The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today continued support of innovative land use and stormwater best management practices (BMPs) by awarding a $1.4 million Urban BMP Research and Demonstration grant to Escambia County.

The county will use the funding for construction of a green roof as well as for a pervious pavement parking lot with recessed landscape islands at its One Stop Permitting Center, where all county development applications and building permits will be processed. When the complete, the green roof will total 33,160 square feet, the largest in Florida.

“Investing in new ‘green’ technologies to reduce stormwater pollution, conserve energy and protect our rivers, lakes and springs will further water quality protection and provide clean water to meet future water supply needs,” according to Eric Livingston, chief of the DEP Bureau of Watershed Restoration. “This project is a great example of how local governments can adopt environmentally-sustainable practices that not only protect natural resources but help reduce the potential for some of the harmful effects of climate change.”

Green roofs use waterproofing, drainage systems that allow a layer of vegetation to grow on flat or sloping roofs, and a cistern to store stormwater.

The stormwater filtrate is then used to irrigate the green roof. The environmentally-friendly design reduces energy transfer through a roof, decreases stormwater pollutants, and lessens stormwater volume by naturally evaporating the runoff through the plants.

Additionally, the pervious parking lot with recessed landscape islands will reduce stormwater volume and pollution, demonstrating how this innovative technology can be used to beautify parking lots compared to traditional methods.

DEP’s grant funds represent the amount of the increase in costs for implementation of the low impact design above what it would have cost for installation of a conventional roof and parking lot.

The county will be responsible for conducting stormwater monitoring at the site to document the differences in stormwater volume and pollutant loading between the traditional and pervious pavement parking lot as part of a multi-year research project to study low-impact best management practices.

“The funding from this DEP grant and partnership is making it possible for Escambia County to construct our new low impact office building with additional pollution reduction and energy conservation measures,” said Taylor “Chips” Kirschenfeld, Escambia County marine biologist and Environmental Programs Manager. “In addition, this LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building will serve as a demonstration project for northwest Florida builders and contractors who want to touch and feel these low impact green building practices, such as the green roof and pervious pavement, before hopefully incorporating these ideas into their new projects.”

This is the third, and final, green roof research and demonstration project DEP has helped to fund in the past five years.

The first project was done in cooperation with the Bonita Bay Group at the Shadow Wood Preserve project near Ft. Myers. The project demonstrated the need for a cistern and irrigation system for the green roof to maintain the plants. It also helped determine which plants can be used successfully on a green roof in a tropical climate.

The second project was at the University of Central Florida’s Student Union. This project generated several master’s theses which documented the stormwater quantity and quality benefits of a greenroof/cistern system.

Additionally, energy monitoring revealed that the green roof reduces heat transfer through the roof by 40 percent in the summer and 50 percent in the winter when compared to an Energy Star roof.

For more information on the TMDL Water Quality Restoration Grant Program, please visit the website listed below the article.