Stormwater

View of Hollywood Reservoir with palm trees in foreground and Los Angeles neighobrhoods in background.

California's Stormwater Potential

A new study reveals that if California could collect and treat more stormwater in cities, it could provide enough water to supply a quarter of the state’s urban population.

March 4, 2024 - Cal Matters

Zebra crosswalk with raised curb extensions and bioswale on small street with parked cars and mature trees.

How Capturing Rainwater Can Make Cities Safer, More Resilient

Green infrastructure can help prevent flooding and replenish groundwater supplies, preventing subsidence that makes land sink.

March 3, 2024 - Wired

View from shore of Sepulveda Basin water catchment basin with marsh plants along shore.

LA’s ‘Spongy’ Infrastructure Captured Almost 9 Billion Gallons of Water

The city is turning away from stormwater management practices that shuttle water to the ocean, building infrastructure that collects and directs it underground instead.

February 25, 2024 - Wired

Three people harvesting crops from rooftop community garden.

How Cities Can Support Urban Gardeners

Urban agriculture can provide green spaces, fresh food, and healthy activities, but urban gardeners and foragers face many obstacles.

November 2, 2023 - The Architect's Newspaper

Sepia-toned photo of flooded street with residential home

Chicago Flood Mitigation Scrambles to Keep up With Climate Change

The city’s geography and the growing intensity of storms due to climate change are making it difficult for local officials to prevent neighborhood flooding and wastewater spills.

July 20, 2023 - Governing

Suwanee river with tall trees along the banks in northern Florida

Florida Boosts Rural Infrastructure Fund

Five rural communities will receive $15 million under a new law designed to assist rural areas in developing their infrastructure.

June 19, 2023 - Fort Myers News-Press

Green alley under construction

Green Alleys: A New Paradigm for Stormwater Management

Rather than shuttling stormwater away from the city and into the ocean as quickly as possible, Los Angeles is now—slowly—moving toward a ‘city-as-sponge’ approach that would capture and reclaim more water to recharge crucial reservoirs.

February 2, 2023 - Curbed

View of Los Angeles River at Glendale Narrows segment with tree and overpass

Downpours Yield 33 Billion Gallons of Captured Stormwater in L.A. County

County officials hope reclamation efforts will help the region reduce its dependence on imported water supplies.

January 19, 2023 - ABC7

The Pearl River floods with brown near downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

Costs to Fix Jackson's Water System Estimated at $1 Billion

Planning and funding are both in dire need in Jackson, Mississippi. The question is who should be in charge of all the planning and funding.

September 28, 2022 - Mississippi Free Press

The Pearl River floods with brown near downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

Water Supply Failure in Jackson, Mississippi

A catastrophic failure of the water supply in Jackson is leaving state and local officials scrambling to deliver clean water to some 180,000 residents of the state’s capital.

August 30, 2022 - Mississippi Free Press

Flooding at the Whitehall Street station, New York

New York City Plans To Boost Resilience Against Floods

How the city is taking action on green infrastructure and stormwater projects to protect neighborhoods from the rising risk of catastrophic flooding.

April 17, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Wastewater California

Wastewater System Upgrade Plans Already Out of Date

Some Midwest cities' plans to upgrade decades-old sewer systems rely on outdated rainfall predictions as flood risks grow due to climate change and shifting weather patterns.

March 10, 2022 - Grist

U.S. Capital

The Lesser-Known Programs in the Infrastructure Bill

While the focus has been on flashier components of the infrastructure bill, some smaller initiatives could have outsized impacts by shifting priorities and funding resilience efforts.

January 23, 2022 - Governing

The Colorado River is flooded with brown water with the skyline of Austin, Texas in the background.

New Stormwater Resilience Measures Approved in Austin

The Austin City Council adopted the latest in a series of measures intended to improve the city's stormwater resilience after experiencing repeated flooding events in the past decade.

October 20, 2021 - Austin Monitor

An illustration of rain clouds gathered over the U.S. Midwest, with the city of Detroit called out on the map.

Flooding in the Midwest Shows There's No Refuge From Climate Change

While projections say areas of the U.S. Midwest around the Great Lakes will become more hospitable as the climate changes, stormwater and flooding is still a challenge in a surprising number of locations.

September 16, 2021 - Yahoo News

Texas Flood

Are Tall Buildings Safer When It Floods?

Conventional wisdom is that the most resilient city is that keeps high-density housing out of flood zones. But if flooding can happen miles inland, is that still true?

September 13, 2021 - Michael Lewyn

New York politicians, including Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Bill de Blasio, gather in front of microphones for a press conference.

New Light on Basement Apartments in NYC After Ida's Tragedies

Basement apartments were the least safe place to be as the remnants of Hurricane Ida sent floodwaters ripping through the Northeast.

September 8, 2021 - The New York Times

A sign indicates closures on the New York Subway as the result of heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

Ida Takes a Deadly Toll in the Northeast

Hurricane Ida passed through New Orleans, knocking out power causing extensive damage along the Gulf Coast. Then it moved to the Northeast, killing dozens of people with flooding caused by heavy rains.

September 3, 2021 - New York Post

Sea Level

The Changing Risks of Coastal Communities

An excerpt from "A Blueprint for Coastal Adaptation: Uniting Design, Economics, and Policy," published in May by Island Press.

June 17, 2021 - Carolyn Kousky

Stormwater

Cars Pollute in More Ways Than One

Tires wear down and shed toxic microplastics into stormwater, which eventually ends up in rivers and the ocean. Recent research sheds new light on the extent of the damage.

December 1, 2020 - Hakai Magazine

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