Getting to Green - Faster and Cheaper

EPA recognizes the need for new and innovative solutions to manage stormwater runoff, especially in urban areas, to achieve and maintain the water quality goals of the Clean Water Act (CWA).  We want to help communities become greener faster and cheaper.  To do this, we continuously assess the scientific, technological, and financial needs of communities through the engagement of state and local governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academic organizations, and private sector experts in the fields of design, engineering, construction, and finance. Our goals include:   

• Promoting green stormwater infrastructure practices to mitigate the effects of increased impervious cover in urban areas to:
  • Manage flood risk by reducing localized flooding and the damage it causes to businesses and residences
  • Adapt to a changing climate - climate resiliency
  • Embrace more sustainable solutions for stormwater management
     
• Accelerating the pace of green infrastructure implementation to:
  • Meet EPA's Standards for Water Body Health to achieve the designated use (e.g., protection and propagation of fish, shellfish and wildlife; recreation; drinking water) of a particular water body 
  • Manage stormwater on-site that is generated from 90% of storm events
     
• Achieving water quality goals at lower cost through alternative financing strategies:
  • Community-Based Public Private Partnerships (CBP3s)
  • Stormwater Credit Market
  • Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF)
  • Fiscal incentives for green infrastructure retrofits
  • Green bonds and more

Faster, Cheaper, Greener Resources

• The Faster, Cheaper, Greener (FCG) webcast series is designed to provide education and outreach on next generation green infrastructure technologies and alternative financing strategies for design, installation, and long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) of green infrastructure stormwater management practices.  The primary goal of the FCG webcast series is to provide communities with the information, tools, and resources needed to develop a successful Community-Based Public Private Partnership (CBP3s) for affordable green infrastructure urban stormwater retrofits.  

  Objectives of the Faster, Cheaper, Greener Webcast Series: 

  1. Highlight partnership options/models which leverage public resources and private sector financing.
  2. Support a green stormwater management industry financed by a public private partnership (P3).
  3. Assist local communities in identifying models for financing, constructing and maintaining wet weather retrofit programs.
  4. Focus on the use of decentralized Low Impact Development (LID) approaches and green infrastructure practices  

• December 2014 Sustainable Financing Forum for Faster, Cheaper, Greener Urban Stormwater Retrofits  EPA Region 3 convened a Sustainable Stormwater Financing Forum that focused on building sustainable stormwater infrastructure and economic health through Community-Based Public-Private Partnerships (CBP3s) and smart financing tools.  This first-of-its-kind forum – described as “ground-breaking”, “visionary”, and “unique” – hosted approximately 80 representatives of federal, state, and local governments, non-government organizations, and academia, along with private sector engineers, developers, and finance industry representatives. Presentation and forum notes are also available.

• December 2015 Community-Based Public-Private Partnerships (CBP3) Sustainable Stormwater Infrastructure Summit   The National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP)  and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency co-hosted a CBP3 Stormwater Infrastructure Summit in partnership with the Water Environment Federation , Chesapeake Bay Trust  and Pennsylvania Water Environment Association .  The CBP3 Sustainable Stormwater Infrastructure Summit focused on the new and emerging area of public-private partnerships and provided a unique opportunity for attendees to learn from stormwater and P3 experts in one place.