Florida Gulf Coast University
OP-23: Rainwater Management

FGCU abides by SFWMD requirements (http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/sfwmdmain/home%20page) and and NPDES National Pollutants Discharge Elimination System permitting and regulation standards. (http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/npdes/) We have a series of stormwater drains system and pipe systems which returns stormwater to the ground quickly, thereby reducing the opportunity for runoff to collect pollutants before making its way to protected wetlands and conservation areas. Water that soaks into the ground quickly leads to a healthier overall water supply; it replenishes groundwater aquifers and keeps our nearby waterways clean while reducing flooding and erosion on campus. Whenever we have construction projects where the management of groundwater or precipitation is an issue, we are required to filter the water before releasing it naturally into the environment. FGCU resides within a sub-basin of the Estero River Basin, which represents a significant portion of the Estero Bay Drainage Basin. The entire 800 acre University campus property has been designed with one master stormwater system to accommodate a maximum of 410.20 acres of development. It is comprised of mostly upland and wetland habitats. The master-planned campus stormwater system is comprised of an interconnected network of detention and retention ponds that occur in the higher elevation upland areas of the campus. The property run-off, generated by the adjacent upland University development footprint, is conveyed through these linked features. Discharged waters exit the site at one of two existing perimeter cypress sloughs (“swamps”) that are located at the east and west sides of the property boundary. Prior to entering either of these sloughs, the treated stormwater is conveyed through a spreader swale that has been specifically designed to mimic natural conditions, thus slowing the rate/speed of the discharged water flow and preventing the potential for erosion or turbidity in the natural slough environment. After flowing through these eastern/western cypress sloughs, the slow-moving water flows converge again at the southern point of the property where they ultimately discharge to the Estero River. The plans for the stormwater management system for the University campus were approved by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Permit No. 199400807 and South Florida Water Management District Permit No. 36-02881-5. Please see the attached excerpt from our Campus Master Plan and the additional documentation to support the submission of this credit.

We have retention areas and swales bordering roadways, buildings and parking garages and environmentally sensitive areas. Surface water management on the campus detains/retains for pretreatment the first 1.5 inches of runoff from hard surfaces rather than the typically required 1.0 inch of runoff. The FGCU campus site was originally permitted to provide stormwater management in four separate development basins. Onsite wetlands were permitted to be a key feature of the stormwater management system within each basin, along with created lakes and dry detention pre-treatment areas. Currently, the building sites in Basins 2 and 3 have been predominantly developed with stormwater management infrastructure in place. These two basins (Basin 2= The Academic Core and Basin 3 and the Student Housing/Recreation Area) have obtained permits that account for much of the developable land. No additional mitigation will be required for development of the remainder of these basins, provided this development is consistent with the direction provided in the initial conceptual permit. Future development in these areas that varies from the term of the initial conceptual permit will require SFWMD stormwater attenuation and mitigation as specified when those permits are issued. Basin 4 consists of the development of approximately 48 acres. Stormwater management criteria are included with this permit application including the utilization of dry detention, wet detention, and incorporation of existing wetlands as attenuation features. The conceptual plans for the FGCU’s proposed stormwater management system were coordinated, reviewed, and approved by South Florida Water Management District (Permit No. 36-02881-5). The established coordinating relationship is expected to continue, based upon the University’s satisfactory compliance with the conditions of the permits, through future development phases. Plans for the stormwater management system for the FGCU campus have been approved by US Army Corps of Engineers (permit #199400807).