Green Infrastructure: Performance vs. Real-World Reality

Date: November 19, 2026 | 2:00 PM EST/1:00 PM CST
Presenter: Angela G. Walker, JM
Credits: 1.0 PDH | 0.1 CEU
Cost: $14.99 Early Bird / $19.99 Regular

Green infrastructure is increasingly promoted as a practical solution for managing stormwater runoff, reducing pollutant transport, improving infiltration, and protecting receiving waters. But what happens when these systems do not perform as designed?

A rain garden may look attractive while failing to drain properly. A bioswale may collect sediment and debris until its intended treatment function is compromised. Permeable pavement may lose infiltration capacity through clogging. Even well-designed stormwater controls can become operational liabilities when inspection, maintenance, and long-term performance are overlooked.

This webinar examines green infrastructure from a practical operational and watershed protection perspective, moving beyond design expectations to explore what actually happens in the field. Participants will examine common green infrastructure practices, identify performance limitations, recognize warning signs of failure, and consider how site conditions, pollutant loading, maintenance, and extreme weather influence effectiveness. Special attention will be given to the connections between stormwater management, wastewater infrastructure, industrial and commercial activities, and receiving-water protection.

Drawing on real-world utility operations and environmental compliance experience, Angela G. Walker, JM, will discuss how stormwater professionals, engineers, inspectors, facility operators, and utility leadership can collaborate to improve long-term performance.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Identify common green infrastructure practices and explain their intended stormwater management functions.
• Recognize field conditions that reduce infiltration, storage, pollutant removal, and overall performance.
• Evaluate the effects of sediment accumulation, inadequate maintenance, pollutant loading, and extreme weather.
• Identify inspection and maintenance strategies that support sustained green infrastructure performance.
• Explain how green infrastructure performance influences downstream infrastructure and watershed protection.

About the Presenter

Angela G. Walker, JM, is a water and wastewater professional with more than three decades of experience in utility operations, environmental compliance, industrial pretreatment, workforce development, and operational leadership. Beginning her career in the water industry in 1987, she has worked across both municipal and industrial water and wastewater systems and currently serves as Assistant Director of Wastewater Operations for the Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water & Sewer Commission in coastal Georgia.

Angela holds Georgia Class I Wastewater and Wastewater Industrial Operator certifications, as well as a South Carolina Class A Physical/Chemical Wastewater certification. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Juris Master with a concentration in International Legal Studies, bringing a multidisciplinary perspective to environmental compliance, leadership, regulatory decision-making, and workforce development.

In addition to utility operations, Angela is the founder of The Leadership Exchange Group LLC and the Water & Wastewater Leadership Exchange™, where she develops and delivers continuing education and professional development for water and wastewater professionals. Her training focuses on translating regulations and technical concepts into practical strategies that professionals can apply in the field.

Her work and presentations explore the connections among stormwater, wastewater, industrial pretreatment, watershed protection, compliance, emergency response, and utility leadership. Drawing from real-world experience in a coastal and hurricane-prone community, Angela emphasizes a simple principle: environmental systems do not operate in silos, and neither should the professionals responsible for protecting them.

$14.99 Early Bird / $19.99 Regular