Oct 18
Could a city famous for its lakefront become better known for its rivers instead? CurrentCast investigates—listen up: The “riverfront city by the lake” has a nice ring to it. And yet, Chicago’s key rivers—the Chicago, Calumet, and Des Plaines—have historically played a more utilitarian role for the Windy City, making it a center of commerce …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/green-infrastructure/re-envisioning-our-rivers/
Sep 24
A growing network of rain gardens . . . Learn more: A group of non-profits are mobilizing volunteers to install rain gardens in residential neighborhoods in Detroit. These specially designed gardens trap water before it can overwhelm the sewer system, and keep it from running across surfaces where it could pick up pollution and carry it …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/detroit-wants-you-to-catch-some-rain/
Sep 19
Build up knowledge on nature’s engineers . . . Learn more: “Before European colonization, beavers would have been ubiquitous across the northern United States Great Lakes region,” explains Melinda Daniels of the Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania. She says in developed areas, beaver dams can be a nuisance, “but if there’s room, beavers are …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/green-infrastructure/not-all-engineers-work-in-an-office/
Aug 16
Communities on both sides of Lake Ontario are vulnerable to flooding by waters that can go up and down as much as six feet. But Lana Pollack, the U.S. Chair of The International Joint Commission, says Canadians have created a protective buffer. In the 1950s, Hurricane Hazel hit Toronto with a vengeance. The flooding killed …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/a-tale-of-two-countries/
Jul 31
In the Milwaukee Harbor, a 500 foot section of breakwall has been re-designed to support fish. It’s made of huge boulders that fish can hide between. Then it’s covered by a layer of smaller rocks that create habitat for prey. John Janssen of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee studies life on this breakwall. He’s found …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/green-infrastructure/breakwalls-do-more-than-protect-harbors-from-waves/
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