Michigan State University
OP-22: Rainwater Management

MSU has a variety of stormwater best management practices in place, including porous pavement, wetlands and detention basis, rain gardens/bioretention areas, grow zones, and green roofs. See details below. MSU highlights its green infrastructure through a walking tour and incorporates the measures as a part of the learning living laboratory. Students have participated in several design and implementation projects for green infrastructure. http://msu-water.msu.edu/what-is-storm-water/campus-storm-water-walking-tour/

-Porous pavement and/or pavers is installed at IM West, the Surplus Store and Recycling Center, and Lot 112 (near Conrad Hall).
-Riparian Buffers can be found along the MSU River Trail, which intercept and reduce sediment, nutrients, pesticides, metals and other pollutants from entering the Red Cedar River.
-MSU has installed multiple green roofs, including at Wells Halls, the MSU Library, the Plant and Soil Sciences Building, and Bailey Hall. There is also a green roof demonstration on top of the CATA bus shelter at the MSU Union.
-MSU has also installed multiple rain gardens and pollinator gardens with stormwater benefits at Erickson Hall, the Plant and Soil Sciences Building, Wells Hall, the Surplus Store and Recycling Center, and at the Minskoff Pavilion - Broad College of Business.
-The new Minskoff Pavilion has multiple stormwater practices. There is storm water management collection on site in which building rainwater runoff is collected and stores in catch basins. Surrounding the building are natural meadows that manage storm water and provide natural habitat near the Red Cedar River.
-The Farm Lane Bioretention Basin serves as a facility to treat stormwater runoff from the adjacent impervious roadways of Service and Farm Lane. Water that would normally flood the underpass beneath the rail road tracks is pumped up into the bioretention basin where common pollutants are removed during infiltration to allow clean water to leave the site. This site is also used as a research facility to enhance the use of bioretention as a stormwater management practice.

In addition to the construction and post-construction runoff control detailed in the stormwater management plan, MSU also has Stormwater Design Standards that are being followed for new development projects. The standards focus on LID practices for stormwater management. https://ipf.msu.edu/sites/default/files/2018-05/CS_DSG_DESIGN_GUIDELINES_-_STORMWATER%20%282%29.PDF

MSU is regulated under Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program. MSU is required to have an NPDES permit for its stormwater discharges into the Red Cedar River because MSU is considered to be a small MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) operator in an urbanized area. Under NPDES regulations, MSU developed a Stormwater Management Program which must be implemented using best management practices. This Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) guides the university’s stormwater practices. The plan addresses: public education and outreach, public participation, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post-construction runoff control and pollution prevention/good housekeeping practices. The most recent Stormwater Management Plan was approved in 2017. A progress report published in April 2021 covers the period May 2016 – December 2020.

Example practices and activities related to stormwater management include:
• Student involvement in best management practice design and implementation
• Coursework that incorporates the Red Cedar River
• Identifying and eliminating illicit (illegal) discharges to the river
• Public education and outreach activities
• Staff training and record keeping to protect water quality
• Implementing low impact development techniques to reduce stormwater runoff
• Requiring new development projects to meet Stormwater Design Standards
• Pre-treatment of stormwater to remove trash, debris and fine sediment
• Identifying and eliminating illicit (illegal) discharges to the river
• Development of a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan for south campus
• Soil testing and nonphosphorus fertilizer use
• Tall grass mowing/buffer zones
• Computerized irrigation
• Using environmentally-friendly turfgrass products
• No-till farming practices
• Composting manure, bedding, waste feed and leaves

A Stormwater Committee comprised of representatives from several MSU service units and departments oversees meets monthly to oversee SWMP activities and to direct additional campus-based stormwater activities. The committee is chaired by the by IPF Planning Design and Construction Director John Lefevre. A broader team of faculty, staff and students from multiple units and departments that play a role in managing stormwater runoff and implementing MSU’s SWMP. Units include: the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), IPF Planning, Design and Construction (PDC), IPF Landscape Services, IPF Power and Water, AgBioResearch, MSU Sustainability, Student Life and Engagement (formerly Residential and Hospitality Services), Institute of Water Research, MSU Police, Department of Community Sustainability, Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and Department of Horticulture.

MSU is also a partner in the Greater Lansing Regional Committee for Stormwater Management (GLRC), which is a guiding body for the region to collaborate on water resources management for three urbanized watersheds: the Grand River, the Red Cedar River and the Looking Glass River Watersheds. Seventeen communities, including MSU, are members of the GLRC. Members work together to reduce stormwater pollution, educate our residents, and improve watershed health throughout the region. https://www.mywatersheds.org/