Benefits Toolkit

Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Analysis

Local Government Environmental Assistance Network

L-THIA estimates changes in recharge, runoff, and nonpoint source pollution resulting from past or proposed development. It estimates long-term average annual runoff for land use and soil combinations, based on community-specific long-term climate data. In the basic model, the only inputs are: location (state and…

Topics

Stormwater management, Water quality

GBRL Green Roof Energy Calculator (v 2.0)

Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Portland State University, and University of Toronto

This calculator compares the annual energy performance of a building with a green roof to the same building with either a conventional dark roof or a highly-reflective white roof. The results are based on simulations run for new construction (ASHRAE 90.1-2004) apartment or office buildings and use typical weather data…

Topics

Stormwater management, Energy use, Operations & maintenance savings, Green roof

Recycled Content (ReCon) Tool

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

This tool estimates the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and energy benefits associated with increasing the recycled content of materials purchased or manufactured. The tool compares baseline recycled content for common materials – including  glass, wood, metals, plastics, paper, PVC, and fiberboard – to an alternate…

Topics

Energy use, Carbon sequestration & avoidance, Reused/recycled materials

Rainwater Harvesting Calculator

State of Washington Department of Ecology

This Excel-based calculator was developed to help residents of Washington State size and test scenarios for rain water harvesting systems based on the typical climate. The calculator assumes that water is harvested entirely from roofs and that 80% of precipitation falling on roofs is captured. Inputs are the nearest…

Topics

Stormwater management, Water conservation, Rainwater harvesting

SPAW Field & Pond Hydrology Model

USDA Agricultural Research Service and Washington State University Department of Biological Systems Engineering

The SPAW (Soil-Plant-Air-Water) model simulates the daily hydrologic water budgets of agricultural landscapes with two connected modules, one for farm fields and one for impoundments such as wetland ponds, lagoons or reservoirs. The model was developed to understand and predict agricultural hydrology and its…

Topics

Stormwater management, Water body/groundwater recharge, Wetland

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