Cost Comparison of Conventional Gray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Infrastructure versus a Green/Gray Combination
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 6
Abstract
This paper outlines a life-cycle cost analysis comparing a green (rain gardens) and gray (tunnels) infrastructure combination to a gray-only option to control combined sewer overflow in the Turkey Creek Combined Sewer Overflow Basin in Kansas City, MO. The area of this basin is 2,248 ha (5,554 acres). A set of spreadsheets was developed upon which this life-cycle cost analysis is based. The spreadsheets allow the user to vary the length and/or the diameter of the tunnels. The spreadsheets calculate the additional number of rain gardens needed to handle a given amount of stormwater when the tunnel sizes are reduced. The difference in life-cycle costs between the green/gray and gray-only alternatives is calculated. For a range of options for the number of rain gardens, the green/gray combined alternative is more cost-effective than the gray-only option. The potential present worth of the cost savings for the 50-year expected lifespan of both the gray and green infrastructure could reach as much as $35 million for the Turkey Creek Basin.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Drs. Robert Pitt, Professor, University of Alabama and Scott Struck, Tetratech, Inc. for the pertinent information they provided for this paper.
This research was undertaken while J. P. Cohen was a National Research Council Research Associate at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Urban Watershed Management Branch, National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL), Edison, NJ.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its Office of Research and Development, funded and managed, or partially funded and collaborated in, the research described in this paper. This research has been subjected to the Agency’s administrative review and has been approved for external publication. Any opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EPA; therefore, no official endorsement should be inferred. Any mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 6 • June 2012
Pages: 534 - 540
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 24, 2010
Accepted: Nov 9, 2011
Published online: Nov 11, 2011
Published in print: Jun 1, 2012
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