Many developers and city planners in Texas are increasingly using green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in new construction and renovations. GSI development integrates natural elements like soil and plants into development and structures to capture runoff and filter it before it’s returned to the environment.
These practices can increase water quality, reduce flooding by slowing and managing heavy rainfall, prevent or lessen flood damage, and increase the visual appeal of urban areas.
Traditional stormwater infrastructure includes storm drains and gutters, concrete detention and retention ponds, culverts and piped drainage. Common examples of GSI are bioretention cells, rain gardens, green roofs, rainwater harvesting systems, permeable pavements and constructed wetlands.
To see some of these GSI practices in action, here are some examples of GSI at Texas A&M AgriLife facilities around the state.
The Dallas Center
“The Disneyland of green stormwater infrastructure,” is how some people describe the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas. In 2012, the center got a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to build many GSI structures. Then, in 2019 the building was completely rebuilt and new GSI features were added.
Fouad Jaber, Ph.D., professor and extension specialist, played an integral role in designing this multifaceted system. He says the combination of so many GSI elements is what makes the system so effective. “We capture most of the water that falls on our property as a result of it,” says Jaber.
Today, the center boasts the following features:
- Rainwater harvesting system – The center has multiple large rainwater tanks that collect water from the roofs of two buildings. Together, these tanks store up to 80,000 gallons of water, which is then used to irrigate the campus’s landscape.
- Permeable pavements – These pavements differ from traditional concrete pavement by allowing water to seep through into the ground. This reduces runoff from paved areas and facilitates natural filtration.
- Bioretention areas – The center’s parking lot medians are functional and beautiful, as they serve as bioretention areas. These are shallow depressions filled with soil and plants. They work by catching stormwater, slowing it and forcing it to infiltrate the soil, which then filters it with the help of plants.
- Detention pond – Any excess stormwater runoff goes to the detention pond, Jaber said. This pond releases stored water slowly, which helps reduce flooding and erosion.
- Bioswales – Two bioswales accompany the detention pond. They are channels covered with plants that help slow the water and increase sedimentation, which removes pollutants.
The Leach Teaching Gardens
To many, The Gardens at Texas A&M University are a beautiful place to study or relax on campus. To others, they’re an educational experience. The Leach Teaching Gardens demonstrate everything from growing produce to rainwater collection.
“It’s a good example for people to go and see what is working in our area,” said Gardens Director Mike Arnold, Ph.D.
Here are some GSI practices and how they’re used at the gardens:
- Bioswales – Runoff from the parking lot and turf is funneled to the bioswale, where it is slowed. The cleaner water bypasses the previously collected contaminated water, allowing the contaminated water to be filtered by the soil and plants.
- Rainwater collection tank – This is a cylindrical metal tank that collects water from the produce stand and uses it to irrigate the vegetable garden.
- Water collection fence – This innovative system is small but mighty, Arnold said. While it appears to be just an unusually thick wall, it can store 500 gallons of water. He said this is an example of GSI suitable for the average person’s backyard. It collects rainwater off the arbor, and the water is then used to water nearby plants.
- Rain garden – This system uses rain chains to collect water falling on the outdoor classroom and direct it to a funnel system that deposits it in a rain garden. The water is slowed in the rain garden, allowing it to better seep into the earth and be filtered naturally, Arnold said.
The gardens hosts a myriad of educational opportunities, allowing visitors of all ages to learn about GSI and other conservation practices. If you’re interested in seeing GSI in action, you can find upcoming events, such as the Fall Festival on the garden’s website.
Other AgriLife examples of GSI
Around other parts of Texas A&M AgriLife, visitors can see various examples of green stormwater infrastructure at work, such as:
- AgriLife Center – The AgriLife Center has a rainwater cistern canopy system that funnels water from the roof into four pillars that are actually 9,000-gallon cisterns. The water then drains into a 40,000-gallon underground tank and is used for landscape irrigation.
- Horticulture Research Teaching and Extension Center – This location boasts a 200,000-gallon rainwater harvesting capacity, which is used to water 20,000 square feet of greenhouses and a quarter-acre nursery area. This reduces stormwater runoff and facilitates water conservation.
- The Grow Zone – The Grow Zone at Wolf Pen Creek is an example of urban riparian restoration. In this project, native plants were planted alongside a portion of the creek. Some benefits are the slowing of stormwater, decreased erosion and increased infiltration.
