Green It! Lancaster
Green It! Lancaster is the City of Lancaster’s updated plan for creating a livable, sustainable and safe community with clean rivers and streams. Goals of the plan are:
- Improve water quality in the Conestoga River by integrating stormwater and pollution reduction into City public works and community improvement programs.
- Reduce pollution and excessive flows from urban stormwater and combined sewer overflows.
- Prioritize green infrastructure projects to maximize economic, clean water, health and quality of life benefits for residents.
- Achieve cost effective Clean Water Act compliance by integrating multiple water quality drivers (e.g. consent decree, stormwater regulations and Chesapeake Bay Plan).
- Reinforce Lancaster City as a national and statewide model in GI implementation.
Residents, businesses, developers and others can help us achieve these goals by installing green infrastructure. A variety of incentives are available to achieve these goals.
The City’s investments in green infrastructure are guided by Green It! Lancaster, a 25-year plan for improving water quality in the Conestoga River, reducing pollution and excessive flows from our MS4 and Combined Sewer System, achieving cost effective compliance with regulatory obligations, and reinforcing our position as a national and statewide leader.
GreenIt! Lancaster, which replaces the City’s prior GI Plan, which was adopted in 2011, is an updated plan for creating a livable, sustainable and safe community with clean rivers and streams.
Green It! Lancaster includes the following additional components:
- GI Design Manual
- GI Monitoring Plan
- GI Operations and Maintenance Plan
Design For Proper Performance
This GI Design Manual provides technical guidance for the planning, design, and construction of GI systems in the City. The Manual is intended to be used by design professionals such as engineers, construction contractors, landscape architects, and urban planners working with the City or their partners.
Monitoring For Improved Performance
By monitoring existing green infrastructure sites, the City is evaluating the performance of green infrastructure and gathering lessons learned regarding GI siting, design, construction, and maintenance so that we can continually improve our program. For more on the City’s GI Monitoring program, see the GI Monitoring Plan below under Documents & Resources.
Operations and Maintenance
As with traditional infrastructure, GI requires regular operations and maintenance (O&M) activities to ensure proper functionality. The City’s Green Infrastructure O&M Plan serves as a reference for City field staff, other City agencies and partners, GI designers, the development community, and interested members of the public. You can find the plan below under Documents & Resources.
