Increasingly, stormwater management for sustainable development involves low-impact development techniques that seek to infiltrate or reuse stormwater rather than allowing it to runoff into large pipes and detention facilities off-site. However, unlike many conventional developments, impervious footprints on brownfields cannot always be minimized through site designs that incorporate more porous surfaces to allow for infiltration. Direct infiltration on a brownfield site may introduce additional pollutant loads to groundwater and nearby surface waters. However, green infrastructure practices exist that can retain, treat and then release stormwater without it ever coming in contact with contaminated soils. A webinar reviewing existing case studies for successes and lessons learned, including a detailed look at the June Key Delta House project in Portland, Oregon can be found HERE.
