Purdue University
OP-23: Stormwater Management

Purdue University maintains a cooperative Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) permit (2011) with the Tippecanoe Partnership for Water Quality (TCPWQ) in accordance with Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) requirements. A campus-specific, comprehensive stormwater management ordinance can be accessed online (URL below). This includes guidance for construction and post-construction Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPP), which Purdue actively maintains for campus construction sites greater than 0.5 acres. To support this, Purdue Physical Facilities maintains a Consultant’s Handbook that includes a Stormwater Technical Standards Manual and list of post-construction Best Management Practices (BMPs). Purdue’s Campus-Wide Sustainable Stormwater Modification Design (Nov. 2009) identified opportunities to implement stormwater measures that reduce runoff, improve water quality, and maintain groundwater recharge. This included retrofits in areas such as streetscapes, existing program areas, and buildings to sustain and improve campus water resources.

 Living or vegetated roofs - The student-led, Boiler Green Initiative (BGI) received a grant from Indiana State Farm to build Purdue University’s first green roof (also the first green roof in Tippecanoe County). Constructed in 2009, the Schleman Hall Green Roof Project retrofitted an existing 1,750 square foot roof with an extensive, modular system. The project was designed to improve Schleman Hall’s environmental footprint and aesthetic presence while introducing sustainable construction practices to students and the community. The installation acts as a ‘living laboratory’ for a variety of studies on green roof technologies and impacts, including energy efficiency, insect population response, and stormwater capture-treatment.

A second, much larger green roof project (approximately 6,000 square feet) was initiated in March 2012 when the opportunity arose for necessary roof replacement on the Civil Engineering Building. This provides a space for students to collaboratively develop new methods for green roof evaluation and research. Examples of such work include: analysis of roof structure heat loads via selected pavers and plant media and an investigation of energy-efficiency technologies, as well as quantification of rainwater collection system runoff reduction. Slated for completion this Fall (2012), green roof design is available online at:
https://engineering.purdue.edu/CESAC/projects/greenroof.html

Porous asphalt was first installed on Horticulture Service Drive in 2007; it was later installed along Beering Drive and the band practice field. Pervious concrete was installed more extensively in parking lots (north of the Armory, Marriott Hall and at the intersection of Third and Russell streets). Purdue has become a local leader in pervious pavement installation, providing tours and ‘lessons learned’ as part of a continuing education program for civil engineers and contractors.

One of the most successful uses of permeable pavement can be observed in the integrated design of the Black Cultural Center (BCC) parking lot. Pavement was used in the parking stalls of the lot to infiltrate runoff, and the parking lot was graded to direct runoff towards a central bioswale surrounded by impervious concrete pavement. This design redirected debris and particulates, which would have otherwise clogged the porous surfaces. Excess runoff was then directed into another bioswale at the north end of the parking lot.

Vegetative bioswales have been similarly integrated on the grounds of Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts, Bindley Bioscience Center, Ross-Ade Stadium, Mollenkopf Athletic Center and the Armory parking lot. Pao Hall landscaping epitomizes economical, attractive vegetative alternatives to curbs and gutters. Blocks of dense, native grasses and forbes are surrounded by cultivated shrubs and trees that flow seamlessly into the traditional campus landscape. Additionally, the number of rain gardens and infiltration beds continues to increase from year to year. The first rain garden was installed at the Hillel House in 2010 by the BGI, and rain gardens have been integrated into multi-use path and roadway development. Additional rain gardens are in the planning stages near the Horticulture Building. Infiltration beds have been installed beneath the football practice fields, in Stadium Mall and in sections of the Neil Armstrong Hall parking lot.