Sunday, July 7, 2013

Liquid Assets

Here in the Big Apple, it's been an unusually rainy summer so far, with more predicted next week.





However, the urban hard-scape makes it difficult for the rain to 
find its way back into the earth. Instead, it is channeled 
into the city's sewer system. This system can quickly 
become overwhelmed, especially during 
heavy rain (or snow) storms.


This often results in CSOs ("combined sewer overflows"), which cause untreated waste-water to discharge directly into local waterways.

The use of "green infrastructure", gradually being implemented through PlaNYC and other programs, can help to mitigate this problem. By storing these excess flows for slower release back into the environment, or for future use, which can also be thought of as "yields".



But until such strategies become more widespread, every time it rains, it's like leaving money on the table!

Hmmm. . . .maybe clouds really do have silver linings!