Stormwater

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wastewater System Upgrade Plans Already Out of Date
Some Midwest cities' plans to upgrade decades-old sewer systems rely on outdated rainfall predictions as flood risks grow due to climate change and shifting weather patterns.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

How Peoria Is Putting Green Infrastructure to Work
Peoria's new stormwater farm takes the pressure off its outdated combined sewer system. It's part of a larger effort by the city to align green infrastructure with social equity goals.

Sea-Level Rise Would Be Worse for Coastal Cities Than Previously Thought
A new model for expected sea-level rise raises alarms about the need to adapt to sea-level rise in coastal cities all over the world.

The Great Flood of 2019, Visualized
The New York Times has published a spectacular mapping and data project to show the extent of flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the winter, spring, and summer of 2019.

L.A. Unveils Plans for Historic Water Infrastructure Tax
Katy Young Yaroslavsky discusses the the Measure W Implementation Ordinance and the committee appointees tasked with determining how this new funding will flow into community water projects.

Funding Research of Atmospheric Rivers to Better Prepare for Heavy Rains
Atmospheric river seems like a phrase that has only recently entered the parlance of the times, but the state of California has seen enough of the idea in action want to know more, and prepare for more.

Urban Rivers Everywhere Follow the Cuyahoga's Lead
On the 50th anniversary of the Cuyahoga River catching fire in Cleveland, it's a good time for urban river keepers everywhere to reevaluate their work and redouble their efforts to make safe and healthy rivers for everyone.
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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
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