What is green infrastructure?
As defined by Congress in the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, green infrastructure is defined as “the range of measures that use plant or soil systems, permeable pavement or other permeable surfaces or substrates, stormwater harvest and reuse, or landscaping to store, infiltrate, or evapotranspirate stormwater and reduce flows to sewer systems or to surface waters.”
Why is green infrastructure important to MSD?
MSD builds, promotes, and regulates green infrastructure to help protect and restore our watersheds by reducing the pollutants within them. It’s part of MSD’s critical role of providing safe, clean waterways to Louisville Metro. For more information related to MSD’s community-wide planning and implementation program for protecting and restoring our watersheds see the Healthy Watershed Initiative page.
What is required?
In 2013, driven by the EPA’s Clean Water Act, MSD’s MS4 Permit was updated to include a Post-Construction Runoff Controls Program. This regulatory requirement outlines that all construction projects, disturbing one acre or more of land, to treat the impervious surfaces. Although MSD promotes green infrastructure, when possible, The Post-Construction runoff requirement includes practices that do not have a green component but meet the requirements of the permit. This requirement is outlined in Article 6 of our Wastewater/Stormwater Regulations.
To learn more about MSD’s green infrastructure program and requirements. Explore the links below.
Below is a map that show’s the green infrastructure that has been built in Jefferson County.
