U.S. Water News Online
SALEM, Ore. -- Imagine a flowerpot filled with marbles glued together. Pour water over the top, and watch the water trickle through to the bottom.
That's how the streets in a new development in South Salem will work to eliminate stormwater runoff.
The "green streets" are just another part of the environmentally conscious Pringle Creek Community development, where 180 homes are planned on a 32-acre property. Only 10 percent of the normal runoff from roofs, sidewalks and patios will make it to Pringle Creek.
The development's streets will be soaking up water instead of moving it away.
"Ninety percent of the rainwater that falls on Pringle Creek Community will be returned to the aquifer," said developer Don Myers of Sustainable Development Inc. "This is a wonderful way to manage rainwater."
The key to green streets runs contrary to typical road building, in which the goal is to push water away from the road quickly. The traditional surface is slick to repel water, curbs direct the water along edges of streets and deep gutters capture it just before it is dumped in a waterway.
"All rainwater hits the road, runs to the curb and goes somewhere," said Chuck Gregory of W & H Pacific, which created the asphalt mix. "As long as the water is not in the street or the driveway, people don't care where it goes."
Green streets are narrower to eliminate unnecessary pavement. The porous asphalt soaks in the rain, where it drains to the soil below. Large swaths of land -- called bioswales -- next to the roads will be planted with grasses, bushes and mosses that absorb water and filter contaminants, such as oil that leaks from cars.
"It's not only very attractive landscaping, they are also functioning," Myers said.
It's the first large-scale use of permeable asphalt in Salem, said Mark Becktel, the city's transportation services manager.
The 5,400 feet of green streets and 2,300 feet of green alleys are all private -- the city will not permit these materials for public roadways because the materials are relatively new.
"We've made it pretty clear that we are willing to see how these things work," Becktel said. "We aren't opposed to the green street concept, but we want to protect any public investment in streets."
The state permits about 50 projects per year that involve porous materials, which typically are used for undertakings that have lighter loads such as sidewalks or parking lots. It also permits about 1,000 bioswale projects per year.
The fact that these projects aren't mainstream is part of the point for people involved in the Pringle Creek Community. They hope others use these unique ideas for other developments.
"Pringle Creek is the state-of-the-art example of what residential people can do with water before it leaves their yards and goes into the streets, creeks and ocean," said Sally Miller, who plans to live in Pringle Creek Community. "All of the things that Pringle Creek is doing costs society a lot less money because there are no pollutants in the creek, so the fish are safer to eat. ... If we all did that as a society, we would all be more healthy."
Return to the U.S. Water News Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields