University of Maryland, College Park
OP-23: Rainwater Management

The campus has several stormwater management features that receive and treat stormwater generated from campus rooftops, roads, parking lots and other impervious areas. Within the main campus boundaries, Paint Branch, Campus Creek and Northwest Branch receive stormwater runoff. These tributaries are part of the Anacostia River watershed, a priority watershed for restoration within the broader watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.

Improvements in dealing with storm water can be seen in a variety of decentralized Low Impact Development (LID) projects, like those visible at the south east edge of the Comcast parking lots, which catch and filter contaminated runoff from these paved surfaces before the runoff reaches Campus Creek. Other areas on campus that serve to filter or catch storm water include a large retrofit bioretention pond behind the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and a sand filter on the south lawn of the University House. Also, several athletic fields are designed to mitigate storm water runoff before it reaches the Paint Branch. Campus Creek, which is in design for restoration, includes four LID projects within the stream buffer of the creek. At the eastern border of Lot 4i, the university partnered with the Maryland State Highway Administration to install a bioretention facility that treats uncontrolled runoff from the parking area before it reaches the Paint Branch. Throughout the campus new plantings and expansion of the riparian buffer are planned.

Seven green roofs are located on the College Park campus. These vegetated roof systems exploit the ability of plants to absorb and transpire rainwater, slowing or eliminating storm water runoff. Cisterns, which capture rainwater for use as needed to irrigate landscape plants, have been incorporated in several areas, including Washington Quad, Knight Hall and at the Community Learning Garden near the School of Public Health. The cisterns further reduce the movement of excess storm water off campus.

Storm water protection is addressed in compliance with two National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for the university: an Individual Industrial Permit which is specifically tailored to controlling the university's discharge of wastewater to surrounding surface waters (State Discharge Permit No. 01-DP-2618) and a NPDES Phase II General Permit which covers the discharge of storm water run-off from land, pavement, building rooftops and construction sites on campus (General Discharge Permit No. 05-SF-5501). The first permit requires the development and implementation of a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan emphasizing storm water best management practices associated with campus vehicle and water supply maintenance activities (see uploaded file). In accordance with the second permit, the University has developed compliant Best Management Practices and provides annual reporting to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The University also complies with the State of Maryland Stormwater, Sediment and Erosion Control Permits that apply to construction and other significant disturbances of the land. Sediment and erosion control management is required for construction that disturbs more than 5,000 square feet of land and/or 100 cubic yards of excavation. The University requires the implementation of Environmental Site Design (ESD) to the maximum extent practicable (MEP) for new construction. Approved ESD techniques include, rain gardens, bioretention, green roofs, permeable paving and cisterns. Management of stormwater practices is spilt between Facilities Management and the Department of Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk.