| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.34 |
| Liaison | Brandon Trelstad |
| Submission Date | Jan. 4, 2024 |
Oregon State University
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Leticia
Cavazos Sustainability Program Specialist Sustainability Office |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Which of the following best describes the institution’s approach to rainwater management?:
Comprehensive policies, plans or guidelines that require LID practices for all new projects
A brief description of the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices:
The City of Corvallis requires that new construction over 2,000 sq. ft. obtain an Erosion Prevention Sediment Control (EPSC) permit, create an EPSC plan and submit to regular inspections.
For ongoing operations, the City has stringent requirements for water quality and quantity. Facilities with over 25,000 sq. ft of impervious surface must be constructed so detention rates do not exceed pre-development conditions based on the 2yr through 10yr, 24 hour storm. Projects creating 5,000 square feet or more of pollution generating impervious surface (pavement accessible to motor vehicles) must be designed to remove 70% of Total Suspended Solids for 2/3 of the 2 year, 24 hour storm.
https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/cd/page/land-development-code
The City of Corvallis often references the King County, Washington Surface Water Design Manual when specifying design criteria for stormwater system. The King County manual has served as a model for more progressive and sustainable water design standards for Pacific Northwest municipalities.
In addition to the standards referenced above, OSU's Requirements for Sustainable Development requires all major capital projects (not just those in Corvallis) to, at minimum:
1. Conduct survey of site features and assess their impact on project design. Site features include topography, hydrology, climate, vegetation, soils, human use and human health effects. The survey should demonstrate the relationships between these site features and how they influenced the project design; give reasons for not addressing any feature's impact on project design.
2. Designate 30% of total site area to be pedestrian oriented open space; of that 30%, 25% must be vegetated (or have overhead vegetated cover). Turf grass does not count as vegetated.
The intent of these requirements is to, in part, understand the hydrologic aspects of the site and work with those aspects to create a minimum vegetated area where natural systems (particularly rainwater infiltration and groundwater recharge) are mimicked, maintained or even enhanced.
https://fa.oregonstate.edu/sustainability/requirements-sustainable-development
Finally, the OSU Street Standards include required street trees and other plantings to more sustainably manage storm and rainwater. Tree wells and landscaped areas near streets provide areas of groundwater recharge, and reduce loading of energy intensive mechanical stormwater treatments systems.
https://fa.oregonstate.edu/sites/fa.oregonstate.edu/files/cpd/standards/osu_constructionstandardstable_2014-04-14.pdf
For ongoing operations, the City has stringent requirements for water quality and quantity. Facilities with over 25,000 sq. ft of impervious surface must be constructed so detention rates do not exceed pre-development conditions based on the 2yr through 10yr, 24 hour storm. Projects creating 5,000 square feet or more of pollution generating impervious surface (pavement accessible to motor vehicles) must be designed to remove 70% of Total Suspended Solids for 2/3 of the 2 year, 24 hour storm.
https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/cd/page/land-development-code
The City of Corvallis often references the King County, Washington Surface Water Design Manual when specifying design criteria for stormwater system. The King County manual has served as a model for more progressive and sustainable water design standards for Pacific Northwest municipalities.
In addition to the standards referenced above, OSU's Requirements for Sustainable Development requires all major capital projects (not just those in Corvallis) to, at minimum:
1. Conduct survey of site features and assess their impact on project design. Site features include topography, hydrology, climate, vegetation, soils, human use and human health effects. The survey should demonstrate the relationships between these site features and how they influenced the project design; give reasons for not addressing any feature's impact on project design.
2. Designate 30% of total site area to be pedestrian oriented open space; of that 30%, 25% must be vegetated (or have overhead vegetated cover). Turf grass does not count as vegetated.
The intent of these requirements is to, in part, understand the hydrologic aspects of the site and work with those aspects to create a minimum vegetated area where natural systems (particularly rainwater infiltration and groundwater recharge) are mimicked, maintained or even enhanced.
https://fa.oregonstate.edu/sustainability/requirements-sustainable-development
Finally, the OSU Street Standards include required street trees and other plantings to more sustainably manage storm and rainwater. Tree wells and landscaped areas near streets provide areas of groundwater recharge, and reduce loading of energy intensive mechanical stormwater treatments systems.
https://fa.oregonstate.edu/sites/fa.oregonstate.edu/files/cpd/standards/osu_constructionstandardstable_2014-04-14.pdf
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:
For new roadways and parking lots, unless impractical or ineffective, OSU requires design teams to plan vegetated swales and other natural mechanisms to deal with stormwater. Several bioswales are installed on campus already, and one large one - the Reser Stadium Bioswale - drains a significant area of OSU's impermeable surfaces. Street reconstructions include water quality and quantity considerations.
Additional examples:
Rainwater is collected then organically & mechanically filtered, treated, and stored at Kelley Engineering, in a 16,500 gallon chemical-free cistern system. This system is used to flush toilets and urinals rather than using potable water.
OSU's LEED Platinum Energy Center uses rainwater for boiler make up water, reducing both city water consumption and the need for treatment (rainwater also has a more appropriate chemical balance).
Bioswales at Reser Stadium and Magruder Hall treat and retain stormwater from nearby roadways and parking lots. OSU has 11 bioswales and 5 rain gardens in various locations around campus. The large swale (approx. 40'W x 350'long) at Reser stadium retains water from a large portion of campus.
Stormwater from the roof of Kearney Hall is filtered and retained by the building landscape before it enters the stormwater system.
Additional examples:
Rainwater is collected then organically & mechanically filtered, treated, and stored at Kelley Engineering, in a 16,500 gallon chemical-free cistern system. This system is used to flush toilets and urinals rather than using potable water.
OSU's LEED Platinum Energy Center uses rainwater for boiler make up water, reducing both city water consumption and the need for treatment (rainwater also has a more appropriate chemical balance).
Bioswales at Reser Stadium and Magruder Hall treat and retain stormwater from nearby roadways and parking lots. OSU has 11 bioswales and 5 rain gardens in various locations around campus. The large swale (approx. 40'W x 350'long) at Reser stadium retains water from a large portion of campus.
Stormwater from the roof of Kearney Hall is filtered and retained by the building landscape before it enters the stormwater system.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
OSU has a rainwater tour brochure that shows many of the Corvallis campus's rainwater management features. View the brochure at https://fa.oregonstate.edu/sustainability/information/visitors
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.