| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.35 |
| Liaison | Christa Rieck |
| Submission Date | Nov. 23, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Houston
OP-27: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
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:
The University of Houston is not classified as an industrial facility and does not currently have its own storm-water permit. Industrial facilities typically have part of their operations outside and generally have specific storm-water permits. However, the EPA also identified certain categories of activities, including construction, and mandated that storm water discharges from these activities were unlawful without a permit. Since the University does not have an individual storm water permit for construction site activities, it follows the requirements of the TCEQ General Permit TXR150000 for Storm Water Discharges from Construction Sites.
In addition, local municipal separate storm sewers (MS4s) operators that serve populations of 100,000 people or more were established to locally administer the permit program. The role of the MS4s is to reduce the discharge of pollutants from construction activities as much as possible by management practices, control techniques and engineering methods. The University currently follows the storm water management guidelines as set forth by the City of Houston, which is our MS4. The City joined with Harris County, Harris County Flood Control District, and the Texas Department of Transportation to form a joint task force called Clean Water Clear Choice, and they collectively secured a regional storm-water permit. In the future, this may change as more categories of storm-water permits are phased in by the EPA, and the University may elect to seek its own storm-water permit.
The storm-water management checklist for construction: http://www.uh.edu/ehls/environmental/water/checklist/
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:
A rainwater design guideline is currently being explored, which would be incorporated in the university's environmentally responsible design guidelines.
A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
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:
A brief description of any living or vegetated roofs on campus:
There is one green roof on campus at the Burdette Keeland Jr. Design and Exploration Center. It is approximately 1,700 sf.
A brief description of any porous (i.e. permeable) paving employed by the institution:
A brief description of any downspout disconnection employed by the institution:
A brief description of any rain gardens on campus:
A brief description of any stormwater retention and/or detention ponds employed by the institution:
There are two (2) detention ponds on campus. One is approx. 10,700 sf and 8 feet deep. The other is approx. 3,800 sf and 6 feet deep.
A brief description of any bioswales on campus (vegetated, compost or stone):
A brief description of any other rainwater management technologies or strategies employed by the institution:
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.