ATLANTA –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the James A. Reeder Riverfront Development Corporation with the regional 2017 EPA Rain Catcher Award in the Commercial Category for the Beale Street Landing Project in Memphis, TN. The awardee will be honored at a ceremony during the EPA, Region 4/International Erosion Control Association Municipal Wet Weather Stormwater Conference in Charleston, SC on May 15, 2017.
The Beale Street Landing Project was constructed in five phases with the final phase completed in April 2014. The project is located along the banks of the Mississippi River and is comprised of a terminal building, a parking lot, a 3-acre public park and a passenger boat docking system that facilitates disabled passenger access. The terminal building has a 1.3-acre arched-grass roof providing additional green space and pedestrian access. The arched-grass roof retains nearly 80 percent of rainfall, with the remaining runoff filtered through the vegetation and captured by a drainage inlet or trench drain. The 3-acre public park contains a number of terraces and two protruding islands with articulating concrete block used to stabilize eroding banks of the Mississippi River along the lower areas of the park. During construction of the park, washed sand was used for backfill to quickly relieve saturated soils from high river levels to further reduce erosion.
The EPA Region 4 Rain Catcher Award recognizes excellence in the implementation of stormwater green infrastructure practices. Green infrastructure uses natural systems and/or engineered systems designed to mimic natural processes to more effectively manage stormwater and reduce receiving water impacts. EPA and its partner organizations have promoted the use of green infrastructure for many years as part of a comprehensive approach to achieving healthier waters. Green infrastructure reduces the volume of stormwater discharges by managing rainwater close to where it falls and removes many of the pollutants present in runoff, making it an effective strategy for addressing wet weather pollution and improving water quality.
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