Climate change is leading to more extreme precipitation events, which require new ways of managing stormwater, particularly in urban areas. Nature-based solutions (NBS) have become an increasingly popular way of providing additional stormwater retention and detention, as well as supporting urban biodiversity and access to nature. However, monitoring of the hydrological performance of NBS is often limited. To meet this need for improved understanding of storage provided by NBS, we deployed an extensive sensor network in Indian Boundary Prairies, a large intact prairie-wetland complex in south suburban Chicago. The prairies are located in a residential neighborhood subject to frequent flooding and bordered by two major highways. Data collected by these sensors provides critical information on the areas receiving off-site stormwater input and the volume of stormwater storage provided. Using water level data, we performed a water budget across the three prairies to develop an estimate of stormwater storage provided per square meter under different storm events. In addition, we used qualitative habitat assessments and soil concentrations of metals and salts as indicators to investigate the relationship between ecological quality and stormwater input. As green infrastructure becomes increasingly relied upon as a means of stormwater management, quantifying the stormwater storage benefits these systems can provide and understanding their resilience to ongoing stormwater inputs is critical to expanding the use of green infrastructure regionally.
