Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 64.13
Liaison Michael Kensler
Submission Date Feb. 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

Auburn University
OP-22: Rainwater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Tom McCauley
Environmental Programs Manager
Risk Management & Safety
"---" 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 the continual implementation of minimum control measures, the Auburn University Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) strives to implement measures on campus to address both water quantity and quality on campus.

Through Public Education & Outreach and Public Involvement & Participation measures, facilitators of the SWMP and the Parkerson Mill Creek Watershed Management Plan recognize the importance of communicating with and engaging the campus community to create better understanding of stormwater management principles. These efforts include the development of informational fact sheets, workshops, and creek clean-up events.

Through Illicit Discharge and Detection control measures, the SWMP commits to modeling stormwater outfalls and a comprehensive structural assessment of stormwater conveyance systems to identify opportunities for improvement. Additionally, since Auburn University's Parkerson Mill Creek is impaired for pathogen bacteria, bacteriological monitoring is performed to identify potential sources of bacteria.

Through the Construction Site Stormwater Management control measures, AU has revised the design standards and construction specifications to ensure the most effective strategies and techniques are implemented on all university construction projects.

Through Post Construction & Redevelopment stormwater management control measures, AU has developed a Post Construction Runoff Control Plan which will establish controls to prevent or minimize post-construction water quality impacts. AU has also developed a long-term maintenance plan for such controls to ensure that both structural and non-structural devices are working as designed.

Finally, through the implementation of Pollution Prevention and & Good Housekeeping control measures, AU performs a variety of routine operational inspections and maintenance efforts to reduce stormwater pollutant loads. These efforts include such activities as a parking lot and street cleaning program, a stormwater conveyance cleaning program, a fleet maintenance program, maintenance of waste & recycling collection areas, oil and fuel center inspection and maintenance programs, and pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer storage, use and disposal programs.

The Parkerson Mill Creek Watershed Management Plan goals are to:
1. Meet the water quality standards assigned to Parkerson Mill Creek.
2. Aid the City of Auburn, Auburn University and Lee County not only to meet their compliance goals as a MS IV Phase II community but also to serve as an example to other municipalities facing similar challenges and responsibilities.
3. Restore aquatic habitat and function in Parkerson Mill Creek to support its designated fish and wildlife use.
4. Protect green space in planning for the future.

A copy of the institution’s rainwater management policy, plan, and/or guidelines:
A brief description of the institution’s rainwater management policy, plan, and/or guidelines that supports the responses above:
The AU Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) was developed in general accordance with the guidelines provided in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 122.26(d) incorporated by reference in the Alabama Administrative Code 335-6 as administered by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and NPDES ALR040030 Phase II General Permit effective February 1, 2016. The purpose of this SWMP is to describe AU's operation, and identify the Best Management Practices (BMPs) to be utilized to reduce the discharge of pollutants from Auburn University’s main campus to the maximum extent practicable (MEP) to protect water quality and to satisfy the appropriate water quality requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Optional Fields 

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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