| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.82 |
| Liaison | Ryan Ihrke |
| Submission Date | Feb. 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Green Mountain College
OP-23: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Ryan
Ihrke Director of Sustainability 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:
Current practices include a buffer zone around the Poultney River (which borders campus), vegetated swales, and some pervious parking lots.
Several actions by the College have partially restored the natural hydrology since 1997. The College has: (1) established the Buffer Zone to increase infiltration of water, slow runoff, filter nutrients from water before it enters the river, reduce water temperature, and slow water flow in the river, (2) ended the practice of hardening river bank with large rocks to allow the river to meander, (3) let large hay and corn fields go fallow and go through natural succession in natural areas, (4) planted trees and shrubs to restore forest to portions of the natural areas, (5) planted native species gardens in place of lawn, (6) planted a rain garden and released lawn on the steep slopes between main campus and the floodplain.
Porous paving employed by the institution includes gravel paving is used in the lower parking lot nearest the river. This is one of the largest parking lots on campus.
For rain gardens, a zen garden made of porous gravel were created in front of the library in 2014.
The athletic fields and main parking lot contains vegetated swales to manage stormwater
Rain water is captured in a rain barrels at two sites at Green Mountain College and reused for watering.
Site 1: Native Plant Nursery.
The OVaL (Occupy Vacant Lots) shed designed and built by assistant professor Lucas Brown's design/build class is located on the west side of campus and serves as a greenhouse and storage shed for the Champlain Valley Native Plant Restoration Nursery. The nursery provides hands-on laboratory experience for GMC students and provides a reliable source of native plants for local landowners and ecological restoration projects. Non-potable water is captured in a rain barrel utilizing the design of a butterfly roof on the OVaL shed and reused for watering the plants.
Site Number 2: Cerridwen Farm
In 2016, a student installed a rain water barrel outside of the Cerridwen Farm Farmhouse. Water is collected from the farmhouse roof and used to water the kitchen garden in front of the farmhouse.
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:
GMC's landscaping practices include several initiatives to improve stormwater management on campus including rain gardens to accept roof spout gutter flow, consideration of pervious pavements as well as rain water collection and re-use systems. Stone and vegetated swales are used to prevent stormwater runoff. A buffer zone by the Poultney River also aids in these efforts.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.