| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.56 |
| Liaison | Mari Acob-Nash |
| Submission Date | Oct. 30, 2021 |
North Seattle College
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Adam
Maurer District Sustainability Coordinator Finance and Ops |
Which of the following best describes the institution’s approach to rainwater management?:
A brief description of the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices:
1.A roof top garden is found atop the LEED Certified Buildings on NSC Campus and features:
- Rainwater absorbing qualities: significant improvements with respect to water runoff; the LEED building’s roof is able to play a positive roll in turning the water runoff into a usable resource instead of the heat generators of past designs
- Funnels rainwater as a first level filter before being transferring water resources to be processes by the Rainwater Recycling Cisterns
- Creates a natural barrier with heat reduction qualities for the structure with natural materials
- Reduces heat during the year and allows for better absorption qualities during changing weather and seasonal variances
2. North Seattle College adheres to the City of Seattle's Stormwater Management Plan and the stringent regulations it sets forth:
"Storm-water Management Plan (SWMP)
The City of Seattle SWMP will address the following permit requirements:
• Protect water quality
• Reduce the discharge of pollutants to the “maximum extent practicable”
• Satisfy appropriate requirements of the Clean Water Act
• Meet state requirements to use all known, available, and reasonable methods to prevent and control pollution to waters of the state
The Stormwater, Grading and Drainage Control Code (SMC 22.800-22.808) and associated Directors’ Rules are being revised to account for advances in urban stormwater runoff management practices. Changes and updates to the code are being made to make it equivalent to the 2005 Washington Department of Ecology’s Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington. This is a requirement for compliance with the Municipal Stormwater NPDES Permit, which was issued January 17, 2007. Visit the Department of Planning and Development's website to learn more about the code revisions."
3. OCE&E – Opportunity Center for Employment & Education is LEED Gold Certified. Thus, it closely follows the LEED rainwater management policy.
4. NSC is located on scenic wetlands near Thornton Creek. We take pride in nourishing and protecting this natural resource on campus.
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:
North Seattle College is located within the City of Seattle, which mandates the use of low-impact development practices through its Stormwater Municipal Code (Title 22, Subtitle VIII). The code requires stormwater discharge be appropriately managed on parcel-based projects through soil amendment, on-site stormwater management, flow control, and water quality treatment. All buildings on NSC's campus comply with these stringent codes, with many featuring stormwater retention tanks or detention features such as rain gardens.
Furthermore, since 2005, the WA State Legislature requires all new state agency buildings to be constructed to LEED Silver standard or better. The USGBC LEED credit for rain management intends, [t]o limit disruption of natural hydrology by reducing impervious cover, increasing on-site infiltration, reducing or eliminating pollution from stormwater runoff and eliminating contaminants." Low Impact Development (LID) is one strategy used to achieve this LEED credit and intent, among others.
City of Seattle Stormwater Municipal Code (title 22, Subtitle VIII), https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT22BUCOCO_SUBTITLE_VIIISTCO_CH22.801DE
City of Seattle Storm water management:
https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/about/plans/drainage-and-sewer/stormwater-management-plan
USGBC rainwater management credit:
https://www.usgbc.org/credits/new-construction-core-and-shell-schools-new-construction-retail-n
ew-construction-hospitali-5
Seattle Colleges' Sustainability Plan: LEED Silver commitment, http://sustainability.seattlecolleges.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SeattleColleges_SustainabilityPlan2017-2023_update2020.11.pdf
Website URL where information about the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.