Trees to Offset Stormwater - “Trees2O H2O”

This grant project was completed in Fall 2018 and the City is working on implementing recommendations found in the Final Case Study Report.



Project Timeline

  • Grant Start: November 2016
  • Public Meeting: June 15, 2017
  • Public Meeting: November 29, 2017
  • Grant End: September 2018 Final Case Study Report (PDF)
  • Next Steps: Implementation

Past Public Meetings

Green Infrastructure Center

Who is the GIC? The Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) is providing the technical support and project management. The GIC is a non-profit organization. More information about GIC is available at Green Infrastructure Center.

Want to Learn More? Please see the below resources that explain how urban forests as green infrastructure are a vital tool in managing and reducing stormwater runoff.

Contact Us

If you have questions, please email Katie McKain or call Katie at 843-724-3789.

  1. Project Overview
  2. Project Partners
  3. Funding
  4. Project Length
  5. Participation

The City of Charleston is one of thirteen southern localities that has received funding to carry out a project to link urban tree canopy to stormwater mitigation, specifically for cities with Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) permits to manage stormwater. The project is helping southern cities utilize their urban forests to better manage and reduce stormwater runoff. Urban trees soak up tremendous volumes of stormwater.

The more treed the landscape, the less runoff and flooding may occur. This project will assess the city’s tree canopy and determine its role for treating and absorbing stormwater.