| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.57 |
| Liaison | Jeff Spoelstra |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Western Michigan University
OP-27: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Anand
Sankey Director, Engineering Division and Mainenance Services Facilities Management |
Does the institution use Low Impact Development (LID) practices as a matter of policy or standard practice to reduce rainwater/stormwater runoff volume and improve outgoing water quality for new construction, major renovation, and other projects?:
A brief description of the institution’s Low Impact Development (LID) practices:
No new outfalls or discharges to the Arcadia Creek will be installed. Existing outfall(s) and discharges will be maintained as necessary to operate at their existing capacities. New project sites will be designed to attain a “0%” volume discharge increase or impact on the existing storm water drainage system. At minimum, effluent limits and monitoring shall meet the State of Michigan “minimum treatment volume standard” and “channel protection criteria” as defined in The University’s Storm Water Discharge Permit. WMU Stds DG31-12 Rev: 9/23/2008 Storm Water Mgmt.doc Printed: 12/18/2008. Designs shall utilize retainage and detainage systems to minimize the impact of the existing storm water system. Designs shall include maintainable sediment control. All addition(s) & renovation(s) on campus shall require the use of computer modeling to determine and evaluate the design flow conditions of storm water systems and track changes to existing storm water system(s) downstream. Copies of these files are to be submitted to WMU Campus Facilities Department. These calculations shall include detention area sizing. All additions & renovations project(s) on campus are required to provide electronic detailed site grading plans and specifications identifying: on-site drainage patterns, on site detention areas, storm drainage structure(s), pipe(s) with size and material selection, invert elevation(s), and geometric location(s) to WMU Campus Facilities Department. Testing shall be specified and performed on all new project storm/sanitary drain systems to insure no cross connects are installed in the systems. Streets and parking areas shall utilize runoff areas as much as can be accommodated to encourage infiltration.
Has the institution adopted a rainwater/stormwater management policy, plan, or strategies that mitigate the rainwater runoff impacts of ongoing campus operations through the use of green infrastructure? :
A brief description of the institution’s rainwater/stormwater management policy, plan, and/or strategies for ongoing campus operations:
Upon completion of the installation of a best management practice (BMP) as outlined by the State of Michigan department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), a detailed maintenance plan is developed and strictly adhered to as part of ongoing grant eligibility. These maintenance procedures are outlined in our Campus Stormwater Control Measures Maintenance Plans. These plans are site specific and cover various green infrastructure including, detention ponds, rain gardens, porous pavements, and pre-treatment ponds.
A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
We do not harvest rainwater due to our concerns of transferring pollutants from parking lots and roofs to community green space.
Rainwater harvested directly and stored/used by the institution, performance year:
A brief description of any rainwater filtering systems employed by the institution to treat water prior to release:
Western Michigan University employs extensive use of not only vegetative pre- treatment ponds (for bays), but aqua swale inlet basins that retain sediment. This sediment not only affects turbidity in stream water but contain phosphorus that promotes algae growth.
A brief description of any living or vegetated roofs on campus:
The 230,000 sf Sangren Hall completed in 2012, received a LEED gold certification features a green roof as well as several other rainwater retention features.
A brief description of any porous (i.e. permeable) paving employed by the institution:
Sangren Hall completed in 2012 features a low point of its parking lot is porous. In addition, new construction projects on campus, new dining facility, and new residence hall projects are being evaluated for porous pavement use. Read Field house boasts a portion of their sidewalk as porous.
A brief description of any downspout disconnection employed by the institution:
Downspout disconnections are not utilized.
A brief description of any rain gardens on campus:
Chemistry Building – Completed in 2007 this features a rain garden utilizing native plant species. The rain garden is designed to treat a drainage area of 10.6 acres and up to a 3 inch rain event. Brown Hall – A smaller rain garden that features native plants is 0.78 acres in size and is able to capture 0.88 inches of rain.
A brief description of any stormwater retention and/or detention ponds employed by the institution:
The University currently has 32 storm water retention/detention basins on our main campus, another 10 detention basins at our College of Engineering, with more being added every year in an effort to achieve our goal of zero net storm water discharge to Arcadia creek. These basins are located throughout both campuses and are maintained by our landscaping staff per our outlined maintenance plans. (See attached map)
A brief description of any bioswales on campus (vegetated, compost or stone):
Parking lot 23 features a large vegetative swale intended to drain water from the southeastern portion of the lot. Cass/Ottawa street storm water control measures. Two grass swales were installed to pre-treat storm water coming from Cass Street prior to being delivered to infiltration controls on site.
A brief description of any other rainwater management technologies or strategies employed by the institution:
The University is employing stormwater impoundment structures located underneath parking lots at Sangren Hall in conjunction with other measures. The upcoming east campus renovation project will also feature these same impoundment structures under a renovated parking area.
The website URL where information about the institution’s rainwater management initiatives, plan or policy is available:
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.