| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.21 |
| Liaison | Feletia Lee |
| Submission Date | June 28, 2024 |
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 2.00 |
Whitney
Formon Sustainability Assistant 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:
Since 2019, UNCW Sustainability has partnered with the City of Wilmington's Heal Our Waterways and NC Coastal Federation to implement stormwater control retrofit projects across campus. Newly awarded phase 3 of funding includes a new partner - Mad Mole Brewing. To date, these projects successfully treat approximately 322,000 gallons of stormwater every time it rains and keeps that pollution out of Bradley Creek. Together, with EPA 319 grants, we have implemented several rain gardens and incorporated pervious surfaces around storm drains to divert rainwater from entering the storm drain. Additionally, flexipave, porous concrete is used where possible to reduce runoff in all situations on campus. Small rain gardens are used throughout the campus for the reduction of flow and runoff. Multiple ponds are permitted detention devices in housing as well as central campus. Water collected is used for a majority of the campus' irrigation.
There have been approximately 50 State Stormwater Management Permits issued to various projects on UNC Wilmington’s main campus, along with construction of numerous stormwater BMPs. Due to the number of permits and overlapping permit boundaries, the Division of Water Resources placed a permit hold on all future project approvals until the University developed a Master Stormwater Management plan.
McAdams was retained by UNC Wilmington in 2010 to resolve this issue. McAdams performed a comprehensive analysis of stormwater permitting at the University. Once complete, the NC Division of Water Quality allowed four projects to move forward with the understanding that UNC Wilmington is committed to completing the master permit process with DWR. The approval to move forward was achieved by working with the University and the DWR to develop a course of action to allow proposed projects to move forward as the Master Plan was being developed. Specific scope of services included:
- Quantifying individual BMP deficiencies based upon permitted impervious surface and total drainage area compared with actual impervious surface and drainage area entering each BMP facility.
- Developing a plan of action for each individual BMP to determine the potential for upgrades and retrofits to each facility, which lead to a priority list for capital improvements as funding for such becomes available.
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:
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 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.