When it rains, it pours — and if ground vegetation can’t soak it all up, rainwater quickly becomes storm water. Two Bloomington-Normal organizations are suggesting green infrastructure as a solution to combat excess water in neighborhoods that experience flooding and water pollution.
In an effort to modernize wastewater and storm water treatment, the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District [BNWRD] and Illinois State University’s Center for a Sustainable Water Future are forming a partnership to bring green infrastructure directly to Twin City residents.
“Storm water management comes from rainfall, where since we are in an urban environment, we have a lot of impervious surfaces where large amounts of rainfall can actually cause water to flow over the ground picking up contaminants, picking up just unwanted material,” said Tim Ervin, BNWRD's executive director.
Flowing water also can quickly fill sewer systems and deteriorating ones are not able to keep up with the excess water, leading to flooding.
“The last few years we’ve just seen the more intense rainfalls coming, and to me I think the traditional methods that we use to manage storm water management aren’t going to cut it,” Ervin said. “So, we really have to think outside of the box, trying to figure out new solutions to address these issues.”
The new solution, Ervin said, is green infrastructure.
Green infrastructure treats the water at its source, rather than traditional methods like gutters, pipes or tunnels. Common examples include rain gardens, bio swells, and different natural grasses and trees than what might be found in a yard already.
Instead of the water being carried away, new vegetation uses filtration, infiltration and evapotranspiration to treat the rainwater and soak it up where it falls. The intended result is a significantly reduced amount of rainwater traveling to sewers and which contains less contaminants. Both results reduce flooding and water pollution.
To start the new pilot project, BNWRD acquired a lot previously owned by the City of Bloomington at 506 S. Gridley St. Joan Brehm, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Water Future, said the lot was chosen because of the flooding it experienced in June 2021.
“We’ve worked with designers and landscape experts … we’re going to try to focus on native vegetation. It’ll also serve as pollinator gardens, it’ll attract bees and butterflies,” Brehm said. “It’ll be designed in a way that has more of a park-like setting, so it becomes an asset, an amenity to the neighborhood that people can visit.”
Native vegetation is prioritized because it is drought-tolerant and will thrive without additional water or fertilizer.
Brehm said the partners hope to include signage on the lot, so residents can have a well-rounded understanding of what is going on beneath the surface. She said the signs will help because the lot will not look too different than a natural prairie garden, and the changes are not initially clear at the sight of the new vegetation.
“I think about Uptown Circle, that is a great example of green infrastructure. It’s a beautiful gathering spot, it’s got flowing water, they use it for music events and all sorts of social gatherings,” Brehm said. “But what’s happening underneath is storm water retention, it’s water saving. That water gets recycled; it’s not going through the major systems we use to treat our storm water.”
BNWRD and ISU said they'd like to see the expansion of green infrastructure to the rest of Bloomington-Normal and McLean County if the pilot project is deemed a success. Brehm said a benefit of the organizations taking this on first is homeowners can play an active role before considering it for themselves.
“This is the first step of really trying to educate the neighborhood on what does it look like, how is it installed, how does it function so that they can see the impacts of hopefully how it can help, again, reduce the negative impacts from flooding,” she said. “We are seeing more and more extreme weather events … and so we need to be more proactive in how we can mediate some of the negative impacts…”
Ervin agreed and said homeowners also can take it upon themselves to seek further education if they are interested.
“I know there are several entities in town that talk about green infrastructure, from the Ecology Action Center to Illinois State University,” he said. “So, I think it’s really pertinent on the homeowners just to acquire more information.”
Brehm and Ervin agreed their partnership is mutually beneficial — both rely on the other to help bring the shared mission to the area.
“I know for the district, our primary mission is to protect public health and protect the environment,” Ervin said. “The one area of weakness I think that really ISU and Dr. Brehm brings to us is that public outreach, where we’re really good at handling the sewers, we’re very good at treating water and going through our wastewater treatment systems. But that public outreach is where we can always use that additional assistance with.”
Brehm said after years of already working together with Ervin on water, she knew him and BNWRD were going to be the perfect partner for this project.
“When I knew BNWRD had purchased the lot and they were going to install the green infrastructure, it was a great opportunity for us to now work collaboratively to engage the community and also gather some data on also what do residents know about green infrastructure,” she said.
“What are their questions or concerns, and how can we better address those so that this project is seen as more of a group and collaborative effort and not just somebody coming in from the outside and putting this thing in the middle of your neighborhood without your involvement.”
BNWRD and ISU will be hosting two focus groups at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 and Oct. 8 at the Bloomington Public Library with residents near the Gridley lot. The sessions will focus on gathering community input during the development and data gathering stage of the project.
Ervin and Brehm said new vegetation is on track to be planted next spring.
