Blending gray and green infrastructure for improved collection system performance
June 19, 2026
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In Wastewater Digest, Nick Anderson examines the impacts of combining gray and green solutions on engineering planning and design
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"text": "
Sewer systems have long been the backbone of urban developments. Human health and environmental stewardship blossomed alongside functional, efficient collection systems. To quote Joseph Bazalgette, the engineer who designed London’s main drainage system in the 1800s, “the principle in building a sewer system is diverting the cause of the mischief to where it can do no mischief.”
What constitutes mischief in the twenty-first century has, however, evolved from Bazalgette’s days. Modern water resources engineers might say mischief constitutes regulatory expectations, urban flood risk reduction, inflow and infiltration, aging infrastructure, receiving water quality, urban growth, climate change uncertainty associated with intensifying rainfall patterns, and community pressure for more sustainable solutions.
To combat the myriad of challenges, engineers have become more creative in how they design and implement urban wet weather and stormwater solutions. One approach that is increasingly being adopted is blending green and gray infrastructure. Throughout the last two decades, urban environments have seen an increase in the construction of green infrastructure to augment more traditional gray solutions.
In this article for Wastewater Digest, Nick Anderson looks at how engineers are adapting their approaches to embrace integrated infrastructure solutions.
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-
A sector leader, Nick oversees Stantec’s Stormwater Management, Collections, and Combined Sewer Overflow teams. He also supports sustainable market growth, technical expertise, and project delivery across North America.
Contact Nick
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