Green and living roofs are so very important to our water quality,
sometimes being the last line of defense for removing pollutants before
runoff enters our ecologically sensitive and important waterways.
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| Green roofs slow down stormwater, cleaning and sequestering pollutants |
Even small green roofs can provide a significant
benefit to reducing peak runoff amounts and reducing loadings on creeks,
rivers and ponds by removing nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous.
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| Blue Hole, Ichetucknee Springs |
Once stormwater hits a roof and flows to the street
below it may only be a matter of minutes before the water and any
contaminants picked up as the volume flows across streets, drives and
roads enters Florida's drinking water supply. Green roofs also moderate and attenuate the volume of stormwater leaving a building footprint.
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Floating wetlands, Gainesville, Florida - greenroof on a pond
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| Storm drain allows pollutants to enter waterways |
Florida has a unique geology across many parts of the
state called Karst. Karst formations are typified by limerock with
caves, tunnels and holes throughout the formation. Once stormwater
runoff enters the limerock above drinking aquifers the flow to the pools
of underground water can be very quick.
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| Many times storm drains are a direct connect to water supply aquifers |
Green roofs, living walls, floating wetlands and
other best management practices can help keep water clean by slowing the
runoff and removing contaminants from the water.
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| Wekiwa Springs, Florida - higher in nitrogen and algae |
Wekiwa Springs, located just north of Orlando,
Florida and shown above is surrounded by houses, streets, roads and
commercial development. Though many good best management practices are
in place to contain nutrients and runoff, the springs still suffer from
high nutrient contents such as nitrogen and phosphorous.
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| Salt Springs, Ocala National Forest, not as impacted by development |
Salt Springs in the Ocala National Forest on the
other hand, though threatened by development, does not have all the
septic tanks, stormwater runoff and as you can see, the water is much
clearer, contains less nitrogen and other nutrients and is so much more
healthy.
Installing a green roof on your commercial or
residential building is just one small contribution you can make in the Urban Core to help protect clean water supplies and ensure a healthy Florida for future generations.
