Fayetteville State University
OP-23: Stormwater Management

The purpose of the Stormwater Master Plan is to assess how the campus and its infrastructure currently handle stormwater and runoff, and how these processes can be managed in the future to comply with stormwater regulations, control costs and maintenance requirements, and improve the campus environment. As buildings and parking areas are added to the campus over time, the quantity of impervious area on campus must be kept within certain limits in accordance with state stormwater and drinking water regulations, and with the City of Fayetteville’s Stormwater Ordinance. In addition, each project will be required to treat both the quality and quantity of runoff leaving the project site to specifi c established standards. Goals: The following goals were developed by the consultant team in collaboration with the University’s Facilities Management and Sustainability Office staff: 1. Ensure that FSU complies with stormwater regulations according to State and local laws. 2. Exceed ordinance-mandated requirements where possible, in order to create a more sustainable campus and to promote fl exibility in the event of future changes in stormwater regulations. 3. Integrate stormwater management into campus landscapes in a way that supports the educational and open space goals of the University; this will include sustainable design and interpretive elements. 4. Enable new construction projects on campus to fulfi ll their requirements while avoiding the siting of large ponds or detrimental landscape features in important campus areas. 5. Provide a framework for ongoing monitoring of campus impervious areas and stormwater resources, and guidance for continuing operation of the stormwater system.

Permeable Paving This technology is located in Parking Lot T and U near the Mitchell Building, Hood and Williams Halls. There is also a rain garden servicing the stormwater runoff from Parking Lot T. Another stormwater BMP, permeable paving describes a wide range of materials and techniques that can be utilized for paving roads, paths, parking lots, or other hardscape surface areas that allow the movement of stormwater through the material. This reduces and helps control the amount of stormwater runoff that leaves the site. The permeable paving system designed for the Mitchell Building’s parking lots utilizes a precast concrete paver, with permeable gravel within the interlocking joints. Beneath the surface paver, lies a series of stone or aggregate setting and storage beds, which provide infiltration and water storage areas until it drains into the soil. An underdrainage system is included within the aggregate base, which provides a way to manage the volume of water stored beneath the pavers during extremely heavy rainfall, which ties into the bioretention area.

Bioretention or Rain Gardens FSU has two rain gardens on campus currently. One at Parking Lot T next to the Mitchell Building and Hood Hall and another one at Parking Lot W next to the Southeastern Regional Nursing Building. Rain gardens or bioretention areas, which are landscaped features adapted to provide on-site treatment of rainwater or stormwater runoff. They are commonly located in parking lot islands or within small pockets of residential land uses. These depressions are designed to incorporate many of the pollutant removal mechanisms that operate in natural forested ecosystems. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.¹ This bioretention area serving the Mitchell Building collects runoff from the adjacent parking lot. The water is directed into it and filters through a layer of designed soil media. This process removes pollutants from the water, thus improving the quality of the water before allowing it into the ground water and storm drain system, which flows into our creeks and streams.

Riparian buffers improve water quality by filtering run-off and protects the structure of the river by impeding errosion. These have been incorporated at Parking Lot W.

Stormwater run-off is filtered while passing through low-flow vegetated swales. Infiltration is increased, reducing velocity and increasing quality of water before leaving the site. These have been installed on the site of Renaissance Hall.

Underground storage is a practice designed to temporarily hold stormwater and relase the storage at a controlled rate. When the storage area fills to a certain level it will release water through an overfl ow. The discharge may be routed to vegetated bioswales to improve water quality, or specific filters may be used in the storage practice to remove targeted pollutants. Underground storage can be used for pollution control, volume reduction, and peak flow reduction. These have been installed on the project site of Renaissance Hall, Southeastern Regional Nursing Building and the Science and Technology Building.