Green Infrastructure

Landscapes which are sustainably designed, installed and managed provide us with many benefits. Sustainable landscapes conserve water, lower the rate and volume of runoff water from rain, snowmelt and irrigation, and help reduce the amount of pollutants reaching the surface and ground water. Read on to learn ways to design or change your landscape to achieve a sustainable landscape.

Stormwater

What is stormwater? It's water from rain or melting snow. Watch the video and learn about rain water runoff and why it can be a problem.

Sustainable Landscapes

Landscapes which are sustainably designed, installed and managed conserve water, lower the rate and volume of runoff water from rain, snowmelt and irrigation, and help reduce the amount of pollutants reaching surface water. Water related benefits achieved with sustainable residential, business, and community landscapes include:

Landscape Design Practices

Install rain gardens in locations where they catch and temporarily hold rainwater. Use natural drainage patterns, site grading, berms (planted earth mounds) or other methods to channel rainwater away from impervious surfaces (i.e. pavement) onto planted areas such as grass swales, filter strips, or rain gardens. Plant and maintain healthy plant cover, especially on slopes to stabilize the soil and prevent erosion. Select plants adapted to the site and maintenance level.

Landscape Management Practices

Aim downspouts towards planted areas or pervious hardscape and away from impervious paved areas. Collect rainwater from rooftops in rain barrels or cisterns for reuse in landscape irrigation. Amend soil with organic matter. Core aerate lawns to help avoid or reduce soil compaction, increase water infiltration, and promote healthy root systems. Follow University and label recommendations and calibrate spreaders when using fertilizers and pesticides.  Only use these products when needed. Read and follow label directions for all lawn chemicals.

Rain Gardens

You can reduce water runoff from your yard by planting a rain garden. A rain garden is a small depression planted to flowers and ornamental grasses. It is designed to temporarily hold and soak in rain water from a roof, driveway or open area. A rain garden is not a pond or wetland. It is dry most of the time and holds water after a rain. Water collected in the rain garden slowly soaks into the soil and disappears in less than 48 hours.

Permeable Pavers

Permeable pavers let water pass through the spaces between them which are often filled with small gravel or sand.
Monday July 31, 2017

2017 Omaha Stormwater Management Tour

Join us, as we tour some of the newest stormwater management projects in Omaha and re-visit established green infrastructure projects. Six of this year’s tour stops are new to the tour! Criteria for tour stop selection included ensuring a variety of consultants, various project scales, various management practices, and availability of tour guides. Tour stops will include:
Thursday October 26, 2017

Stream Biological Monitoring

Rivers and streams are complex. They are filled with a dizzying array of life, from relatively simple bacteria and algae to more complex forms such as plants, insects, and fish. When everything is working well, rivers provide many benefits to society, including fishing and other recreation opportunities, drinking water, irrigation, and transportation. However, there are also many ways that people can disrupt the natural functioning of rivers. For example, it may be necessary for cities to build systems that rapidly remove rain water to prevent flooding damage to homes and businesses.
Tuesday June 26, 2018

Rain Garden Hydrologic Performance Depends on Proper Design and Installation

Rain gardens are an aesthetic feature of your residential landscape that also has a hydrologic function. Hydrologic means related to water. A properly designed and constructed rain garden for a residential landscape (no underground drainage system) is designed like a bathtub to hold water and let it slowly seep into the soil beneath the garden. This water is available for plant growth, and this water is removed from runoff that leaves your yard and does not contribute to downstream flooding or pollution.  How well does your rain garden serve its hydrologic function?
Friday April 17, 2020

Manage Soils to Improve Drainage and Prevent Compaction

Soils with good structure and those that not compacted help expand root systems. Roots hold soil in place to reduce erosion, a leading cause of water pollution. Soils that are not compacted allow for increased infiltration of rain and irrigation water. Soil management is important to healthy plants and healthy ecosystems. Following are a few tips for improving residential landscape and garden soils and why it is important for root systems and plant health.

Landscapes which are sustainably designed, installed and managed provide us with many benefits. Sustainable landscapes conserve water, lower the rate and volume of runoff water from rain, snowmelt and irrigation, and help reduce the amount of pollutants reaching the surface and ground water. Read on to learn ways to design or change your landscape to achieve a sustainable landscape.