| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.92 |
| Liaison | Elisabeth Reed |
| Submission Date | Feb. 29, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Illinois State University
OP-27: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Elisabeth
Reed Director Office of Sustainability |
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?:
A brief description of the institution’s Low Impact Development (LID) practices:
ISU has integrated bio-swales, rain gardens and green roofs into the campus environment. Additionally, permeable pavement has been added to parking lots as they have been redone.
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? :
A brief description of the institution’s rainwater/stormwater management policy, plan, and/or strategies for ongoing campus operations:
ISU has incorporated natural strategies to mitigate erosion along the creek that runs through campus, and is in consultation with FEMA to address the opportunity to build additional retention ponds at the golf course to solve stormwater flooding issues and then utilize the water for irrigation.
A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
Very minimal harvesting is done, and mostly for demonstration purposes. For example rain barrels are utilized at the laboratory schools for the children's vegetable and butterfly gardens, at the President's Residence for landscape irrigation, and at the Office of Sustainability for irrigation and demonstration.
Rainwater harvested directly and stored/used by the institution, performance year:
A brief description of any rainwater filtering systems employed by the institution to treat water prior to release:
none
A brief description of any living or vegetated roofs on campus:
The university's east campus residential housing complex hosts the institution's only green roof. It is actually a tray system set on the ground to provide insulation for the tunnel space underneath and to provide a demonstration green roof to the students.
A brief description of any porous (i.e. permeable) paving employed by the institution:
Permeable pavement is incorporated along the drainage areas of all refurbished parking lots.
A brief description of any downspout disconnection employed by the institution:
None
A brief description of any rain gardens on campus:
The university has several rain gardens on campus, and each of them has been installed to mitigate storm water issues. Some were to divert water from sidewalks, but our most visible rain garden was employed to divert water from a very old beech tree that was drowning. Informational signage about the tree and the rain garden is at the site.
A brief description of any stormwater retention and/or detention ponds employed by the institution:
Several bio-swales have been installed on campus. The largest is at the recreational fields near the golf course. This largest of bio-swale also serves as a retention pond during heavy rain events.
A brief description of any bioswales on campus (vegetated, compost or stone):
Several bio-swales have been installed on campus. All are vegetative and have informational signage.
A brief description of any other rainwater management technologies or strategies employed by the institution:
The ISU farm experiments with cover crops to prevent rain and wind erosion on our 300 acre research facility.
The website URL where information about the institution’s rainwater management initiatives, plan or policy is available:
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.