University of Kentucky
OP-23: Rainwater Management

The University of Kentucky is a phase II MS4 with a robust Stormwater Management Program. Evidence of this program can be seen in our Sustainability Strategic plan as well as our recently completed five-year Stormwater Management Plan. Our program currently promotes LID/Green Infrastructure rather than mandates its use. This can be seen in our Landscape Guidelines, which address mitigation of the urban heat island effect as well as managing water resources through the use of LID. These guidelines also create a design review process to ensure all projects are considering guideline elements in their designs.

As is recommended by these guidelines, the University has recently chosen to move forward with the development of a Stormwater Masterplan that will hopefully aid in the transition of requiring LID/Green Infrastructure for construction projects rather that recommending it. The development of this masterplan is included in both the Sustainability Strategic Plan as well as the Stormwater Quality Management Plan mentioned above.

Our current practices require each construction project greater than an acre to address stormwater quantity and quality. Impervious areas must be reduced by twenty percent for redevelopment projects or stormwater controls shall be provided for twenty percent of the baseline impervious area. If impervious area increases, water quality controls must be provided to treat the runoff from the net increase. Although not required by our current policies, many of the quality controls chosen throughout campus are LID and Green Infrastructure. Since 2015, approximately fifty percent of all post-construction bmp’s installed have been some form of LID/Green Infrastructure. Those installed include Green Roofs, Rain Gardens, Pervious Pavement, Underground Detention/Infiltration Systems, Vegetated Swales, and Water Harvesting Systems.

The University has recently adopted Campus Landscape Guidelines whose purpose is to encourage the orderly development of the landscape in a way that serves the functional, aesthetic, ecological, and management requirements of the university in a consistent way over time.

These recently adopted guidelines focus on managing water resources through the use of LID. They recommend the completion of a stormwater master plan that eventually will be coordinated/integrated with the guidelines. They are intended to improve the quality of stormwater, reduce the rate and volume of stormwater runoff, and assist in compliance with the University’s MS4 permit. This is done through design recommendations of infiltrating stormwater onsite wherever possible, utilizing the landscape to improve water quality, using green roofs for roof replacement projects and new buildings, disconnecting externally drained roofs from storm sewer systems and draining to rain gardens and bioswales when feasible, and decreasing impervious area. The intended outcome is a stormwater strategy featuring increased overall permeability and above-ground stormwater management in association with landscape solutions.

It should be noted that UK is also very dedicated to maintaining tree cover on campus. A tree advisory committee is maintained and the Landscape Guidelines contain a detailed policy for tree protection during construction activities. UK was recently named Tree Campus USA for the Fourth Consecutive Year.

Additional documentation:
UK Sustainability Strategic Plan: https://www.uky.edu/sustainability/sites/www.uky.edu.sustainability/files/UK%20Sustainability%20Strategic%20Plan.withwater.pdf
UK Landscape Guidelines: https://www.uky.edu/EVPFA/Facilities/MasterPlan/documents/UK_SasakiLandscapeGuidelinesWebViewing_November2017.pdf