| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40.74 |
| Liaison | Pat Van Duyne |
| Submission Date | June 11, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Joliet Junior College
OP-27: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Richard
Rivera Assistant Director Facility Services/Roads & Grounds |
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:
Joliet Junior College's commitment to site sustainability includes a number of LID practices throughout the campus. LID practices have included construction of a LEED Certified greenhouse that utilizes rain water harvesting to capture the water utilized to water the plant material within the greenhouses, green roof development on several new buildings, and the use of rain gardens, vortex separators, bio-swales and infiltration basins to help control and manage campus stormwater runoff.
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:
The 2008 master plan completed a holistic storm water management plan for the 6 new construction projects, submitted to the ILEPA. The master plan emphasized the need to better manage and treat stormwater runoff from campus development. Strategies were established that focused on implementing techniques that would reduce post-development runoff, retain runoff, and treat runoff to improve water quality prior to leaving the campus. Specific LID practices, discussed herein, have helped and will continue to help achieve these strategies.
A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
LID practices have included construction of a LEED certified greenhouse that utilizes rain water harvesting to capture the water utilized to water the plant material within the greenhouses.
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:
JJC has installed a bioswale/weir system within one of the large parking lots. The system consists of a rock-lined drainage interplanted with native vegetation within it and along the side slopes. Stone weirs were included to slow down large flows and allow greater time for infiltration. Similarly, native-vegetated storm catchment basins connected by native-vegetated swales were constructed as part of the stormwater management system for the College's new Facilities building. This LID technique helps filter stormwater before it empties into the campus lake. Another technique included the development of an infiltration basin west of existing campus buildings north of the lake. The basin serves an important function of catching runoff from the impervious parking lots and allowing time to settle out particulates before entering the campus lake. North and east of the campus ring road, a large bioswale/infiltration basin system was constructed to help control and improve runoff from adjacent agriculture and off-site developments. Three vortex separators have been installed at impervious runoff locations. A series of detention basins, including weirs and native vegetation, have been constructed along the outer ring road to manage stormwater and help filter it before leaving the campus property. A rain garden system was installed between the Natural Science addition and the Automotive addition.
A brief description of any living or vegetated roofs on campus:
JJC has 7,488 square feet of green roofs on our Campus Center A Building and 3,300 square feet of green roofs on our Health Professions U Building both at our Main Campus in Joliet, IL.
A brief description of any porous (i.e. permeable) paving employed by the institution:
JJC utilizes porous granite screens as a walkway bordering the campus greenway in order to reduce impacts from pavement and to allow infiltration to provide additional water to the allee of trees within it.
A brief description of any downspout disconnection employed by the institution:
N/A
A brief description of any rain gardens on campus:
A rain garden system was installed between the Natural Sciences and the Automotive additions. Runoff from the adjacent buildings and walkways are channeled into the rain gardens, which are interconnected and vegetated by a variety of water-tolerant grasses and perennials.
A brief description of any stormwater retention and/or detention ponds employed by the institution:
A series of detention basins, including weirs and native vegetation, have been constructed along the outer ring road to manage stormwater and help filter it before leaving the campus property. Native-vegetated storm catchment basins connected by native-vegetated swales were constructed as part of the stormwater management system for the College's new Facilities Building. This LID technique helps filter stormwater before it empties into the campus lake. Another technique included the development of an infiltration basin west of existing campus buildings north of the lake. The basin serves an important function of catching runoff from the impervious parking lots and allowing time to settle out particulates before entering the campus lake.
A brief description of any bioswales on campus (vegetated, compost or stone):
JJC has installed a bioswale/weir system within one of the large parking lots. The system consists of a rock-lined drainage interplanted with native vegetation within it and along the side slopes. Stone weirs were included to slow down large flows and allow greater time for infiltration. North and east of the campus ring road, a large bioswale/infiltration basin system was constructed to help control and improve runoff from adjacent agriculture and off-site developments. Both swales and basins were planted with native vegetation.
A brief description of any other rainwater management technologies or strategies employed by the institution:
JJC recently took much of its undeveloped land, which was largely vegetated by Buckthorn thickets with sparse understory, and restored them to native prairie. Once established, the prairie grasses and forbs will provide a significant improvement in water quality through the reduction and filtering of stormwater runoff.
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.