Virginia “Greens Up” State Capitol

Virginia is aiming to make its State Capitol in Richmond one of the “greenest” in the country by reducing the amount of storm water running off the grounds of Capitol Square.

The plan is to use an $800,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – yes, those dreaded federals from Washington, D.C. – and, matched with a similar amount from state coffers, make the capital grounds more Bay- and James River-friendly.

How? Plans call for:

• Replacing a terraced brick sidewalk with water-permeable brick pavers so rain water soaks into the ground rather than runs off the hard surface and into storm drains.
• Constructing several rain gardens in the square and beside nearby streets and sidewalks. Rain gardens are beds of flowers, grasses, and shrubs placed at strategic spots to receive and absorb runoff of rain water. Instead of running off into a storm drain, the water soaks into the garden, nourishing plants instead of potentially polluting a nearby stream or river.
• Installing a “rainwater harvesting system” – underground tanks to store rain water that now goes into Capitol Square storm drains. The water in the tanks will then be reused in the Square’s fountains and for landscape irrigation.

When completed next spring, the various projects should reduce runoff pollution from the site by about 64 percent, according to Governor Bob McDonnell at this week’s official groundbreaking ceremony. That means less pollution making its way to the nearby James River, Virginia’s “Founding River” and one of the Chesapeake Bay’s major tributaries.

Like most Bay tributaries, the James is plagued by too much nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution, much of which comes from runoff of rain water from streets, parking lots, buildings, and lawns. The City of Richmond faces special challenges because of its proximity to the river, propensity for flooding, and older “combined sewer overflow” system that combines runoff collected by storm drains with the city’s sewer system, leading to sewage discharges into the James after particularly heavy rains.

Baywide, runoff pollution continues to be a growing, rather than declining, problem for the Chesapeake Bay, which is why this “Greening Virginia’s Capitol” project is a step in the right direction.

“The James River was the waterway of the early colonists,” Gov. McDonnell said in a statement about the project this week. “It is one of the most beautiful and historic rivers in the country. I am pleased that we are able to be a leader in protecting this natural resource and Virginia treasure from pollution through these innovative storm water practices. This project will set a standard for other urban areas and capitols, and is another step forward in our ongoing efforts to conserve and preserve the natural beauty and resources of Virginia.”

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation agrees.

“This is exactly what cities and towns all across the watershed need to be doing,” says CBF Virginia Staff Scientist Mike Gerel. “We’ve created major problems for our rivers and the Bay by the way we’ve historically engineered our cities to collect and concentrate runoff and move it as quickly as possible to the nearest river.

“But there are lots of creative and effective ways to reduce the problem of storm water runoff by doing   these kinds of projects,” Gerel added.   “Individually these types of efforts may not seem like a big deal, but as in most things we do to protect the environment, cumulatively they can make a real difference in reducing pollution and the costs to address it.”

What makes the Greening Virginia’s Capitol project a good model is the historic nature of the grounds -- home to the Thomas Jefferson-designed Capitol building; the Executive Mansion, the oldest occupied governor’s mansion in the nation; and the Bell Tower, which opened in 1825 and continues to toll the time each day. If old and historic urban places such as these can be retrofitted to reduce runoff, just about anywhere can.

The trick is innovative thinking – finding opportunities to put in rain gardens and porous pavers, to replace concrete and asphalt with trees and shrubs, or to install “green roofs”  atop buildings to catch   and absorb rain water instead of funneling it into gutters and storm drains. Such “green infrastructure” practices try to mimic the benefits of the natural landscape that was in place before we created cities.

Paying for such projects requires innovation, too.
 
“States and localities have to be creative in funding these kinds of projects,” said Nissa Dean with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, one of the lead state agencies for the Capitol project. “There are sources of funding out there, but not many, and they are very competitive.”

Many localities, including Richmond, charge storm water fees to pay for mostly structural projects to address storm water problems. The fees usually generate far less than what is needed to fix the problem – which is why porous pavers, rain gardens, and such practices are so important. They help reduce the size of the problem and, perhaps over time, the size of the fees. 
 
Being creative also involves thinking in new ways about managing and allocating resources, Dean said.

“We need to comprehensively think about how we use resources across the board. Spending a little more up front on a project to conserve energy or reduce storm water, for example, can reduce costs over time. If we are to leave a sustainable world for our children and their children, we need to be thinking about the long-term impact of our actions, environmentally and economically. My hope is that projects like this will demonstrate that it is feasible, practical, and worth our while to do so.”

So, why not challenge your state or local government to get innovative and find creative ways to reduce runoff pollution? Share your ideas and energy with elected officials or local planners. Help make a difference.

By Chuck Epes

Comments

[UGG Classic Mini]

Nile is longest river in Africa.We walked along the river.We can go across the freeze river.And remember Time is another river

[Supra Skytop II]

I put Peggy to bed and set up her gifts around the tree and a sweet peace flooded me like a benediction. I had some hope again

[installing irrigation systems]

Great seeing that some cities are taking full on action and not just making promises. Can't wait to see what becomes of it. Never visited Virginia, maybe it's time I will! :)