“Going green” means more than reducing energy consumption. Sanitation District No. 1 is “going green” by using green infrastructure approaches to protect our water resources.

Green infrastructure approaches essentially allow you to manage storm water the way nature would. They can be used to keep rain water out of the sewer system, which will help reduce sewer overflows, and reduce the amount of untreated storm water discharging to local waterways.

Sanitation District No. 1, is demonstrating several green infrastructure approaches at it’s headquarters located in Ft. Wright, Kentucky. The 14 acre site, called Public Service Park, features a vegetated roof, above ground cistern to capture roof runoff for reuse, porous pavements, an oil-water separator, an urban forest, wetland forebay, biofiltration ditch, vegetated swale, retention pond, and detention basin.

Going green to protect our water resources is something that everyone can participate in. Here are some ideas of what you can do to “go green”:

• Use pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers sparingly and in accordance with label instructions. Do not apply if rain is in the forecast.
• Keep storm drains clean of debris and litter.
• Do not blow, sweep or rake leaves or grass clippings into street gutters or storm drains.
• Divert downspouts from paved surfaces. Have them drain onto grass or install rain barrels to capture and reuse the rain water.
• Plant native plants and trees to help absorb storm water runoff.
• Dispose of hazardous materials properly.
• Recycle old paint instead of disposing of it when possible.

Kenton County Schools broke ground in May on the new Turkey Foot Middle School, which will feature daylight harvesting, geo-technical engineering, insulated concrete from construction, geothermal heating and cooling, and a green roof. Students are playing an integral part in the building of the new school by being teamed with the site engineers and consultants. Caywood Elementary School has been awarded the energy star for its outstanding energy performance. The building was designed to incorporate the latest trends in energy conservation. The use of geo-thermal heating and cooling has been used as an energy savings measure in this building. In addition, the building is lighted with natural lighting using light shelves that will bring north/south sunlight into the building replacing and/or supplementing the artificial lighting. Twenhofel Middle School was also designed for utility efficiency. The majority of the spaces are naturally day lit by a unique building section consisting of roof dormers with a band of glass to allow natural light from above to illuminate the rooms. A geothermal heating and cooling system was installed in this building to regulate the building temperature. To conserve on water consumption, a rainwater catchment system provides non-potable water to all toilets and urinals and irrigates the athletic fields. Solar panels were installed on the roof to provide energy to run science labs.

TANK has recently introduced hybrid buses into their fleet of vehicles. With two power sources (fuel and electricity) less fuel is used, lowering the amount of harmful green house gases and other pollutants that are released into the air. Also, TANK has utilized porous asphalt at several of their Park & Ride locations to filter storm water runoff before it enters a local waterway.

IDI, a local real-estate development firm, has made a commitment to environmental sustainability. One of its key environmental initiatives is its participation in the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program, which recognizes buildings that incorporate high-performance, environmentally responsible features. In the Cincinnati region, IDI is designing detention ponds that filter water before it is released into neighboring streams.

The Boone County Farmers Market and the City of Edgewood have installed porous pavement in their parking lots. Porous pavement allows storm water to drain through it, filtering particles and slowing the flow of water which reduces the flooding of sewers and creeks.

Crestview Hills Town Center is utilizing “biofiltration swales” to capture and treat storm water runoff from the parking lot. Biofiltration is a natural process by which living organisms, such as plants, bacteria and other soil-living microbes remove pollution before releasing it to the nearest body of water.

St. Elizabeth Medical Center is constructing a new facility in Covington where they will be utilizing rain gardens to capture and infiltrate storm water runoff from adjacent impervious surfaces.

Click here for more information about green infrastructure approaches.

Do you know of other noteworthy green projects that should be highlighted? If so, please email us at info@sd1.org.