Green Infrastructure Updates
Brent Helm
Education Track: Stormwater Management
Today, green infrastructure is often the preferred approach for addressing both stormwater quantity and quality issues. In most cases, green infrastructure is a non-structural stormwater control measure, but in highly urbanized areas with little available space, a structure may be required to make green infrastructure a practical solution. A green solution may require a structure if it is located close to building foundation, on a steep slope, or when a system is installed in contaminated soil for example. Structural solutions can be configured to meet the definition of green infrastructure by being constructed close to runoff sources and distributed across site with provisions for soil and vegetation, or a structural solution can be used to store water for infiltration or re-use.
This presentation will define green infrastructure, explore the need for structural alternatives, present examples of actual structural alternatives, and make a case for the use of precast concrete as an economical, safe, and green alternative to site-cast concrete for green infrastructure. A case study detailing the design, installation, and implementation of an award-winning structural bioretention system constructed along a roadway that drains to a nearby lake will also be presented.
The presenter will be Brent Helm, Water Sales Engineer & the New England Regional Stormwater Sales Manager with Oldcastle Infrastructure. Brent has over 25 years of Stormwater Engineering & Civil Construction as both a Civil Engineer, a Design Build Engineering Contractor, and 15 years of experience in Stormwater sales supporting the Civil Design sector. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia and resides in New Rochelle, NY.