| Greetings!
The ENCAP team is spending time at the American Public Works Association Chicago Metro Chapter Conference and Trade Show this week. Public Works projects are often "behind the scenes" infrastructure improvements and in most cases they're even underground.
In 2010 we are seeing more and more municipal and county public works departments leaning towards green infrastructure in the Chicago Area. The articles below highlight projects, native vegetation choices and maintenance programs to consider with your green infrastructure program.
Be sure to hit the links for more info.
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Green Infrastructure in Aurora
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Aurora, IL has been the fastest growing city
on the Fox River and is currently the second largest city in Illinois.
Close to Chicago and located on the Fox
River, Aurora
offers urban culture near natural beauty. The city is showing leadership in balancing
urban life with natural area protection through the implementation of green
infrastructure.
ENCAP, Inc. was able to assist Aurora with recent
examples of the city's green initiative on two projects. In 2009, ENCAP teamed up with Mundy
Landscaping at the new LEED certified Aurora Police Headquarters. The landscaping at this facility is dominated
with native plant species
and low maintenance, drought tolerant cultivars. Bio-swales, created wetland
detention, prairie establishment, and other best management practices cover
nearly 50% of the overall project area.
 We have just
completed a new rain garden located on Spring
Street. This retro fit rain garden
demonstrates how green infrastructure can be implemented within an existing
established neighborhood. This rain Garden intercepts some of the storm
runoff and provides filtration and evapotranspiration functions that are not
offered by storm sewer pipe. These types of projects have a significant positive impact on water
quality because existing local storm water runoff issues are attenuated at the source
rather than at the end of a pipe.
Find out More about Aurora's green initiatives
on their website by clicking here.
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Site Specific Green Infrastructure
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Site specific Green
Infrastructure (aka permanent best management practices) can refer to a myriad
of practices in which native vegetation is planted into man made surface
features designed to convey or temporarily store storm water runoff. Terms like
bioswales, filtration strips, wetland bottom detention areas, bio-retention,
and rain gardens, can all be considered a component of green infrastructure.
 Many municipal and county storm water
ordinances in the Chicago
region require storm water detention ponds to be planted with native
vegetation. This is a wildly different
approach to traditionally landscaped detention ponds that are typically surrounded
by turf grasses. The desired result of
native landscaping is a wildscape consisting of deep rooted grasses and
wildflowers that will stabilize slopes, protect against erosion, and minimize
the use of the area by resident Canada Geese.
 However, rain gardens and bioswales are often
smaller areas that are not appropriate for a wildscape look. These areas often have a design element that
utilizes native plants (or cultivars of native plants) in traditional
ways. This approach to native landscaping
is also appropriate for creating a transition zone between the wildscape and
more traditional landscaping such as turf lawns. Good design principals will make your project
become a community asset valued much more than curbs, culverts, and storm sewers.
For
more info on GI go the USEPA Website .
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Maintenance of Green Infrastructure
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 Anyone that owns a
home quickly realizes that maintenance is a fact of life. Public Works Directors know this fact more
than anyone. One of the biggest selling
points of utilizing native vegetation at home or in public green infrastructure
projects is that it is drought tolerant and requires less maintenance than turf
products. However, the manager of a
native landscape must not let the concept of "low maintenance" devolve
into "no maintenance". This attitude can lead to overproduction of
noxious weeds and loss of the beneficial functions of a native landscape.
Unlike turf grass, a
wildscape started from seed, takes some time to get established. Often two to three growing seasons of
maintenance are required to begin to see the desired results. In this case you are often dealing with 25 -
30 different native species that are competing with the local weed
population. Because of this "grow in
period" it is critical that a knowledgeable person conduct initial weed
management.
In situations where
native plants are utilized with design intent rather than a wildscape approach,
maintenance is very similar to any planting bed that needs weeding,
re-mulching, or deadheading. The
difference is that excessive watering and fertilizer is not required. This type of area can be maintained by anyone
with a basic knowledge of the original planting plan.
For more information on native landscape
maintenance please see the following links:
ENCAP Website Rain Garden Maintenance PDF University
of Wisconsin - Madison arboretum WDNR Website Links
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 Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments regarding this newsletter. If you have a project or an event that you would like highlighted don't hesitate to ask.
Until Next Month,
Carl Peterson
ENCAP, Inc.
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Upcoming Events
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May 26 - May 27
Sustainability in Public Works
APWA Chicago Metro Chapter Conference
Click for more info
June 5, 2010
Cosley Zoo Run for the Animals
Wheaton Park District
Click for More Info
June 9, 2010 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Workshop for HOAs Maintenance for
Subdivision Drainage Systems
Lake County Central Permit Facility
500 W. Winchester Libertyville, IL
June
9, 2010 6:00-9:00
p.m.Strike Out Hunger The Pulte Group and Northern Illinois Food Bank's 2010 Bowling Tournament Brunswick Zone Algonquin, IL
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