Stanford University
OP-22: Rainwater Management

Stanford University employs multiple strategies to reduce storm water runoff from new development and existing campus operations. Stanford developed two masterplans for managing and implementing storm water treatment and runoff:

(A) The Stanford University Campus-wide Stormwater Treatment Master Plan

(B) The Stanford University Campus-wide Storm Drainage Master Plan

In addition, Stanford University complies with several permit requirements associated with the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Bay Region, Municipal Regional Stormwater NPDES Permit, Order R2-2015-0049, NPDES Permit No. CAS612008, as implemented by Stanford’s permitting authority, Santa Clara County. Permit conditions require Stanford to comply with storm water pollution prevention principles. Some of the infrastructure Stanford has created to comply with permit requirements include:

SITE DESIGN CONTROLS
Site Design Controls minimize impervious surfaces, conserve natural areas, minimize site runoff)-- example installations include:
(1a) Installation of porous pavement (Oak Road and Stock Farm Road Parking Lot, Lasuen Parking Lot, and Meyer Green open space; 3 different types installed – pervious pavers, pervious asphalt and pervious concrete).
(1b) Rain water harvesting to in-ground tank used for irrigation (Knight Management Center - Graduate School of Business Project. Collected roof runoff is stored in an underground tank [75,000 gallons of storage] and reused for irrigation on site.)
(1c) Living/vegetated roof on Parking Structure 6
(1d) Downspout disconnection is required for projects subject to the NPDES permit and is encouraged as a site design measure for all other campus projects.

Please see the following website for more information about regional Site Design programs being followed at Stanford:
https://scvurppp.org/newdev/site-design

SOURCE CONTROL
Source control minimizes contact between pollutants and storm water runoff)-example installations include:
(2a) Covered loading docks (Medical School Loading Dock)
(2b) Appropriate covers, drains and storage precautions for outdoor material storage areas and loading docks (Medical School Loading Dock, East Campus Dining Facility, Lagunita Dining)

TREATMENT DEVICES
Per federal and county regulations, Stanford has installed over 100 facilities around campus to collect, treat, and infiltrate stormwater, which can then be used to augment non-potable irrigation water supplies. In 2016, for example, Santa Teresa Street was retrofitted with a vegetated depression (called a bioretention cell) that filters runoff from the road. These infrastructure additions help to treat stormwater by removing contaminants prior to discharge into the storm drain system. Additional example installations include:
(3a) Stanford broadened its stormwater management in 2018-19 with the addition of two pumping stations that will send runoff into the University’s non-potable irrigation water system, used for watering lawns and landscaping around campus. Recently completed projects include:
• Frost Amphitheater Renovation
• Escondido Village Graduate Housing
• Serra Mall - Galvez to Arguello
• Galvez Arboretum Roundabout
• Bonair Siding Road and Pampas Lane
• Via Ortega North
• Manzanita Garage
(3b) Bioswales and Bioretention (Anderson collection, Arboretum Child Care Center, Arrillaga Outdoor Education and Recreation Center, Arrillaga Family Sports Center Addition, Automotive Innovation Facility Project, Bing Concert Hall, Campus Drive Bowdoin to Arguello, Campus Drive Panama Street to Via Ortega, Central Energy Facility, Coaches Rental Housing Project, East Campus Dining Facility, Equestrian Center, Kennedy Comstock Housing, Knight Management Center - Graduate School of Business Project, Madera Childcare Center, McMurtry Art, Olmstead Terrace Housing Project, Process Steam Plant, Roth Way & Lomita Drive, SRAF Building, and Searsville Parking)
(3c) Infiltration Trenches (Arguello Field and Courts [aka Wilbur Recreation Field], Galvez Parking Lot, Lasuen Parking Lot, SIM 1 Building, Sand Volleyball)
(3d) Regional continuous deflection separation devices (Welch Road and Pasteur Drive - Continuous Deflective Separation [CDS] Unit, Stanford Stadium – CDS Unit)
(3e) To control the quantity of water released from campus, there are three regional detention basins (located at Sand Hill Road and Stock Farm Road, El Camino Real and Serra Street, as well as between Oak Rd and Sand Hill Road) See more details on these projects here: https://suwater.stanford.edu/water-supplies/stormwater-capture
(3f) Regional Stormwater Swirl Separators (2 total) - removes trash and small particulate from tributary campus runoff.
(3g) Interceptor trees used at various campus locations

The campus storm water/rainwater management policy comprises compliance with all applicable regulations and conditions of the General Use Permit required by Santa Clara County in California. Flood control is provided by a subsurface storm drain collection system that discharges to detention basins that regulate the peak flow rate discharged from campus in both the 10-year and 100-year storms. Overland flow paths and flood barriers protect structures on campus and provide for an overland release of runoff.