Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.74
Liaison Jennifer Lamy
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Emerson College
OP-23: Rainwater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 2.00 Michael Faia
Construction Manager
Special Projects
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Which of the following best describes the institution’s approach to rainwater management?:
Less comprehensive policies, plans or guidelines that incorporate green infrastructure

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

Emerson College is located in downtown Boston, and is therefore subject to Boston's new construction building performance standards. Emerson College complies with all standards and regulations.

In the case of LID, according to Boston Zoning Code – Article 32, all new construction within our zone must adhere to the following:
“Section 32-6. Standards. To obtain a conditional use permit from the Board of Appeal, the Applicant shall show that the Proposed Project complies with the following requirements, in addition to the standards set forth in Article 6:(a) provision that any Proposed Project promote infiltration of rainwater into the ground by capturing within a suitably designed system a volume of rainfall on the lot equivalent to no less than 1.0 inch across that portion of the surface area of the lot to be occupied by the Proposed Project…and (b) provision that any Proposed Project result in no negative impact on groundwater levels within the lot in question or adjacent lots, subject to the terms of any (i) dewatering permit or (ii) cooperation agreement entered into by the Proponent and the Boston Redevelopment Authority, to the extent that such agreement provides standards for groundwater protection during construction.”

Because of this code, our newly constructed buildings have rainwater capture systems on their roofs that provide non-potable water for campus bathroom toilets.
Buildings that currently have rainwater capture include Piano Row (150 Boylston), Colonial (100 Boylston), and 2 Boylston Place (opened in fall 2017). The Little Building (80 Boylston) is the largest building on campus and is currently being remodeled to include a rain water capture system and will be open in Fall 2019.

Total square footage of rainwater capture on campus (estimates):
2016: 17,020 square feet
2017: 2,0426 square feet
2019: 4,0347 square feet


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:

GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION OVERLAY DISTRICT
SECTION 32-1. Statement of Purpose. The purposes of this article are
to (a) prevent the deterioration of and, where necessary, promote the restoration
of, groundwater levels in the city of Boston; (b) protect and enhance the city’s
historic neighborhoods and structures, and otherwise conserve the value of its
land and buildings; (c) reduce surface water runoff and water pollution; and (d)
maintain public safety.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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