Stormwater bubbles out of a sewer grate off East 28th Street.Don’t just meet the EPA’s new standard for stormwater management; create a project that will bring residents a better quality of life, Don Green, Chattanooga’s water quality supervisor, told a group of planners, architects and engineers this week.
“We’re looking to be blown away,” he said.
Green spoke to a room full of people interested in the city’s first Low Impact Design Challenge, a competition to come up with the most creative, cost-effective and helpful ways to implement the Environmental Protection Agency’s new stormwater management standards.
First prize is $10,000, with $3,000 for the runner-up. The third-place winner gets $1,000. One “People’s Choice” winner will receive $2,000.
This is not a drill, Green said. There will be construction based on the designs chosen.