Rockwell Automation's Green Roof Helps Milwaukee Manage August Stormwater Overflows

MILWAUKEE, August 25, 2021, /3BL Media/ - After several days of heavy rains in early August, Rockwell Automation’s 49,000 square-foot green roof helped the city of Milwaukee prevent millions of gallons of untreated water from flowing into the region’s waterways.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Green infrastructure, like rain gardens or undeveloped land along rivers in the area, helped to keep about 38 million gallons of water out of the system, in addition to any rain caught in rain barrels across the city.”   

Planted in 2010, Rockwell’s green roof features a dozen varieties of sedum and native perennials to slow and absorb stormwater from heavy rains that can otherwise contribute to sewer overflows and threaten to overwhelm the system. Since then, Rockwell’s green roof has absorbed over 11 million gallons of water. That’s a savings equal to the annual water use of nearly 1,200 U.S. households.

Rockwell’s green roof was also featured as part of “Exploring Milwaukee’s Green Rooftops” on WTMJ-TV’s Milwaukee Tonight program. Watch or read an expanded transcript. Learn more about Rockwell’s efforts to minimize environmental impact.