Presently this excessive runoff negatively impacts our waterways through soil erosion, conveying pollutants, and in general making the sustainability of aquatic life nearly impossible. I believe that the City of Seattle, and their RainWise program, is one of the first to take a proactive approach to resolve the issue through means other than new development.
The RainWise program is one that clearly acknowledges the issues, how to resolve them, but goes one step further putting their "money where their mouth is" by providing financial incentives for existing development to directly participate. This proactive approach will not only aid in dealing with the issue of stormwater management, but do so at a dramatically increased pace.
Besides the obvious stormwater management benefits this program provides to participating individuals, this program also provides an opportunity for these same participants to beautify the neighbourhood which they reside in. A very real possibility, due to the beautification, is increased home values.
I encourage other Cities, on both sides of the boarder, to consider similar type programs and incentives. We at SCC welcome any City or individual who would like to discuss how our pervious concrete products work and how they can assist with the issues discussed above.
Link below is to the RainWise Article in MyBallard - Daily news for Seattle's Ballard neighborhood
Link below is to the Rainwise program
