Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) and sustainable stormwater management

31 cities commit to green infrastructure targets (Cities Today, July 13, 2021)

Example of a rain garden planted with native vegetation. In addition to providing stormwater treatment, bioretention practices can provide other benefits such as habitat and aesthetic value.

Schematic showing spectrum of stormwater control practices ranging from gray to green infrastructure. Source: Taguchi et al. 2020. Water:12:522

Information: We are building information on green infrastructure into this website. The links below will be populated during the next 1-2 years.

Green Infrastructure: Throughout this manual, these green alert boxes identify practices and concepts related to green infrastructure.

Green infrastructure encompasses a wide array of practices, including stormwater management. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) encompasses a variety of practices primarily designed for managing stormwater runoff but that provide additional benefits such as habitat or aesthetic value.

Water management using green infrastructure practices mimics the natural water cycle. Examples of green infrastructure practices include planting trees, restoring wetlands, enhancing biodiversity, and restoring floodplains. Green infrastructure incorporates both the natural environment and engineered systems to provide clean water, conserve ecosystem values and functions, and provide a wide array of benefits to people and wildlife. Green infrastructure can be applied on different scales, from the house or building level, to the broader landscape level. On the local level, green infrastructure practices include rain gardens, permeable pavements, green roofs, infiltration planters, trees and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting systems. At the largest scale, the preservation and restoration of natural landscapes (such as forests, floodplains and wetlands) are critical components of green infrastructure.

Stormwater management using green infrastructure practices involves keeping and using water close to its point of origin (i.e. keeping the raindrop where it falls). Practices include those local practices mentioned above - rain gardens, permeable pavements, green roofs, infiltration planters, trees and tree boxes, and rainwater harvesting systems. Because there multiple benefits of these practices, in addition to stormwater management, the manual includes a variety of topics related to green infrastructure as illustrated below.

Green Infrastructure: Throughout this manual, these green alert boxes identify a stormwater practice that is considered a green infrastructure practice.

Acknowledgements for Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) and sustainable stormwater management

This page provides links to information on green stormwater infrastructure, green infrastructure, and sustainable stormwater management.

Green stormwater infrastructure and sustainable stormwater management concepts and overview

• Overview of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) and sustainable stormwater management
• Multiple benefits of green infrastructure and role of green infrastructure in sustainability and ecosystem services
• Multiple benefits of green stormwater infrastructure
• Green infrastructure and green stormwater infrastructure terminology
• Training and certification for green stormwater infrastructure
• Green Stormwater Infrastructure design strategies and practices for climate resilience

Green infrastructure planning

• Planning green stormwater infrastructure projects and practices - Comment
• Green stormwater infrastructure - planning case studies
• Example

Green stormwater infrastructure best management practices

• Design considerations for green stormwater infrastructure best management practices
• Operation and maintenance of green stormwater infrastructure best management practices
• Assessing the performance of green stormwater infrastructure best management practices

Additional information on green stormwater infrastructure

• Green stormwater infrastructure case studies
• Links for green stormwater infrastructure
• Stormwater runoff performance of natural and undeveloped systems
• Checklists, inspection sheets, maintenance agreements, and model ordinances for green stormwater infrastructure
• File:The role of green stormwater infrastructure in climate 3.pptx - PowerPoint file for a presentation delivered to the University of Minnesota in October, 2022.

Support documents

These are documents received as part of MPCA work orders. Most of this material is incorporated into the pages on this topic, with minor edits.

• File:Duluth GSI Planning Case Study Jan 2023.docx
• File:Rochester GSI Planning Case Study Jan 2023.docx
• File:Highland Bridge Case Study Jan 2023.docx