Portland's "Green Streets" program is becoming a new tourist attraction in the city, which officials from other cities are visiting to learn from the Pacific Northwest's model water treatment infrastructure.
The program replaces the typical curb-and-gutter system of many streets with plantings, permeable ground covering and innovative catchment systems that help reduce pollution from runoff.
"So popular is the 'Green Streets' program that the city publishes a map on its website directing tourists to the most exciting storm sewer sites.
'When we started this 10 or 12 years ago, there was a lot of skepticism,' says Dean Marriott, director of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services. 'Today, many cities are moving in this direction. People want to see how it's done.'"
Read the full story: Portland's sewers right as rain
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In many cities, stormwater and sewage water are collected in the same sewer. As a result, good rainwater is combined with dirty sewage water. Overflows can create major problems for cities. But avoiding those problems is not exactly easy.
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Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
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