Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 69.17
Liaison Susan Kidd
Submission Date May 21, 2021

STARS v2.2

Agnes Scott College
OP-22: Rainwater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Susan Kidd
Executive Director
Center for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Which of the following best describes the institution’s approach to rainwater management?:
Comprehensive policies, plans or guidelines that require LID practices for all new projects

A brief description of the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices:

Through Agnes Scott’s LEED policy, the college also strives to integrate green infrastructure and sustainable landscaping into all major renovation and new construction projects. This has included the development of a rain garden at the Julia Smith Thompson Chapel, native landscaping at Campbell Hall, and the removal of an impervious surface parking lot, replaced by a sustainable landscape, during the renovation of Rebekah Scott Hall. For this project, a parking lot was removed from the site of the building to be retrofitted into the building’s geothermal field and now greenspace. In addition to these project-related landscapes, the College collects all stormwater runoff into a retention pond that is used for irrigation.


A copy of the institution’s rainwater management policy, plan, and/or guidelines:
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A brief description of the institution’s rainwater management policy, plan, and/or guidelines that supports the responses above:

Agnes Scott works in partnership with the City of Decatur to both plan and implement stormwater management. Currently, the college is compliant with the City’s Stormwater Management Ordinance (linked below), which encourages the use of green infrastructure and the preservation of existing urban tree canopies as best practices for stormwater management. The City prioritizes the preservation and protection of greenspaces and natural areas, with Agnes Scott being one of the largest greenspace areas within the City.

Agnes Scott has developed a MOU with the City on Tree Protection and Maintenance, since Agnes Scott’s tree canopy exceeds the percent coverage required by the City. Agnes Scott’s Arboretum and MOU have been recognized in previous STARS reports for Innovation credits. The college’s 50% urban tree coverage is a vital tool for both the campus and the City to manage the area’s stormwater through low-impact development and green infrastructure.

Through Agnes Scott’s LEED policy, the college integrates green infrastructure and sustainable landscaping into all major renovation and new construction projects. This has included the development of a rain garden at the Julia Smith Thompson Chapel, native landscaping at Campbell Hall, and the removal of an impervious surface parking lot during the renovation of Rebekah Scott Hall. For this project, a parking lot was removed from the site of the building to be retrofitted into the building’s geothermal field and also to meet the “sustainable site” credits for LEED certification. Rebekah Scott Hall is certified LEED Platinum, in part because of this sustainable landscape. In addition, the college collects all stormwater runoff into a retention pond that is used for irrigation.


Website URL where information about the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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