| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.01 |
| Liaison | Meghna Tare |
| Submission Date | April 3, 2022 |
University of Texas at Arlington
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Meghna
Tare Director 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:
The goal of the UT Arlington Storm water Management Program (SWMP) is to eliminate pollution resulting from storm water discharges. UT Arlington uses a variety of Best Management Practices (BMPs) to ensure that runoff from UT Arlington property and construction sites as well as impervious areas such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops does not adversely affect water quality.
UT Arlington policy specifically prohibits illicit discharges to its storm water management system. Illicit discharges include, but are not limited to, releasing chemicals, oils, gas, antifreeze, fertilizers, trash, debris and construction sediments to the environment. Those responsible for illicit discharges may be cited under applicable laws and ordinances.
UT Arlington encourages members of the University Community and the General Public to report pollution and to offer suggestions for improving The UT Arlington Storm water Management Plan. UTA has employed a full time storm water management coordinator.
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:
The Upper Trinity River drains into eight major drainage basins
located within the City of Arlington. One of these is Johnson
Creek, which is fed by the on-campus Trading House Creek. Due
to regionally sandy and highly erodible soils, a flat topology, and
dense urbanization, Johnson Creek and its seven sister basins are
prone to rapid stormwater runoff and severe erosion, which must
be managed to prevent degradation of the area’s waterways.
The University addresses stormwater impacts through two
distinct approaches: a stormwater management plan and
restorative design. The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) has implemented a Storm Water Management Plan covering that portion of the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) within the corporate boundary of the City of Arlington operated by UTA. The original Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit for the UTA storm sewer system was issued from the Environmental Protection Agency under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) program in 1998. Under this original MS4 permit the University was a co-permittee with the City of Arlington. UTA and The City of Arlington each developed
Storm Water Management Programs (SWMP) that complimented each other by outlining areas of responsibility in areas where there was jurisdictional overlap. Since the original permits issuance, the permitting authority for MS4 permits was transferred to the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission (TNRCC), now known as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under the Texas Pollution Discharge Elimination System (TPDES)
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.