| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85.72 |
| Liaison | Kira Stoll |
| Submission Date | March 4, 2021 |
University of California, Berkeley
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Kira
Stoll Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
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:
We are now and have been for more than a decade implementing robust storm water pollution prevention plans. Overall, UC Berkeley's pollution prevention measures slow water from reaching the stormwater system. Retention structures also provide flood protection and stop water from infiltrating the groundwater table. Instead, the water is held in a swale or vault.
We have an Environmental Protection construction liaison on staff. They implement what's known as the Construction Stormwater General Permit Plan that requires construction projects on campus to adhere to a set of requirements to prevent pollutants (mostly sediment) from leaving the sites. They perform regular inspections of all the construction sites and relays findings to project managers.
The Campus Design Standards include extensive requirements on managing water to reduce and eliminate pollution. Some of the LID practices included in the standards are:
Post-construction Best Management Practices (BMPs) shall
utilize low-impact development (LID) measures to the maximum extent practical and include, but
are not limited to:
i. Minimization of land disturbance
ii. Minimization of impervious surfaces
iii. Treatment of storm water run-off using infiltration via pervious paving methods and
landscape based systems
iv. Water detention/retention
v. Bio-filter BMPs
vi. Efficient irrigation systems
vii. Ensuring that interior building drains and trash enclosures are tied to the sanitary sewer
system, and not the storm drain system
viii. Appropriately designed and constructed energy dissipation devices
b. Post-construction BMPs shall be consistent with all local post-construction storm water management
requirements, policies and guidelines as mandated by:
i. C.3 Stormwater Technical Guidance, Version 6, October 2017, updated January 2019,
available from www.cleanwaterprogram.org
ii. State Water Resources Board Order No. 2013-0001 DWQ – Phase II Small MS4 Permit for
sites below an acre and;
iii. State Water Resources Board Order No. 2009-0009 as Modified by 2010-0014 DWQ for
sites above an acre, registered in SMART
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:
UC Berkeley has a Campus Stormwater Management Plan that involves all the rest of campus operations other than construction, i.e. regular inspection of Strawberry Creek for illicit discharges, investigation of discovered discharges and training of all staff (Facilities, RSSP, Athletics, ASUC) on best management practices to prevent non-storm discharges to the creek. The campus also inspects campus infrastructure that may pose a threat to water quality (fuel tanks, sewer lines, steam lines, trash collection areas). The little blue oval discs describing stormwater practices placed next to campus storm inlets are one example of UC Berkeley education about water quality impacts as are the numerous tours and talks offered to students (UC Berkeley and K-12).
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 in this field was provided by the campus Environment, Health & Safety office.
The information in this field was provided by the campus Environment, Health & Safety office.
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.