ABSTRACT
Many cities throughout the United States currently face important water management issues. Among the most prominent of these issues is the control of storm water runoff from urban and nearby agricultural areas, which potentially contaminates water bodies and contributes to the risk of property damage from flooding. As an alternative to managing water flow with traditional technologies, civil engineers and urban planners are becoming increasingly interested in “green technologies.” Examples of these technologies, those that will both prevent flooding and mediate contamination before runoff enters water bodies, are planting trees in strategic locations and constructing wetlands. Green technologies may better be viewed as restoring natural water control methods, since urban growth replaces vegetation with unnatural impervious surfaces such as buildings and pavement.
