The River Hills Conservancy project restored former agricultural land to a prairie with constructed wetlands capable of storing nearly 2.5 million gallons of stormwater. The project balances land stewardship and stormwater management with the need and intention for...
Equity and Environmental Justice
Harley-Davidson Hub Park
Located in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s Combined Sewer System Area, the Harley-Davidson Hub Park uses an eye-catching design to capture over 225,000 gallons of stormwater. The multi-tiered landscape functions as a park that seamlessly integrates...
Scaling-up Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Underserved Communities Across Greater Chicago
Under the umbrella of Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainable Communities (RISC), CIS, supported by The Delta Institute, led the writing of a report that assessed the viability of using a community-based partnership (CBP) to scale-up green stormwater infrastructure...
Incorporating Environmental Justice in the GLRI Action Plan
In 2023, the National Wildlife Federation – Healing Our Waters Coalition (HOW) hired CIS to identify environmental justice (EJ) principles and goals to be included in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan.Project Scope Research and Analyses GLRI...
Environmental Finance Center Technical Assistance
The US Water Alliance, a prominent national nonprofit, has contracted CIS to assist on projects related to wastewater, stormwater, and drinking water infrastructure engineering, financial, and grants management support.Project Scope Research & Analyses...
Mapping Climate Corridors and Renewable Energy Potential Across the Great Lakes
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. Project Scope Research & Analyses Land Use Planning Water Quality and Ecosystem Health Carbon Sequestration Renewable Energy Tool...
RainCity Partnerships
The RainCity Partnerships Program (RCP) is a community-based public private partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) at the City of Seattle. The program builds upon over two decades of work by SPU to prevent water pollution with nature-based approaches that...
Stormwater Utility Community-Based Partnership
In 2023, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas (UG) partnered with CIS to launch a community-based partnership (CBP) program to expand green stormwater infrastructure in the area. The program has received $78 million from a Water...
Fresh Coast Protection Partnership
In 2020, the Fresh Coast Protection Partnership (FCPP) was launched between Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and CIS to expand the use of green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) solutions to address flooding challenges across the Greater Milwaukee...
The Clean Water Partnership
In March 2015, Prince George’s County, MD, and CIS entered into a “first of its kind” innovative 33-year community-based partnership (CBP), the Clean Water Partnership (CWP). The partnership is the first and largest CBP addressing stormwater management with a...
City of Chester Community-based Partnership
CIS's innovative project approach aggregates projects and creates economies of scale through holistic program management, planning, design, and project execution.Project ScopeTotal Development Costs$46 millionTotal Local Impact$149 millionIn 2018, CIS launched the...
Exploring Emerging Utility-led Innovations in Water Affordability
Affordability of water and wastewater (“water”) utility bills is a growing concern for many Americans, with water rates rising faster than the cost of most other goods and services. This is adding pressure to households already struggling to pay bills, forcing them to...