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About the Oshkosh
Sustainability
Advisory Board
The Oshkosh Sustainability
Advisory Board was established in
2009 and is given the mission to
advise the City Manager and
Common Council on sustainability
issues affecting municipal
operations and the community at
large.
Sustainability is the framework to
think about and address systems
holistically, rather than as
component pieces or departments.
For the City of Oshkosh,
sustainability is implemented
through the City’s Strategic Plan
and is guided by the City’s
Sustainability Plan.
City of Oshkosh
[Street Address] [City], [State] [Postal Code]
[Web Address]
City of Oshkosh
Impervious Surfaces
and Water Quality
It is estimated that pavement covers
22% of Wisconsin’s urban areas.
http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2012/nrs_2012_nowak_002.pdf
What’s wrong with
impervious surfaces?
Water will still find a place to go,
right? Yes; however, dense areas
of impervious surfaces means
water cannot penetrate the
ground, thereby entering directly
into our waterways -- often known
as storm water runoff. This runoff
means that water will carry a
number of materials into our
lakes and rivers since it is not first
filtered through the soil.
Storm water runoff can
significantly reduce the quality of
our water, and can also increase
the chances of flooding.
What is an impervious surface?
An impervious surface is any surface that water cannot penetrate, meaning that it
covers that ground and does not allow water to filter through the soil. Examples
of impervious surfaces that you see every day include sidewalks, roads, rooftops,
and parking lots.
What can you do to help?
Direct storm water from paved
areas into vegetative strips or
gravel trenches.
Install detention basins or plant a
rain garden.
Redirect water from downspouts to
green areas rather than paved areas
or into a rain barrel.
Plant native plants, which are
better at absorbing and retaining
water.
Consider alternative surfaces such
as permeable pavement/cement,
pavers, and wood decking, which
all allow water to penetrate into the
soil.
What are some benefits to
pervious surfaces?
Decrease the amount of pollutants
entering our waterways.
Reduce flooding.
Reduce erosion.
Improve the quality of waterways.
Reduce the volume of water that
enters the storm drain system,
which decreases financial burden
needed to maintain the systems.