Bentley University
OP-22: Rainwater Management

The Bentley University campus is fortunate to contain an open channel stormwater collection system that captures and conveys stormwater runoff through campus. The campus is split into two general areas, the north side of campus where a majority of the academic buildings and several dorms exist and the south side of campus where a majority of the athletic fields exist with more dormitories.

The north campus sits largely on a hill with shallow overburden before encountering bedrock, there are exposed rock faces and bedrock outcroppings. At the south campus the topography flattens out to a more level plateau where athletic fields and fitness areas exist and there is a shallow depth to groundwater. The open channel stormwater system sets the tone for stormwater management on campus as an existing open water system that begins off campus to the north and discharges off campus to the south, the stormwater channel system contains its own homeostatic sustainable ecosystem that has adapted to the urban environment that exists in Waltham and through campus.

The current LID strategy, in addition to complying with standard engineering practice and the City of Waltham design requirements; is to implement the appropriate LID techniques depending on the location on campus. Specific LID practices that have been implemented include a rain garden with swales south of our Jennsion building which was then turned into a learning garden and permeable pavers near the Rhodes building that is adjacent to the open channel stormwater conveyance to slow runoff. On South Campus stormwater retention basins were included in the arena project to retain water and filter it before it is released into the nearby wetlands.

The University considers the three main components of stormwater runoff mitigation, Peak Rate control, Water Quality improvement and Total Volume control when planning a new project. The type of stormwater mitigation implemented on campus is dependent on the location on campus. At the North campus the shallow depth to bedrock makes it difficult to infiltrate stormwater runoff and challenging to install infrastructure systems that are deep so the standard approach to Stormwater mitigation is through surface swales and shallow treatment pools that all eventually connect via pipe or swale, to the main drainage channel on campus. Whereas at the south campus the depth to bedrock is deeper and the groundwater is shallower which allows for the construction of open water extended retention basins such has been done at the arena.

Bentley University actively manages the rainwater on its campus. Inspections of our catch basins are performed semiannually and any necessary repairs are recorded. Bentley cleans out the catch basins annually, which is logged and sent to the Con,Com annually.