environmental impacts of stormwater runoff. However, adoption of this infrastructure has yet to achieve scale - in part, because these approaches can produce highly variable results and require site-specific testing to confirm cost-effectiveness. Meanwhile, pollution from runoff remains the largest source of contamination to urban waterways (NRC 2008). While green infrastructure pilot studies, called 'demonstration projects', have been conducted throughout the U.S. for several years with encouraging results, I wanted to better understand their role in furthering green infrastructure initiatives. I use the City of Boston (Boston) as a case study to explore how demonstration projects can further GI use. Boston recently entered a consent decree with the U.S. EPA and the Conservation Law Foundation to conduct three demonstration projects using GI, and to fulfill other pollution mitigation requirements. Boston will use these projects to test a variety of green infrastructural components meant to lessen the adverse impacts of runoff. To give context, I provide a brief history of stormwater management in Boston and highlight some of the current challenges that might benefit from pilot testing. After reviewing plans for these demonstration projects, along with two additional Boston-based GI projects, I discuss how these projects are designed to further the commonly cited project objectives, which include testing the physical performance of green infrastructure for expanded use, fostering interdepartmental learning to construct and maintain GI, cultivating public awareness of and support for GI, and achieving regulatory compliance. I argue that demonstration projects can have optimal impact when designed to consider testing opportunities that relate to all four objectives. I discovered that demonstration projects have particular value to cities to support fairness in stormwater discharge permit revisions. Also, green infrastructure's contribution to a healthier, urban experience is an under emphasized objective of these projects. I conclude with a recommended demonstration project methodology that can assist city planners in furthering green infrastructure initiatives.