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The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.

Reporting Tool
Overall Rating Expired
Overall Score Expired
Liaison Tonie Miyamoto
Submission Date Sept. 12, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Colorado State University
OP-23: Stormwater Management

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete Expired Carol Dollard
Energy Engineer
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a policy, plan, and/or strategies to reduce stormwater runoff from new development projects? :
Yes

Does the institution have a policy, plan, and/or strategies to reduce stormwater runoff from ongoing campus operations? :
Yes

A brief description of the institution's stormwater management initiatives:

CSU has a storm water permit that regulates what measures the university must take and what is to be done to minimize storm water pollution. It is structured with six "Minimum Measures," each of which has multiple goals and requirements. Discharges of processed waste water or contaminated water are not allowed to go to storm drains. In some cases, a specific discharge permit can be obtained to allow discharge of waste water. However, these permits may require monitoring, reporting and treatment to meet the discharge limits. CSU's storm water and surface water discharges are regulated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).


The website URL where information about the institution's stormwater management initiatives, plan or policy is available:
http://www.fm.colostate.edu/sustain/downloads/ms4_program_document.pdf

Does the institution have a living or vegetated roof?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's living or vegetated roof:

Colorado State University has a vegetative roof on top of the study lounge of the Microbiology building. Approximately 400 square feet of the study lounge is occupied by a planting tray for various plants. This dramatically reduces the storm water runoff. Twenty percent of the vegetation grown on this roof is part of an experiment, coordinated by Jennifer Bousselot, a PhD Horticulture student, who is researching green roof plant species to determine which western alpine plant species are most useful.


Does the institution have porous paving?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's porous paving:

To increase storm water recharge while conserving a significant amount of space, Colorado State University has begun to implement porous paving in construction. Currently, the Industrial Science building’s surrounding areas are built of porous paving. Also, the newly constructed Behavioral Science building incorporates porous paving in its nearby walkways and plazas.


Does the institution have retention ponds?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's retention ponds:

CSU currently has seven detention ponds. These ponds are strategically placed in parking lots and close to buildings to not only limit runoff and flooding but also to remove water pollutants.


Does the institution have stone swales?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's stone swales:

On three campuses, CSU uses twelve vegetative swales. These structures filter storm water runoff through vegetation, supplying nutrients to the water.


Does the institution have vegetated swales?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution's vegetated swales:

CSU uses three stone swales on the Main Campus. These swales filter water through stones and a layer of peat ensuring a cleaner storm water returns to the soil.


Does the institution employ any other technologies or strategies for stormwater management?:
Yes

A brief description of other technologies or strategies for stormwater management employed:

Biofilters, snouts, vegetative buffers, and filters are all also used in storm water management at CSU. Also, a wetland was constructed in 2003 on campus through the cooperation of students and a landscape architect.

+ Date Revised: Nov. 14, 2011

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 and complete the Data Inquiry Form.