Going Green Begins By Thinking Blue: Rainwater Strategies for Cermak Road

Jay Womack, ASLA, LEED APDirector, Sustainable Design

Going Green Begins By Thinking Blue:rainwater strategies for cermak road

Dan Kavanaugh, P.E.Vice President

Cermak Road and Blue Island Avenue Streetscape “Calle Ecologica”

Phase 1 Streetscape Limits

Phase 2 Streetscape Limits

Approximately 37.5” of precipitation falls on every acre of the midwest

That’s equal to nearly 1,000,000 gallons of water per acre per year

For Cermak Road that is roughly 16,000,000 gallons of precipitation every year

Unfortunately, most of it goes somewhere else as Urban Runoff…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks urban runoff and storm-sewer discharges as the fourth most prevalent source of impairment of our lakes, streams,

and rivers.

Resulting in the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone.

This phenomena grows to approximately

8,000 square miles each spring…

Each spring enormous quantities of dissolved nutrients (nitrogen) are transported from the

upper Midwest into the Gulf of Mexico…

The intersection of Cermak and Halstead.

Looking west near the intersection of Peoria and Cermak.

Looking east near the intersection of Peoria and Cermak.

CERMAK ROAD – EXISTING CONDITIONS

CERMAK ROAD – EXISTING CONDITIONS

Looking east near the intersection of Racine and Cermak. Sidewalks are narrow and are in poor condition.

Typical conditions along the railroad track on the south side of Cermak. There is little room

for sidewalk improvements along the tracks.

BLUE ISLAND – EXISTING CONDITIONS

Looking east on the north side of Cermak from the intersection of Paulina and Cermak. The sidewalks are wider and have ample room for planters. Existing trees will remain, where they are in good condition.

Looking west on the south side of Cermak. The sidewalks are in poor condition and are in need

of repair and additional landscaping.

STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND WATER EFFICIENCY - CERMAK ROAD NORTH SIDE

STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND WATER EFFICIENCY - CERMAK ROAD NORTH SIDE

Carex vulpinoideafox sedge

Spartina pectinatarice cut grass

STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND WATER EFFICIENCY – CERMAK ROAD SOUTH SIDE

STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND WATER EFFICIENCY - CERMAK ROAD SOUTH SIDE

Carex vulpinoideafox sedge

Spartina pectinatarice cut grass

Physotegia virginianafalse dragonhead

Solidago ‘Little Lemon’Little lemon goldenrod

Equisetum scirpoidesdwarf horsetail

Leymus glaucusBlue lyme grass

STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AND WATER EFFICIENCY – BLUE ISLAND AVENUE

Permeable pavers with smog-eating concrete will retain an SRI of .55

Bromus kalmiikalms brome

Andropogon scopariuslittle bluestem

Bouteloua curtipendulasideoats gramma

Coreopsis lanceolataSand tickseed

WESTERN AVENUE PLAZA