Villebois, located in Wilsonville, Ore., is a new master-planned community that endeavors to connect its residents to the things that make life fulfilling and exciting. In doing so, the entire design of the community was guided by three tenets: to preserve and promote connectivity, diversity and sustainability. And the community’s innovative and federally funded rainwater management plan (RMP) achieves all three. It effectively connects the community’s residents to the area’s natural features through a diverse range of innovative means, which are described in detail in this and future posts. Most importantly, the RMP manages rainwater in environmentally sustainable ways, helping to restore the land to its natural conditions prior to the development of the community. That’s good news for Villebois’ residents — and great news for the environment.
The Vision:
Our Goal:
To design and build a community of approximately 2500 homes while restoring local and regional watersheds to the “natural condition” before the development of the Villebois community.
Defining Our Goal:
Research shows that 90% of the rainfall events in Wilsonville consists of a half inch of rain in a 24-hour period of time. The Villebois Rainwater Management Plan would manage the half-inch of rainfall through natural, on-site processes.
Background:
What is the Natural Condition?
In a natural setting, rainwater falls onto the ground and soaks into the soil. It is then carried through the soil via natural processes to local rivers and streams. While acting as a vessel to transport the rainwater, the soil and plants also rid the water of pollutants.
How does our Rainwater Management Plan differ from the Conventional Method?
Normally, rainwater that lands on roofs, sidewalks, and streets runs immediately into a system of pipes, which quickly carry the water into local rivers and streams. Thus, rainwater reaches these bodies of water in a much larger quantity than before development occurs. Water that would normally take days to reach rivers and streams is now carried through pipes at a vastly quicker rate. This alters the amount of water in the system and thereby interferes with habitat and wildlife.
In addition to quantity, water quality is adversely affected as well. Rainwater collects pollutants from streets and sidewalks, and carries this pollution to the watershed. Overall, this conventional system can be detrimental to the environment, and Costa Pacific Communities has designed an alternative system that will help to prevent environmental damage at Villebois.
In the Villebois Rainwater Management Plan sustainable techniques such as green roofs, porous pavement and pavers, bio-swales, and bio-retention cells were planned as part of 
the design to capture rainwater. Once captured, the rainwater is filtered through enriched soils and cleansed through natural processes. The rainwater has now not only been cleaned, but is allowed to reach the watershed at its natural rate via its natural soil system. In effect, the quality and quantity of water leaving the new community has left in the same manner as it did before human interference.
To learn more about the Villebois or its rainwater management program in Wilsonville, Oregon, please visit ChangeHowYouLive.com. You may also speak with Costa Pacific Homes New Home Specialist Andy Green by calling 866.580.2836 or emailing Blog@CostaPacific.com.
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