Green stormwater infrastructure: Effects on mosquito habitats and West Nile Virus prevalence in the United States
June 4, 2025 11:00 am (Central Time)
Abstract
Mosquito-borne diseases pose an ongoing threat to public health in the United States. Stormwater infrastructure is a primary habitat source for juvenile mosquitoes, including vectors of West Nile Virus (WNV). Underground catch basins in particular serve as an ideal habitat source for juvenile mosquitoes. Currently, much of the stormwater infrastructure in the United States exists as conventional, or “gray,” stormwater infrastructure. However, new “green” stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is being designed to reduce stormwater runoff and improve environmental water quality. This study looks at two types of GSI, infiltration catch basins and rain gardens in Aurora, Illinois and explores how they reduce the quantity and quality of mosquito habitats, respectively. Building off this research, we plan to use site suitability modeling to first determine areas with high suitability for implementing GSI in the United States. Then we plan to compare model outputs with WNV prevalence in the United States to also explore the public health benefits of implementing GSI. We predict that implementation of GSI will reduce WNV exposure risk by altering habitats for juvenile mosquitoes.
Speakers

Caylee Chan
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Caylee Chan is a MS student in the Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is interested in researching how climate change and land use change affect disease vectors, specifically mosquitoes and ticks, and using this knowledge to inform public health policy.