Science+Technology
No doubt stormwater quality has improved over the years but with rapid advancements happening everyday you can’t afford to be sleeping at your desk. Check out what's next and find out what everyone's buzzing about.
Rubber Sidewalks
Though initially marketed for its safety attributes, rubber sidewalks are now tools for reducing storwmater runoff, addressing climate change (alternative for carbon-intensive cement) and provided a robust market for recyced rubber. Read how one city's innovative public works department has helped launch this new product.
Modular Stormwater Management Systems
New technologies offer potential solutions for mitigating pollution in urban stormwater systems. Because urban areas lack the space necessary for natural stormwater drainage, these underground chambers are positioned to capture excess rainwater or snow melt, from parking lots for example. A pre-treatment module can be included, to prevent pollutants in the runoff from making their way into the soil. Excess flow can drain from the chamber into the soil. Because of their modular design, these systems are relatively easy and inexpensive to install, and it also lends them to scalability and customization. For more on this new trend in stormwater management, check out http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/08/hydro-stormbloc-modules-look-like-milk-crates-act-like-sponges/
Water now a factor in energy choices
As the U.S grapples with how to transition from dirty energy to clean energy, there are many factors to consider. The obvious factors are carbon intensity, cost, and energy output (are you getting more energy out of the source than is required to produce the energy). One factor that is starting to get some more attention is the amount of water required to create that energy. EcoGeek (a great enviro blog) ran this post about the amount of water required for ethanol production--not the primary reason ethanol is fading from the public discourse but an important one to keep in mind. http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2680/70/
Technology to help change human behavior
Ideally, humans would modify our behavior to adjust to changing natural conditions. Oftentimes, however, we don't feel the direct effects of the changing natural world and so, we need technology to give us a good 'kick in the pants.' One example of this is the Aqualim, an invention to help reduce the amount of water being used in the shower. The device rations out a certain quantity of water per shower. After the quantity is used, the shower reduces its flow as a warning, and soon afterwards shuts off. hat tip to http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/2655/74/.
City’s First Porous Parking Lot
Colorado Springs, CO will install its first porous parking lot behind Colorado College’s new Cornerstone Arts Center. Unlike standard parking lots, the rain and the water will not run off the pavement carrying chemicals into the city’s stormwater system. The water will permeate the concrete, filter through special matting that traps dirt, and then seep into an 8-inch layer of rock beneath the lot. From there, the stormwater will flow into 16 gravel-filled cardboard tubes sunk five to eight feet deep that will carry the water far underground. Though the technology is not new, it is only recently that states with cold winters have piloted such projects. More
Pump uses less energy to desalinate water
Desalination is still a controversial method of getting fresh water, but that may begin to change with technology innovations by companies such as this pump from Energy Recovery. Energy Recovery has developed a pump that requires less energy to remove the salt from the water. This innovation addresses two common criticisms of desalination. First, it makes desalination more financially palatable since energy costs consist of one-half to one-third of costs associated with desalination. Second, it lessens the environmental impact of a plant since less energy is required to complete the process. More
Taming Typhoons in Japan
While scientists study and debate the correlation between increased flooding and climate change, cities such as Saitama, Japan are preparing for the future by building massive sewer discharge channels. According to engineers, this discharge channel (pictured above) will reduce the flooded area by more than 80%. This underground structure is 25.4 meters tall (83 feet) and 78 meters (255 feet) wide and runs 177 meters long (580 feet). Let’s just hope the flood is in the right place. More
Newest L.A Park employs innovative stormwater practices
Vista Hermosa Park features "green technologies" such as permeable parking lots to allow water to return to the natural aquifer below or an underground 20,000-gallon cistern that will recycle the water for irrigation. More