Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to manage rainwater where it falls. This broad term can include minimizing impervious area on a development site; preserving a site’s natural features, vegetation, and water; planting new trees; or installing “engineered” best management practices (BMPs) that mimic natural functions such as rainwater storage, infiltration, and cleansing. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) states that green infrastructure “is an approach that communities can choose to maintain healthy waters, provide multiple environmental benefits, and support sustainable communities” (http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/index.cfm). To support this approach, USEPA—through its contractor Tetra Tech— is providing green infrastructure technical assistance to the City of Phoenix and 16 other communities across the country
Keywords: green infrastructure, code review, Water Quality Scorecard, case study