Green Infrastructure in one of the driest regions in North America? That’s right, in the Southwestern region of the United States – roughly Arizona and New Mexico; and parts of Nevada, Colorado, Utah, and Texas) – green infrastructure is crucial. Not only is water precious and scarce in this region (and becoming scarcer every year), the water that does come comes in “flashy” torrents, dumping inches of rain in less than an hour. Dry desert soils exacerbate issues of erosion and poor water quality in rivers, as those flash-flood storm events carry pollutants and topsoil along with them as they enter waterways. Green infrastructure (aka green stormwater infrastructure or nature-based solutions) plays a specific and crucial role in arid climates by slowing water down and holding in place long enough to seep into the soil. When that happens, plants and animals thrive, and the water that seeps below the roots enters the groundwater, recharging our underground “water banks.” Additionally, the plants that are part of green infrastructure take up pollutants and heavy metals, keeping our surface and ground water resources cleaner.
Implementing green infrastructure in the Southwest also comes with climate-specific challenges. Below is a list of green infrastructure resources targeted for Southwest communities. These resources include connections related to peer support, examples of guidance documents and design manuals specific to the Southwest region, and examples of successful programs and installations in the Southwest.
SW Examples of Green Infrastructure Guidance Documents and Maintenance Manuals:
New Mexico
- Albuquerque/Bernalillo County design standards guide: https://www.bernco.gov/public-works/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2021/04/Green_Infrastructure_and_Low_Impact_Design_Guide_1.pdf
- New Mexico Department of Transportation GSI Maintenance Manual: https://www.dot.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NMDOT-GSI-Maintenance-Manual_Final.pdf and Maintenance Field Guide: https://www.dot.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-05-23-GSI-Maintenance-Field-Guide_FINAL-FOR-WEB.pdf
- Albuquerque GSI Maintenance Video Series: https://aridlidcoalition.org/index.php/gsi-maintenance/
- Field Guide for Passive Rainwater Harvesting: https://www.bernco.gov/public-works/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2023/09/Passive-Rainwater-Harvesting-Field-Guide_FINAL_REDUCED.pdf
Arizona
- Tucson GSI Maintenance Pocket Guide: https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/pages/gsimaintenanceguide
- Phoenix Green Infrastructure Guide for Residents: https://www.phoenix.gov/pddsite/Documents/Phoenix%20Green%20Infrastructure%20Handbook%20for%20Residents%20Oct%202024.pdf
- Sonoran Desert Green Infrastructure Resource Library: A Playbook for Transportation Projects in Pima County Communities: https://www.americanrivers.org/report/sonoran-desert-green-infrastructure-resource-library/
- This guide is intended to be a resource for transportation professionals and community planners by providing examples of green infrastructure planning, funding, and project design approaches. The playbook contains checklists for integrating green infrastructure into roadway projects, as well as design and maintenance checklists.
SW Examples of Green Infrastructure Installations:
- Arid LID Coalition Project Map (Albuquerque): https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/f3a07f35be454b00b6c7f70c1d6e27c1
- City of Tucson Storm to Shade Program: https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/pages/gsi
- See also this webinar for information on their asset management and maintenance programs: https://efcnetwork.org/event/webinar-quarterly-green-infrastructure-webinar-series-asset-management-for-green-infrastructure/
- City of Tucson GI Asset Inventory Map: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/521c0f2294a54635a991f12979a37300
- City of Tucson GSI Capital Projects Map: https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/pages/gsi
- Regional Reflections on Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions: Southwest: https://www.aaas.org/events/regional-reflections-green-infrastructure-and-nature-based-solutions-southwest
- The American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Scientific Evidence in Public Issues (AAAS EPI Center), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water (EPA OW), and the White House hosted a webinar in a series that highlights regional examples of green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. In this event, speakers discussed their work across the Southwest to plan and implement unique green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. A list of resources for planning and implementing green infrastructure and nature-based solutions compiled from the webinar series includes a section of resources focused on the Southwest (on page 13).
Peer Support:
- Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange (GILE): https://giexchange.org/
- International (US and Canada) peer network of cities/municipalities and practitioners of GI. This is a good group to find and connect with other municipalities that are facing and overcoming similar challenges with GI implementation.
- Land and Water Summit: https://www.landandwatersummitnm.org/
- Annual regional conference for green infrastructure/nature-based solutions.