Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy

Cover of Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy document

The Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy is Denver’s roadmap for building green infrastructure equitably and effectively. The Strategy delineates the city into 31 water quality basins, and scores them based on stormwater quality impairment and the need for the other community benefits that green infrastructure provides. Factors like impervious cover, water quality data, land use, park density, and population demographics are included in the scoring. The Strategy highlights the 11 basins with the highest scores and provides a list of project opportunities for each one of these “High Priority Basins.” The project list includes large-scale and site-scale green infrastructure practices and documents the cost and benefits of each opportunity.

Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy(PDF, 32MB)

Report Sections

  • Introduction
    • Overview of the Green Infrastructure Implementation Strategy, including approach, goals and objectives, city partners, and alignment with other city planning efforts.
  • Denver Urban Watersheds & Water Quality Basins
    • Description of the South Platte River Basin within Denver, land use, climate and hydrology, and the benefits of implementing green infrastructure
  • Baseline Conditions & Impairments to Denver Waterways
    • Overview of water quality impairments and conditions for Denver’s water quality basins
  • Addressing Impairments and Pollutants of Concern
    • Explanation of water quality basin prioritization methodology and opportunity identification process
  • High Priority Basins
    • Brief introduction to how priority basins were analyzed and opportunities identified
    • Opportunities and projects
      • Central Platte Valley basin (downtown Denver)
      • City Park / Park Hill basin
      • Sunnyside basin
      • Valverde basin
      • Weir Gulch basin
      • West Harvard basin
      • Cherry Creek basin
      • Elyria-Swansea basin
      • Harvard Gulch basin
      • Lakewood Gulch basin
      • Sanderson Gulch basin
  • Special Projects
    • Description of unique opportunities and projects in non-priority stormwater basins throughout the City
  • Monitoring
    • Overview of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment strategy for monitoring green infrastructure facilities