New report examines ongoing costs of green infrastructure options
By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor
A new publication released by the American Society of Civil Engineers investigates the cost of various green infrastructure options to reduce the release of stormwater.
Cost of Maintaining Green Infrastructure quantifies expenses associated with operating and maintaining sustainable stormwater-management technologies. The authors compiled data to provide whole-life cost estimates for a suite of small-scale, distributed green infrastructure technologies.
The document emphasizes ongoing maintenance costs. Thirty state and local agencies participated in this survey. They provided information on individual program structure, types and frequency of maintenance activities, maintenance program costs, data tracking approach, and budgeting.
The report also includes resources available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, information on available cost-estimating tools, and recommendations to standardize green infrastructure cost reporting.