onondaga county’s save the rain program · onondaga lake facts • watershed: 285 square miles...

The Save the Rain Program in Onondaga County, NY: A Case Study of Green Infrastructure Implementation

in Upstate New York

Madison M. Quinn, Project CoordinatorOnondaga County Department of

Water Environment ProtectionJuly 13, 2017

Onondaga County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney

Presentation Overview

• Background• Save the Rain program overview• Green infrastructure projects• Green infrastructure projects• Education and outreach • “Triple Bottom Line” benefits – environmental, social &

economic• Water quality improvements• National and regional recognition• Questions


Onondaga County & Syracuse


Onondaga Lake Facts

• Watershed: 285 square miles

• 1 mi. Wide, 4.6 mi. long

• Average Depth: 35 ft.

• Max Depth: 63 ft.


Save the Rain Program Overview

• County Executive Joanie Mahoney wanted a better way to meet environmental goals without building more Regional Treatment Facilities (RTFs)

• Combined approach –gray and green infrastructure


Green GraySTR

Green Infrastructure Projects

• Over 190 projects advanced to date (2010-2017)

• Variety of green infrastructure technology, project size & land ownership

• Almost 130 million gallons captured annually


Green Infrastructure Technologies


Green Parks – County and City


Green Park – Lewis Park


Green Park – Lewis Park

• Collaboration with Jim & Juli BoeheimFoundation, 1 of 5 Courts4Kids park renovations to date


Green Streets

E. Washington St.Water St. Gateway


W. Onondaga St.

Green Streets – Concord Place


Stormwater Reuse – Cisterns/Rain Barrels


War Memorial Arena Cistern System


Triple Bottom Line Benefits


Environment

Social

Economic

STR

Community Benefits from Save the Rain

• Collaboration between municipalities & public/private partnership help stretch dollars

• Social & economic benefits to streetscape revitalization, park improvements, etc.

• Educational opportunities – visitors to zoo, schools, public facilities

• Green jobs – installing & maintaining green infrastructure assets (public and private)


Save the Rain Education & Outreach

• www.SaveTheRain.US• Onondaga Earth Corps (OEC) – GI maintenance, peer

education for youth, rain garden demo projects • Tree Planting – Cornell Cooperative Extension & OEC• Workshops – rain barrel, rain garden, maintenance• Baltimore Woods Nature Center “Nature in the City”

3rd grade education program • Block Litter & Connect the Drops anti-litter campaigns• Social media – Facebook, twitter, Instagram, YouTube


Water Quality Improvements

• Remarkable recovery, greatly improved water quality in Onondaga Lake


Fish Communities of Onondaga Lake

• Greater diversity than years past – 53 species of fish identified by county sampling


National and Regional Recognition

• US EPA Green Infrastructure Community Summit, cohosted by Onondaga County & US EPA

• U.S. Water Prize• NYS Environmental

Excellence Award• NYWEA Public Education Award• StormWater Solutions

Magazine Top Stormwater Project(Rosamond Gifford Zoo)


2013 US Water Prize Ceremony


Questions?

Please visit our website: www.SaveTheRain.us/dropsFollow @SaveTheRainUS on Twitter & @savetherain.us on Instagram

“Like” Onondaga County Save the Rain on Facebook: facebook.com/savetherainus

Subscribe to savetherainus on YouTube

onondaga county’s save the rain program · onondaga lake facts • watershed: 285 square miles...

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