STORMWATER STRATEGIES: Cities Prepare Aging Infrastructure for Climate Change
Climate change is already affecting water utilities, according to a 2009 report from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies and the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, industry advocacy groups based in Washington, DC. A seemingly contradictory witches' brew of more frequent and extreme storms, drought, and sea-level rise is beginning to stress some cities' water infrastructure. (Mentions "Water Works" report.)
Green stormwater initiatives can offer other benefits, too. Green roofs reduce energy use and keep cities cooler, and parks and treelined streets improve property values and air quality.29 And then there are the jobs. In October 2011 a report by the advocacy group Green For All, based in Oakland, California, and Washington, DC, calculated that investing $188 billion in green stormwater projects over rhe next 5 years would create nearly 1.9 million jobs, from arborists and installers of green roofs to sewer-pipe repairers, and generate about $265 billion in economic activity.
