From rooftops to rivers: green infrastructure yields economic
and environmental benefits Nancy Stoner, Director, Clean Water
Project, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C.;
Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Esq., Assistant Dean of Environmental
Law Programs, Pace University School of Law, White Plains, New
York Most urban and suburban waterways in the United States are
polluted, and wet weather impacts are a huge part of the
problem. While boating or other non-contact recreation may be
possible, many urban and suburban streams, lakes or coastal
waters are often unsafe for swimming or other direct contact
after it rains. Rainfall carries trash, toxins and bacteria into
waterways, increasing the risk of illness for swimmers and
making these waters unhealthy for fish, amphibians and birds. If
these same urban rivers, lakes and coastal waters are clean,
they can become a tremendous community resource, providing
fishing, swimming and other recreational opportunities as well
as a higher quality source of drink