Wild in the City: Exploring Downtown Water Gardens and Ecoroofs
Sam Adams
Today I joined Urban Naturalist (and local icon) Mike Houck and Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) stormwater management specialist Linda Dobson and a group of 40 folks for a portion of a walking tour for a look at stormwater management projects that combine innovative architectural and landscaping techniques to help remove pollutants from the Willamette River.
The tour was sponsored by BES and the Audubon Society of Portland.
The Audubon Society of Portland promotes the understanding, enjoyment,
and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats.
There are numerous artistic and ecologically based efforts within the city to allow rainwater to infiltrate into the ground or be captured in a manner that protects the integrity of urban streams.
Within 10 years, my goal for the City of Portland is to deal with all street stormwater on site.
The Audubon Society of Portland offers excellent local tours of what’s wild in the City. Contact them at: http://www.audubonportland.org/trips_classes_camps
Posted by Sam Adams on November 27, 2005
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Filed Under Downtown Portland, Environmental Services, Front Page, Livability & Environment
Comments by site visitors
We talked alot about how we can implement more of these multi-function stormwater facilities.... rain gardens, ecoroofs, green curb extensions and other green streets, etc.
The stormwater fee discount is one hopeful opportunity mentioned. Soliciting adjacent homeowners to pitch-in to help pay for green streets is another.
A third, not mentioned yesterday, is requiring a small fraction of all redevelopment investment go toward needed improvements to the public infrastructure- including green infrastructure- that serves a particular property or neighborhood. By linking a small investment in green infrastructure to total investment in redevelopment, we can capture the enormous opportunities to green the city as it redevelops.
The City already does this to some degree however it could better facilitate and encourage improvements related to stormwater management. For example the City could make stormwater management one of the possible upgrade requirments or alter landscape requirements to make them function better for stormwater management. Tree planting is another obvious upgrade. The Stormwater Advisory COmmittee has made several recommendations in this regard.
A broader question relates to whether we are asking enough of redevelopment in terms of infrastructure upgrades in general and green infrastructure improvements in particular. Two years ago, during the recession, the City Council lifted the minimum threshold triggering non-conforming uses upgrades from $25,000 to over $100,000 with little knowledge of its impact on public infrastructure upgrades. At the time the Planning Commission and the City Council talked of monitoring this impact after one year, but this hasn't happened.
Pollution from stormwater run-off is a result of past mistakes how the city grew. It is reasonable and fair that the private developers pay a share of the cost of correcting these past mistakes.
Jim Labbe
Urban Conservationist
Audubon Society of Portland
Posted by: Jim Labbe | Nov 28, 2005 4:40:06 PM
"The stormwater fee discount is one hopeful opportunity mentioned."
That was briefly done a few years ago, and I installed a rock-filled basin in the back yard and directed all roof runoff there.
Oddly, the discount quickly went away. So now I wonder - if ever implemented, how soon would the new discount also go away?
Basically, Portland's Bureau of Environmental "Services" is just that - another bureau. For some reason - possibly due to too much "education", they believe that they have all the answers and that private owners of property cannot and will not provide good stewardship of the property they own.
So in they come with their "environmental overlays" and other claptrap. A stream flows through your back yard, so well - they better have control, as you the owner can't be trusted. Never mind that local beavers liked my yard enough to move in and build a dam back there; nope - the BES must apply an overlay, and tell me what I can and can't do on my own property.
Experiences like this are why measures such as 37 are overwhelmingly approved by people like me.
I just don't trust you folks.
You want to take my land away from me without compensation. You divert our money into light rail after we tell you we don't want any more of it.
If there's a choice between an aerial tram and increased bus service, you'll take the most expensive option every time.
If there's a choice between installing a conventional roof and quadrupling the cost by installing an "eco roof", you'll choose to spend the most taxpayer money.
There is a huge problem in Portland, and it comes down to this: public servants have completely forgotten who exactly they are supposed to be serving.
Posted by: Jya | Nov 28, 2005 6:35:21 PM
JYA writes about Portland city government, "If there's a choice ... you'll take the most expensive option every time.
I'm sorry, but this is simply not true.
I don't work for the City. I'm an ordinary Portland resident. I don't like it when people make overgeneralizations.
I can think of several innovations I've read about that have saved the City money.
For example, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance has recognized Portland's recent LED traffic signal retrofit as a model other cities could follow. Here is a link to this LED Case Study. http://www.sustainableportland.org/news_LED_case_study.pdf
When City Hall was refurbished did you notice that no eco-roof was installed? Yup. Budget considerations.
When BES and its contractors finished the Big Pipe for the Columbia Slough it was done on time and under budget.
Yes, it's important to be vigilant about how government operates and there's always ways to do things better, but it's not helpful to slam the entire operation.
And regarding light rail, I've heard Senator Gordon Smith put it this way: Can you think of any great city in the world that doesn't have some kind of subway or rail transit system? Nope. Seattle maybe.
Portland is a great community. We have to keep finding ways to build trust and work together - citizens and our government.
Posted by: JMM | Dec 14, 2005 3:34:24 AM
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I realize that the eco-roof is trendy, and that Multnomah County and Metro are doing it, so it must be cool.
But they're also pretty cost-ineffective. Water wants to hit the ground, so let it do its thing.
In an urban environment, rain-fed bioswales seem the more cost-effective approach.
Posted by: Jya | Nov 27, 2005 6:34:12 PM