| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.78 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2023 |
Texas A&M University
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Jeffrey
Truss Environmental Manager Environmental Health & Safety |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Which of the following best describes the institution’s approach to rainwater management?:
Less comprehensive policies, plans or guidelines that incorporate green infrastructure
A brief description of the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices:
Engineering - The Texas A&M campus is approximately 5000 acres. On the east side of campus, stormwater issues were handled in the mid-90s through the use of retention ponds and vaults. At that time, the University planned for projected increases in construction. Along with this, buildings built within the past ten years have included a stormwater collection system to allow the water to be used later for irrigation. Most current work for stormwater over the past several years has been on the west side of campus. This includes the repair of creek banks and the addition of energy dissipaters. There is also a current requirement for structures built on this side of campus to be designed not to add to the velocity of water. This has been accomplished with the use of stormwater collection and detention ponds.
Education - Texas A&M has partnered with the local city governments, county, and Texas Department of Transportation to bring a unified message about stormwater protection to the public. This has been accomplished through multiple media outlets (television, radio, newspapers, fliers, etc). The group also takes its message to local schools to educate children about pollution and stormwater. Texas A&M also placed stormwater markers at each inlet to remind individuals that only stormwater is allowed down storm drains. Each marker provides the affected stream.
Service - Texas A&M has an annual Stream Clean event. We take this opportunity to continue education and to remove pollution and debris from streams affected by our stormwater. The service event is a cooperative effort between students, staff, industry partners, and professional organizations. This past year, 29 volunteers removed 29 bags of trash, 3 tires, and other miscellaneous forms of trash from the creek bank at Hensel Park.
Inspection - All outfalls are inspected twice per year. All construction sites are inspected by the University at least every 14 days. These inspections involve a complete site walk-through. Construction companies are required to take corrective actions in a timely manner or risk having the site closed.
Education - Texas A&M has partnered with the local city governments, county, and Texas Department of Transportation to bring a unified message about stormwater protection to the public. This has been accomplished through multiple media outlets (television, radio, newspapers, fliers, etc). The group also takes its message to local schools to educate children about pollution and stormwater. Texas A&M also placed stormwater markers at each inlet to remind individuals that only stormwater is allowed down storm drains. Each marker provides the affected stream.
Service - Texas A&M has an annual Stream Clean event. We take this opportunity to continue education and to remove pollution and debris from streams affected by our stormwater. The service event is a cooperative effort between students, staff, industry partners, and professional organizations. This past year, 29 volunteers removed 29 bags of trash, 3 tires, and other miscellaneous forms of trash from the creek bank at Hensel Park.
Inspection - All outfalls are inspected twice per year. All construction sites are inspected by the University at least every 14 days. These inspections involve a complete site walk-through. Construction companies are required to take corrective actions in a timely manner or risk having the site closed.
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:
The management plan divides the campus with a goal of reducing the impact of stormwater on the local MS4s and reducing the impact on the water bodies that the water leaves through. Most new construction on major facilities take advantage of cisterns to reduce the effect of stormwater from the new development. On the east side of campus, a large detention area was created in the late 90's to accommodate growth and slow the rate at which stormwater enters the College Station MS4. Most of the stormwater on the west side of campus flows to White Creek. On that portion of campus, each new construction has to individually accommodate the increased flow of stormwater. This is generally done with some combination of cisterns, detention, and swales. There is also a planned green space in this area. The space is to serve a few functions. It will provide a park on the riparian area of the creek, provide a route to traverse the creek, repair the creek from stormwater damage, and slow the flow of water through the creek with a system of energy dissipater to reduce stormwater effects downstream.
Optional Fields
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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