ASK THE EXPERTS
Aaron Koch
Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability, City of Chicago Department of Water Management
Aaron Koch is the deputy commissioner for sustainability in the City of Chicago’s Department of Water Management. In this role, he is responsible for implementing the water sustainability initiatives outlined in Sustainable Chicago 2015, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s roadmap for environmental stewardship and economic development. Aaron previously served as a senior policy advisor in the New York City (NYC) Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, where he was an author of the water chapters of PlaNYC, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s sustainability plan, as well as the New York City Wetlands Strategy and the Sustainable Stormwater Management Plan. Aaron holds a master’s in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the University of Minnesota.
Q: Please tell us a bit about the watershed where you work (geographical location).
A: I recently joined the Chicago Department of Water Management from the NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. I am responsible for water sustainability policy and planning with a focus on developing a coordinated green infrastructure (GI) policy for the City of Chicago. We have strong leadership within multiple City agencies and precedence from efforts under Mayor Daley, such as the stormwater ordinance that Pete Mulvaney outlined (see above). We are now seeking to build on those accomplishments under the leadership of Mayor Emanuel and through Sustainable Chicago 2015, which is the City’s new roadmap for environmental stewardship and economic development. Chicago is already a GI leader with approximately 360 green roofs and 175 green alleys, and we want to continue our commitment to sustainability by incorporating GI into long-term funding and capital budgets to strategically keep water out of our combined sewer system.
Q: How does your department define GI?
A: GI for stormwater management means using distributed source control measures that keep water out of our sewer system and better mimic predevelopment conditions. In Sustainable Chicago 2015, a key action to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and basement flooding is to create a GI plan that is embedded in the capital budgeting process.
Q: What is your department’s experience with GI, and what reasons or decision-making processes were behind the adoption of this approach to address CSOs, whether throughout the region/area or for a specific project?
A: The City of Chicago has a strong track record on GI implementation. This includes well-documented efforts, such as promoting green roofs and building permeable green alleys, but also a wide variety of stormwater source controls at public sites and buildings. The City has also increased GI on private properties through the stormwater ordinance and by providing homeowners with rebates for rain barrels and trees through our Sustainable Backyards Program. All of these efforts have involved collaboration among many City of Chicago departments. In addition to the Department of Water Management, other key agencies, such as our Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Economic Development, promote GI to keep stormwater out of our overtaxed sewer systems, but also because GI provides multiple other benefits, such as improving air quality and reducing the urban heat island effect.
Q: Does the adoption of a GI approach to address CSOs result in regulatory issues that differ from those associated with more conventional or traditional engineering solutions to address CSOs?
A: Unlike many other municipal governments, the City of Chicago does not have a consent decree for CSO reductions. But we are working with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago as they seek to use GI as part of their consent decree. Even though the City doesn’t directly face regulatory issues, GI still requires a different way of operating, such as developing different standards for design, construction, and maintenance. Also, implementing GI requires more careful coordination between and among city agencies, other stakeholders, and the public.
Q: Can you identify a few key challenges that you have encountered in implementing GI?
A: First, unlike traditional gray infrastructure, implementing GI requires a more coordinated approach within the local government and with the private sector. Second, funding is always a challenge. The federal government has significantly reduced direct funding to municipalities to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act over time. This presents local water utilities with difficult choices about how to balance the need to invest in maintaining and replacing existing infrastructure while at the same time making new investments in GI or other stormwater management projects. This also places a heavier burden on water ratepayers. Rate increases offer one funding mechanism, but we must be mindful of how rate increases can impact our citizens, particularly in challenging economic times.
Q: Beyond the goal of using GI to address pollutant loadings in receiving waters, in your experience, what other community/social or economic benefits resulted from using GI?
A: GI provides well-documented environmental benefits, such as improved air quality, a reduced urban heat island effect, and increased quality of life. I also believe that GI can provide benefits when we engage the community in GI planning.
Q: What programs or assistance are available to advance the use of GI, and what criteria are used to determine what type of solution is most appropriate? Which assistance needs are being met, and which are not? Is the information getting to the practitioners?
A: The City of Chicago provides education to residents and the general public on GI through seminars and programming at the Chicago Center for Green Technology, which is the Midwest’s most comprehensive green design educational resource for urban residents. The City also provides financial incentives through the Sustainable Backyards program for installations that meet specific criteria. Thousands of Chicagoans have participated in these programs. In 2011 alone, the Sustainable Backyards Program distributed 420 rebates to residents that resulted in the planting of over 1,200 native plants and 397 trees and the installation of 133 rain barrels and 116 compost bins. There is always a greater need for additional funding and outreach for GI education, outreach, and community-level implementation, and we will continue to explore partnerships to meet these needs.
Q: Can you share a “success story”? If so, who was involved (e.g., organizations, volunteers, or researchers)?
A: In addition to the stormwater ordinance Pete mentioned, Chicago has used a sustainable development policy that couples highly valuable land use development approvals to drive GI implementation. The City worked with the private real estate community during the creation of the stormwater ordinance and tied special land use development approvals to GI implementation, such as green roofs. Green roof GI practices are prevalent in Chicago largely because the developers wanted City special project approval or special funding and were required to comply with a “green matrix” that requires GI.
Q: Based on your experience with GI, what research or other work (e.g., coordination or programs) is still needed for its effective watershed management application?
A: This is an exciting time to work in stormwater management and GI. The federal government is following the lead of cities and embracing GI. Cities and their state and federal partners need to continue to move GI forward through additional planning, by building more projects, and through monitoring and research. However, we need additional analysis and research to better understand where we can use GI most successfully. GI is not always the cheapest option for stormwater management, and GI is not the answer for all issues and places. We need to better understand where GI makes the most sense and target GI where we can maximize our return on our investment. Also, it is important to recognize that each city should use GI based on its goals, local conditions, and vision for the future.
Suggested resources
Please read the companion “Ask the Expert” on Pete Mulvaney
City of Chicago 2012 Sewer Construction and Stormwater Management Requirements http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/water/provdrs/engineer/svcs/2009_sewer_constructionandstormwatermanagementrequirements.html
City of Chicago Sustainable Backyards Program http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/conservation_outreachgreenprograms/svcs/chicago_sustainablebackyardprogram.html
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