Investing in Green Infrastructure is Good for Business
Sourced from Delaware Business Times
Making the needed investment in our nation’s water infrastructure will yield significant job creation, better competitive position for U.S. businesses, and resilient economic growth. President Joe Biden and several members of Congress recognize the need to stimulate the economy with an infrastructure investment bill. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) should be included in their priorities for investment because of its ability to foster public health and resilience. Communities and businesses across Delaware will benefit by getting on board.
GSI seeks to reduce or divert stormwater from sewer systems and direct it to areas where it can infiltrate, absorb to plants, or get reused. Soil and vegetation are utilized instead of, or in conjunction with, traditional drains, gutters, pipes and treatment plants.
Investing in GSI will protect our local businesses by reducing flooding and economically disruptive water pollution. As climate change brings increased rainfall and extreme weather, floods are worsening and storms frequently overload combined wastewater systems, especially as aging ‘gray’ infrastructure begins to fail.
Over the past decade, GSI has gained momentum in Delaware. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) updated the Sediment and Stormwater Regulations in 2013. The revision stimulated statewide action to reduce stormwater runoff. For example, DNREC compiled a Green Infrastructure Primer, outlining the applications of GSI in urban, rural, and coastal settings. New Castle County created GreeNCC, a program focused on watershed protection. Even individual municipalities took action, as the city of Newark established a stormwater utility to create funding mechanisms for stormwater projects.
