Key questions to consider during the planning phase for green stormwater infrastructure

Key questions to consider during the planning phase for green stormwater infrastructure.

Link to this table

Topic	Key questions
Ownership	Should the GSI practices be owned by the community government, by individual property owners, or by another entity (such as a conservancy or port authority)?
Maintenance	What are the recommended maintenance frequencies and practices? How often is the community willing to maintain their GSI practices? Should there be shared responsibility for maintenance?
Performance	How much stormwater needs to be treated? What contaminants should be targeted? What is the target removal efficiency for those contaminants? What is the performance standard based on? Is climate change accounted for?
Cost	What is the available budget range? Are higher cost options acceptable if they provide additional community services? What are the estimated capital and O&M costs?
Funding	What are the available funding sources: tax revenue, grants, donors, developers?
Technical resources	How will in-house and consultant resources be coordinated?
Community support	Are there individuals or groups willing to provide volunteer maintenance?
Community outreach	Is the outreach goal to inform people of the project, or is the goal to solicit public input? Who is best positioned to effectively lead community outreach efforts? Which community members are and are not being reached through traditional outreach efforts?
Exploration	Is the community interested in newer techniques that may require more interventions or would they prefer to stick with the “tried and true” techniques?
Ammenities	Should the GSI practices serve as community amenities beyond stormwater management? What ancillary benefits should the GSI practices provide?
Ordinances	Is the community interested in using ordinances as a vehicle for implementing GSI? Are GSI ordinances an option for the community?
Permitting	Which permits and regulatory approvals are needed?
potential roadblocks	Who may benefit from the GSI project? Who may be adversely impacted by the GSI project?
Climate change and resilience	To what extent are we willing to adaptively manage the GSI product in the future to accommodate climate change? Are options designed into the product for future implementation?
Canopy cover preservation	Is there existing canopy cover in place that would be removed by the GSI? Can the existing canopy cover be preserved to retain the site’s pre-existing, natural pollutant removal, rainfall interception, evapotranspiration, and shading capabilities? Can the GSI be placed somewhere else within the site to preserve existing canopy cover?