Out With the Gray, In With the Green: The Volunteer Efforts Reshaping Infrastructure in Portland

Climate change has exacerbated the risk of flood events, and some cities are adopting new systems to manage flooding. Conventional approaches to stormwater management include taking water that falls in cities and pumping it through a series of drains, sewers, and dams far away from the city to a separate water basin. What if you could ease some of the strain on these systems by letting water into the city?

Enter green infrastructure, an approach to stormwater management that’s taken the civil engineering world by storm over the past decade. It involves building and maintaining various green spaces (rain gardens, bioswales, green roofs) that absorb the stormwater as it falls.

According to a paper in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association, “the city of Portland, Oregon, has one of the oldest and most successful GI [green infrastructure] programs in the U.S. and is an internationally renowned leader in the implementation of GI to manage stormwater.”

The backbone of Portland’s system is a bit surprising. Volunteer efforts play an important role in maintaining Portland's green infrastructure. For example, the Green Street Stewards program allows individuals and groups to “adopt” a street and remove debris, weeds, and sometimes plant vegetation to maintain bioswales and rain gardens.

Utilizing these systems to improve drainage and biodiversity while promoting community engagement can serve as a lesson for many cities that will need to deal with increased flooding in the coming years.