Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) offers numerous benefits, including improved habitats, decreased stormwater runoff and greener public spaces. The advantages of GSI are widely recognized within the field of water management, and public awareness of GSI is growing as well.
Still, GSI implementation is not widespread in new builds or developments in Texas. So, how can GSI researchers help communities increase green stormwater infrastructure implementation?
This is a question that researchers have been trying to answer for years, including Fouad Jaber, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife professor and extension specialist in Dallas, who has been working with builders for more than a decade to increase green development practices.
In the Houston area, Aiyana Baptiste, a green infrastructure associate at Texas A&M AgriLife’s Green Infrastructure for Texas (GIFT), also works with city engineers, public works directors, and other municipal staff who develop policies around building and infrastructure development.
Baptiste and Jaber have found that it is essential to understand why people are hesitant about GSI before attempting to bridge the gap between research findings and everyday use.
Barriers to implementation
They have encountered many reasons that people don’t want to implement green stormwater infrastructure (GSI). One of those barriers is that GSI isn’t typical.
“It’s a new thing that challenges the accepted rule,” Jaber said. “Engineers learn how to design pipes, maybe detention ponds, and move on. And here you are. You’re telling them there’s this amazing thing that does beautiful stuff. It’s a depression with soil and plants, and it’s just hard to accept that you can put soil and plants and reduce the size of your pipe. You know, it’s just not typical.”
Another barrier is the misconception that it’s too expensive or hard to maintain, according to Jaber and Baptiste. This misconception is understandable. To many people, GSI is a new, unfamiliar solution. It can actually be a cost-effective solution, though.
Rain gardens, sunken areas of dirt filled with plants that help rain to soak into the ground, can be less expensive than traditional system replacement, according to a research study coauthored by Jaber. And that doesn’t include the ecosystem services they provide.
Additionally, the size and cost of GSI vary. For larger projects, grants are available, and options like using native plants can reduce costs, according to Baptiste. She encourages finding GSI solutions that fit each area’s needs and resources.
“GSI doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach,” Baptiste said. “Even small-scale projects like rain gardens, bioswales, or permeable pavements can make a real impact and inspire bigger changes over time. It’s about finding solutions that fit the community and its needs. There are grants, technical support, and real examples out there to help get started!”
Despite the misconceptions, GSI maintenance can also be lower-cost and easier than traditional structures.
“It’s actually not very expensive,” Jaber said. “If you have a median with turf grass on it, you have to mow it and water it weekly in the summer. That is way more maintenance than having a rain garden where you have to check it once a month to make sure nothing is wrong. There’s not any mowing needed, maybe some weeding here and there.”
Tips for cost-effective GSI implementation:
- Use native plants, which require less maintenance since they are adapted to thrive in their native climate.
- Build rain gardens instead of traditional system replacement.
- Apply for grants and other financial funding opportunities.
- Replace medians with rain gardens.
But, not everyone can replace medians with rain gardens. Many cities have rules against altering these areas, and some cities also have limitations on practices like rainwater harvesting. City ordinance issues like these can be another barrier to implementation for builders.
In a 2022 study that Jaber coauthored, researchers found that barriers to GSI implementation exist in socio-cultural, financial, technical, biophysical, institutions and governance, and legislative and regulatory areas.
Solutions
So, what can be done to help more communities use GSI practices to protect their water and natural resources?
Jaber focuses on education and outreach. He and his team started by creating education materials and programs using grant funding. They organized workshops and spread the word with the help of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agents.
As GSI became a national trend, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) encouraged it.
“There was this perfect storm, and cities started hearing us,” Jaber said. “We mostly targeted city stormwater departments. They would come to the lecture, hear about it, and then the next day someone would call, and they’re like, ‘There’s a big erosion problem here. Can you help us?’”
From there, the word spread further, supported with educational materials and results from grant-funded projects. Jaber and his team began using computer models to show the impact of GSI. They also held events for master naturalists to invite them to implement GSI in their volunteer projects.
“There are ways to make it simple enough so that people can build it,” he said. “Like, for your backyard, you don’t need an engineer. The idea is just to let it spread and have people want to adopt it.”
Baptiste has taken a similar path, focusing on education and outreach with city staff. According to her, most city staff are eager to learn about GSI and how to implement it. Her advice is to highlight benefits that will appeal to the city.
“When talking to municipal staff, it’s important to highlight the benefits that go beyond simply creating a greener community and supporting the environment,” said Baptiste. “GSI practices can offer the same advantages as gray infrastructure while also providing additional social and economic benefits.”
Social and economic benefits of GSI include:
- Human health – Green spaces promote active lifestyles, connect people with their neighbors and provide areas to relax and destress, improving mental health.
- Quality of life – GSI can improve water quality, conserve water, enhance air quality, and reduce noise pollution, all of which improve human quality of life.
- Improved visual appeal – By incorporating natural elements into urban areas, GSI can create beautiful public spaces.
- Community safety – By increasing infiltration, GSI can reduce flood risks, protecting the community.
- Reduced costs – GSI can reduce flood damage and wastewater infrastructure costs by increasing infiltration and water reuse.
These AgriLife experts are also helping communities get GSI information by incorporating GSI into grade school and university curriculums, using financial tools to gather funding, implementing coherent and specific guidelines for GSI adoption, and creating regulations for keeping green spaces in new developments, according to Jaber’s research.
The benefits of GSI are plentiful and worthwhile, Baptiste said, improving communities’ safety, social infrastructure and environmental sustainability.
“I wish more people understood that GSI isn’t just about being ‘green,’ it’s about building resilient and healthy communities,” said Baptiste. “It creates spaces that can handle stormwater more naturally while improving quality of life. It can reduce flooding, support local ecosystems, and make neighborhoods more vibrant. GSI can work with existing infrastructure and doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive to make a difference. “
Interested in learning more about GSI?
- For free GSI resources, visit AgriLife GIFT’s Resources page and Jaber’s AgriLifelearn publications.
- To learn more about Jaber’s work, go to dallas.tamu.edu and the Texas A&M AgriLife Ecological Engineering Program webpage.
- For a free online course, look at GIFT’s Introduction to Green Infrastructure.
- Sign up to receive GIFT’s Green Infrastructure Quarterly newsletter.
- Subscribe to TWRI News and TWRI’s Water Resources Training Course newsletter.
