Dec 18
Native prairie grasses aren’t just pretty—they also improve water quality across the Midwest. Listen up: How do we love native grassland prairies? Let us count the ways—or at least, let us recount the number one water-related way: When restored, native grassland prairies can improve water quality big-time, and help prevent erosion during heavy rains. Once …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/green-infrastructure/prairie-grasses/
Dec 05
Coal-tar sealants may protect your driveway—but they don’t protect water resources. Here’s the dirt: Driveways and parking lots are coated with a sealant to protect them. But the coating needs to be reapplied every two to three years because driving on it grinds it into dust. And that means as dust wears off, any given …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/green-infrastructure/when-good-driveways-go-bad/
Nov 27
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/
Feb 13
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/
Jan 16
Why settle for a flood-prone eyesore, when you could instead turn that empty lot into a park-like urban oasis? Listen up: Syracuse, New York had a problem. Heavy rain events were overwhelming the water treatment system and shooting a mix of stormwater and sewage into a nearby lake that supplies the city’s drinking water. But …
Permanent link to this article: http://www.currentcast.org/stormwater-management/from-vacant-lot-to-rain-garden-plot/
