Case Western Reserve University
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Stephanie
Corbett Director Energy & 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:
Of 13,395,000 cubic feet of stormwater currently discharged by the University campus, 17% is managed by a range of stormwater management installations (more details below). High impact projects that are currently under development include a 22.9K sq ft vegetated roof and a retention basin included in the new University Center building. A 2012 stormwater master plan recommends that the University adopt various best management practices going forward, with a primary focus on reducing the effective impervious area of campus. These practices include the use of pervious pavement replacement, pervious parking lot replacement, vegetated roofs, bioswales, rain gardens and porous landscape detention areas.
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:
CWRU is committed to reduce our impact on stormwater runoff that can pollute waterways. Stormwater runoff is produced when rain drains off hard surfaces such as roofs, roads, and sidewalks, and do not absorb naturally into the ground to recharge groundwater. Most of this water will discharge into a storm drain and sewer system and then into a nearby body of water. Stormwater is usually a very different temperature than streams and lakes and also contains contaminants from roofs and roads, causing negative effects on receiving bodies of water. Additionally, stormwater runoff from heavy rain events often overload the capacity of regional sewer systems. In Northeast Ohio, and many other places around the country, storm sewers are linked to sanitary sewer systems. When the storm sewers are overburdened, a combined sewer overflow (CSO) occurs, draining untreated sewage into waterways, harming both wildlife and their habitats. CWRU works to reduce its contribution to stormwater in a number of ways to minimize the harmful impacts on the environment
Green Roofs
Two buildings on campus currently have vegetated or “green” roofs that soak up a great deal of rainwater instead of discharging it as storm water: The Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations, and the Tinkham Veale University Center. The Mandel Center’s rooftop garden is 900 square feet and features native shade trees and grasses. The Tinkham Veale University Center’s vegetated roof is much larger at 29,888 square feet, and decreases the overall impervious surface area of the building’s lot by 20%. Adjacent to the Tink is one of two intensive vegetative roofs on campus, above the Severance Hall parking garage, lot 29. There is one additional intensive vegetative roof above the Dental School in the Medical School complex. More green roofs are planned to be installed on new and existing buildings.
Groundwater Collection
An underground cistern below the Alpha Phi house collects rainwater that is later used for irrigation, diverting approximately 1,648 cubic feet of water annually. This system also works to conserve water that would otherwise be used to irrigate the grounds.
Case Western Reserve has instituted a Pervious Pavement initiative that requires applicable replaced walkways to be pervious: utilizing porous concrete, paving stone or brick walkways instead of traditional concrete. Current paving includes over 11 Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) which is a calculation of how much stormwater runs off of residential homes in the area.
A groundwater recharge system is part of The Village at 115th, CWRU’s LEED certified apartment-style residence hall. The Village encompasses a 1,200 car parking garage, seven residence houses for a total of 800 students, a baseball field, multipurpose field, athletic track, and the newly constructed Wyant Field House. The system diverts 70% of rainfall from the 22 acre site through a series of drains that flow into a buried perforated pipe system. Approximately 2,222,000 cubic feet of water, or 16% of the total stormwater runoff from campus, is managed annually, recharging groundwater instead of contributing to stormwater.
Snow Melt Systems
Salt used to keep the roads and sidewalks clear during the winter is a major stormwater pollutant to our local waterways. To keep CWRU’s 18 miles of sidewalk passable during our winter months, we use a lot of salt. To limit our impact, CWRU employs snowmelt technology. Snowmelt systems are made up of pipes of steam-heated propylene-glycol and water, buried in walkways, ramps, and steps. These systems allow us to maintain safe walkways while using less salt. CWRU has 15 snowmelt installations on campus, with plans to add more.
The main and West entrances to the Peter B. Lewis building as well as parking lot
The Amasa Stone Chapel parking lots, connecting to the quad-side entrance, including the steps, to Adelbert Hall
Adelbert Road side entrance to Adelbert Hall
Steps between the North Residential Village (NRV) and parking lot 46
Sidewalk between Houses 4 through 7 and East 115th Street
Entrance to Starbucks Coffee in the NRV
Adelbert Road side entrance to Clapp Hall
Wickenden Building Quad-side entrance
Quad-side handicap entrance to Sears Building
Front ramp entrance to White Building
Crawford steps and podium
Tinkham Veale University Center North and South entrances
Entrance to Bio-Enterprise
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.