Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 52.06
Liaison Casey Meehan
Submission Date June 15, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

Western Technical College
OP-27: Rainwater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Casey Meehan
Director of Sustainability and Resilience
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s Low Impact Development (LID) practices:
Western is incorporating poroous pavement, rain gardens, bioswales, and many other stormwater runoff reduction strategies into its existing and new facilities and grounds. The City of La Crosse also mandates the inclusion of stormwater reduction methods for new construction projects.

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? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s rainwater/stormwater management policy, plan, and/or strategies for ongoing campus operations:
Western Technical College has enacted a standard that all new construction on all campuses must be designed and constructed to meet or exceed the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Certification standard. Within this policy rainwater runoff is considered in the projects design and execution.

A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
A 15,000 gallon below-ground reservoir provides water for flushing urinals and turf irrigation for the Integrated Technology Center. The water source for the reservoir is well water from the business Education Center after it has gone through cooling system condensers and stormwater runoff from the roof of the Integrated Technology Center.

Rainwater harvested directly and stored/used by the institution, performance year:
56.78 Cubic meters

A brief description of any rainwater filtering systems employed by the institution to treat water prior to release:
Western Technical College uses permeable pavers and vegetative land in filtering water to treat water prior to release. As water flows through these systems it is cleansed . The well under the permeable pavers uses a cooling system of condensers to cool the water before returning it into the environment.

A brief description of any living or vegetated roofs on campus:
Western Technical College has a Green Roof on the Integrated Technologies building. The Green roof is designed, planted, and maintained by landscape horticulture students. The roof absorbs rainwater during storms and help mitigate wastewater removal problems.

A brief description of any porous (i.e. permeable) paving employed by the institution:
Western has implemented porous pavers in the campus's Cleary Courtyard, and around parking lots. These pavers promote the infiltration of storm water through the surface of the pavers into the ground, cleansing and cooling the water while promoting the recharging of the local aquifers. The Coleman Center parking lot utilizes porous pavement in each of its parking spots.

A brief description of any downspout disconnection employed by the institution:
Western uses rocks at each of the downspout locations. The downspouts are directed towards either a rain garden or vegetated area, this helps water to seep into the soil at a natural pace. The water is directed away from simply flowing down storm drains in large volumes very quickly.

A brief description of any rain gardens on campus:
Grounds have rain gardens to contain water run-off from buildings and parking lots. Rain gardens are located near the Kumm Building, Integrated Technology Center, and near the Physical Plant and helps to mitigate run off from building's roof and the nearby streets.

A brief description of any stormwater retention and/or detention ponds employed by the institution:
Western Technical College uses a reservoir well near the business Education Center under the Cleary Courtyard. This well serves as a storm-water retention for run off from the courtyard. The water flows through the permeable pavers and into the well.

A brief description of any bioswales on campus (vegetated, compost or stone):
Western has vegetated swales at its Automotive building, and near the Cleary courtyard. A bioswale has also been implemented along a major street near campus. Native plants which serve as animal habitats are planted in these bioswales. The bioswales help absorb rainwater and help the water naturally seep into the soil.

A brief description of any other rainwater management technologies or strategies employed by the institution:
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The website URL where information about the institution’s rainwater management initiatives, plan or policy is available:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.