Making Space for Water Presented by Curtis Witek For The Alliance for the Great Lakes Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Presentation Outline Chicago’s water management problem(s) A systems approach for mapping Chicago’s urban water system
Mapping exercise Next steps
Rain water overwhelms conventional infrastructure.
Photo: CNT
Urban flooding in Chicago is chronic, systemic and costly:
Photo: CNT
Urban flooding in Chicago is chronic, systemic and costly: $773,772,151 Selected expenditures for flood-related property damage in Cook County, 2007-2011
Source: CNT, 2014
Photo: CNT
Urban flooding in Chicago is chronic, systemic and costly: 176,980 claims made across 96 percent of Cook County ZIP codes
Source: CNT, 2014
Photo: CNT
Stormwater management and water quality are systematically linked.
Photos: Curtis Witek
Watershed diagnosis: 2001
Watershed diagnosis: 2006
Watershed diagnosis: 2011
Photo: Friends of the Chicago River
“Backflows” are increasing in frequency and volume. 7000
25
6000
20
5000 4000
15
3000
10
2000
5
1000
0
0
Total TARP Storage Capacity (Billion Gallons)
Chicago River Backlows into Lake Michigan (Million Gallons)
Source: Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (Table E.2 Historical Records of Backflow at CRCW); MWRD Data
“Grey� infrastructure solutions alone are not sufficient to solve the water management challenges.
Photo: CNT
Grey Infrastructure
Green Infrastructure
Photos: Curtis Witek
How do we transform Chicago’s water system from one that is based on “pipe it and pave it� solutions, to one that integrates more distributed, adaptive and resilient stormwater management approaches?
Photo: Curtis Witek
A systems approach‌
A systems approach‌
Structure Political
Process
A systems approach‌
Context
Actor
Adapted from Ferguson et al. 2013
Structure Structure
Socioeconomic
Process
Political
Process
A systems approach‌
Context
Actor Actor
Adapted from Ferguson et al. 2013
Structure Political
Structure
Socioeconomic
Process
Structure
Process
A systems approach‌
Context
Actor Biophysical
Actor Actor
Adapted from Ferguson et al. 2013
Structure Political
Structure
Actor Biophysical
Actor Actor
Adapted from Ferguson et al. 2013
Outcome
Socioeconomic
Process
Structure
Process
A systems approach‌
Context
Now let’s apply this framework to “map” Chicago’s urban water system.
Photo: CNT
Desired outcome: Capture the first flush of a 100 year storm city-wide.
Who are the actors?
Political Context Actor
Through what processes do they interact?
What are the structures that they shape?
Desired outcome: Capture the first flush of a 100 year storm city-wide.
Structure
Who are the actors?
Socioeconomic Context Actor
Through what processes do they interact?
What are the structures that they shape?
Desired outcome: Capture the first flush of a 100 year storm city-wide.
Structure
What are the system’s elements?
Biophysical Context Elements
Through what processes do they interact?
What are the structures that they shape?
Desired outcome: Capture the first flush of a 100 year storm city-wide.
Structure
Next steps… • Develop strategic policies & projects • Implement policies & projects • Monitor and evaluate outcomes • Adapt plan
My dream… The Alliance’s Building Resilience team is the Great Lakes Region’s premier planning and action task force. The team is equipped with the analytical and communications tools needed to strategically build the region’s ecological resilience.
Thank you! Question?
Photo: CNT
References Center for Neighborhood Technology and American Rivers. 2010. The Value of Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Recognizing its Economic, Environmental and Social Benefits. Chicago, IL. Center for Neighborhood Technology. 2013, The Prevalence and Cost of Urban Flooding. Chicago, IL. City of Chicago: Department of Water Management. 2014. Green Stormwater Infrastructure Strategy. Chicago, IL. Ferguson, Briony, Brown, R., Deletic, A. 2013. Diagnosing transformative change in urban water systems: Theories and frameworks. Global Environmental Change (31) 256-280. Randolph, J., 2012, Environmental land use planning and management, Island Press, Washington. US Army Corps of Engineers. 2014. The GLMRIS Report. Chicago, IL. US Environmental Protection Agency. 2008. Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters.
Photo: CNT