MILWAUKEE, WI, Aug. 5, 2014 -- A collaboration has been formed among Vegetal i.D., the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), Fund For Lake Michigan, The Water Council, UW-Milwaukee, and UW-Whitewater to closely monitor the performance of a new stormwater management solution. The technology being tested is an advanced system combining a blue roof with a green roof that is poised to significantly advance green-roof-based stormwater management performance.
Called STOCK & FLOW®, the solution serves as a reservoir below the green roof that adds two inches of rainwater capacity to a traditional green roof, passively irrigates the plants and controls the way in which water is released from the roof. Imagine decentralized living systems with the reliability of a machine. The system irrigates itself with the water it captures during rainfall, while the excess water retained in the reservoir of STOCK & FLOW is released to the sewer system at a slow and constant rate to make it easier for the city to manage while it is simultaneously preparing it for the next rain event.
The alternative solution involves the expansion and maintenance of traditional grey infrastructure systems, which can be extremely expensive and often does not completely solve the problem. This is why cities are turning to green infrastructure systems such as green roofs to deal with rainwater at the source and minimize taxpayer expenses.
In Greater Milwaukee Area of Wisconsin, MMSD has spearheaded the green infrastructure movement for over 10 years. The goal, known as Fresh Coast 740, is to capture 740 million gallons of water every time it rains. To achieve this goal, the program invests in high-impact green infrastructure, such as rainwater harvesting, porous pavement and bio-swales, and by obtaining key pieces of land to remediate into greenways and wetlands that manage great amounts of stormwater naturally and increases resistance to flooding.
This month, Vegetal i.D. is launching a pilot project to demonstrate the performance of STOCK & FLOW. The project will compare stormwater management performance of two versions -- a typical extensive green roof and a standard roof. They will also measure performance metrics such as the productivity of the plants and their ability to cool the roof.
This study will also assess the costs and benefits associated with these systems. This will enable policy makers and sewer system managers like MMSD to better understand the costs and benefits associated with these systems. The information can be used to better incentivize and regulate stormwater management, which helps to drive the use of green infrastructure solutions.
See also:
"First-of-its-kind water technology accelerator announces second round"
"Green Roof Professional: What does it mean?"
About Vegetal i.D.
Vegetal i.D. is a branch of Le Prieuré, a French company that installed its first green roof in 1989 and has focused on innovation ever since. In 2000 Vegetal i.D. patented HYDROPACK®, the first modular green roof system in Europe. HYDROPACK® is a tray system that is sold fully vegetated with water reservoirs packed into stackable trays that can be easily transported and installed on rooftops of nearly any pitch. Since its inception, HYDROPACK® has been installed on over 2,000 rooftops and has become one of the most trusted modular green roof systems. The North American branch of Vegetal i.D. launched in 2011 with a plant nursery located in Batavia, NY and has since focused on growing and developing the green roof industry in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.vegetalid.us.
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