Green Infrastructure Examples for Stormwater Management in the Hudson Valley
Green roof at Marist College overlooking the Hudson River,
with the Walkway Over the Hudson in the background
Use the links below to view examples of stormwater management projects in the Hudson River Valley that use green infrastructure.
Green infrastructure practices maintain or restore stormwater's natural flow pattern by allowing the water to slowly permeate into the ground and be used by plants. These practices include rain gardens, vegetated swales, green roofs and porous pavements. Green infrastructure also includes preserving or restoring natural areas, such as forests, stream buffers and wetlands, and reducing the size of paved surfaces. Green infrastructure generally includes "better site design" or "low impact development" stormwater projects.
In addition to managing stormwater, green infrastructure can recharge groundwater, provide wildlife habitat, beautify neighborhoods, cool urbanized areas, improve air quality and reduce stress on combined sewer systems.
The Hudson River Estuary Program recently conducted a survey on barriers to green infrastructure implementation in the Hudson Valley. We received 127 completed responses from a wide range of green infrastructure practitioners. Respondents cited cost, lack of knowledge, and resistance from local, municipal officials as the top barriers to implementation of more green infrastructure. For more detailed information, see the Barriers to Green Infrastructure in the Hudson Valley report (PDF) (890 KB).
Search Examples:
Screen shot from the Low Impact Development website
There are three different ways to browse examples:
- Browse by Project Type
- Browse by County
- Browse an interactive map by clicking on the NEMO National Low Impact Development Atlas link under Links Leaving DEC's Website on the right side of this page
Photos and information were provided by outside partners and the NYSDEC makes no guarantee of the accuracy of the information provided, the design or effectiveness of any of the case study examples or the accuracy of the photos.
Submit Examples:
This site provides a few examples of projects but is not a complete list of all green infrastructure projects in the region. If you have a project that you feel should be add to the list, please e-mail us at hrep@gw.dec.state.ny.us with "green infrastructure example" in the subject line, and fill out the Green Infrastructure Examples Form (PDF, 50 KB)
Browse by Project Type:
Click on the project titles below for more information. You can find more guidance about many of these approaches in Chaper 5 of the New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual
- Rain Gardens
- Bioretention Areas
- Vegetated Swales/Dry Swales
- Green Roofs
- Porous Pavement
- Stream Buffer Restoration
- Other
Rain Gardens
Rain gardens manage and treat small volumes of stormwater by filtering runoff through soil and vegetation within a shallow depression.
- Ashford Park Rain Gardens (Westchester)
- Columbia County SWCD Rain Garden (Columbia)
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Greene County Rain Garden (Greene)
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County Rain Garden (Orange)
- CCE Master Gardeners Rosendale Library Rain Garden (Ulster)
- CCE Master Gardeners Saugerties Senior Citizen Recreation Center Rain Garden (Ulster)
- CCE Master Gardeners Ulster Town Hall Rain Garden (Ulster)
- Elm Avenue Park Demonstration Rain Garden (Albany)
- Harrier Hill Park Permeable Pavers, Vegetated Swale, and Stormwater Retention Garden (Columbia)
- Kingston Library Rain Garden (Ulster)
- Mt. Pleasant Highway Garage Rain Garden (Westchester)
- Rockland Audubon Society Rain Garden (Rockland)
- Rockland County Park Rain Garden (Rockland)
- South County Park Rain Garden (Westchester)
- Stanley Still Park Rain Garden (Dutchess)
- SUNY Orange Rain Garden (Orange)
- Ulster County Department of the Environment Rain Garden (Ulster)
- Vassar College Rain Garden (Dutchess)
- Village of Greenwood Lake Rain Garden (Orange)
Bioretention Areas
Bioretention areas capture and treat stormwater, allowing the water to filter through soil and vegetation. Bioretention areas are usually larger than rain gardens and designed with an underdrain to connect to the storm drain system.
- Beacon Institute Bioretention Basin (Dutchess)
- Dutchess County Community College Bioretention 1 (Dutchess)
- Dutchess County Community College Bioretention 2 (Dutchess)
- Walden Bioretention (Orange)
Vegetated Swales / Dry Swales
Swales are natural drainage paths or vegetated channels used to transport water instead of underground storm sewers or concrete open channels. They increase the time of concentration, reduce discharge, and provide infiltration.
- Dominican College Dry Swale (Rockland)
- Dutchess Community Dry Swale (Dutchess)
- Niskayuna Business Park Dry Swale (Schenectady)
- FDR Historic Site Dry Swale (Dutchess)
- Pawling Subdivision Dry Swale (Dutchess)
- SUNY Albany Dry Swale (Albany)
- Village of Greenwood Lake Vegetated Swale (Orange)
Green Roofs
Green roofs are layers of soil and vegetation installed on rooftops that capture runoff. The vegetation allows evaporation and evapotranspiration to reduce the volume and discharge rate of stormwater.
- Beacon Institute Green Roof (Dutchess)
- Chapel of Our Lady Restoration Chancery Annex Green Roof (Putnam)
- Culinary Institute of America Green Roof (Dutchess)
- Millbrook School Math and Science Center Green Roof (Dutchess)
- Rensselaer Master Gardeners Green Roof (Rensselaer)
Porous Pavement
Pervious types of pavements allow stormwater to infiltrate through the surface, reducing stormwater runoff and some pollutants.
- Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center Porous Pavement (Albany)
- Beacon Institute Permeable Paving (Dutchess)
- Columbia County SWCD Porous Pavement (Columbia)
- Forsyth Nature Center Porous Asphalt Parking Lot (Ulster)
- Lamont-Doherty Porous Asphalt Parking Lot (Rockland)
- Masseo Landscape, Inc. Permeable Pavers (Ulster)
- Millbrook School Math and Science Center Perivous Paving (Dutchess)
- Roeliff Jansen Community Library Porous Concrete (Columbia)
- Sojourner Truth Ulster Landing County Park Permeable Pavers (Ulster)
- Stewart Airport Pervious Asphalt Pavement (Orange)
- SUNY Albany Permeable Paving 1 (Albany)
- SUNY Albany Permeable Paving 2 (Albany)
- Garrison Institute Permeable Paving (Putnam)
- Verrazano Blvd. Poughkeepsie Pervious Pavement (Dutchess)
- Village of Greenwood Lake Pervious Pavers (Orange)
- Washington St. Poughkeepsie Porous Asphalt (Dutchess)
Stream Buffer Restoration
A healthy vegetated buffer helps improve stream health and water quality by filtering and slowing polluted runoff, along with many other benefits.
- Benedict Farm Stream Buffer Restoration (Orange)
- Dinsmore Park Stream Buffer Restoration (Dutchess)
- Greenvale Park Stream Buffer Restoration (Dutchess)
- Normans Kill Stream Buffer Restoration (Albany)
- SUNY Orange Stream Buffer Restoration (Orange)
Other
- Ardsley Bus Shelter Stormwater Planter (Westchester)
- Dominican College Sand Filter (Rockland)
- Fall Kill Partnership Gardens Rain Barrels (Dutchess)
- Latham Business Park Infiltration Basin (Albany)
- Latham Business Park Wet Swale (Albany)
- Niskayuna Business Parks Rooftop Connection (Schenectady)
- Pawling Subdivision Clearing and Grading Reduction (Dutchess)
- Spring Manor Natural Feature Preservation (Dutchess)
- Vassar College Sand Filter (Dutchess)
- Vassar College Farm and Ecological Preserve Rain Barrels (Dutchess)
