| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.78 |
| Liaison | Christa Rieck |
| Submission Date | Jan. 3, 2024 |
University of Houston
OP-22: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 2.00 |
Elizabeth
Clark Sustainability Coordinator Facilities Planning |
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:
Section 7 of the university’s Design Guidelines, "Sustainable Design," requires new building and major renovation projects to achieve LEED Silver (or better) certification. As such, major campus construction projects are encouraged to consider low-impact design strategies to mitigate storm water impacts.
For example, the University Gateway Garage completed in 2020 includes a large, attractively-landscaped “wet” pond for storm water detention. UH’s new LEED Silver Law Center completed in 2022 features a handsome lawn area surrounded by native planting beds; the lawn in fact functions as a “dry” storm water basin.
The university requires a 1:1 caliper inch replacement of any canopy trees removed as part of construction on campus. Maintaining a healthy tree canopy is an important part of rainwater management.
https://www.uh.edu/facilities-planning-construction/vendor-resources/owners-design-criteria/design-guidelines/
See Section 6 “Site and Landscape,” part 6.8.2:
Replace any trees removed due to new construction or renovation projects. Replacement trees shall match or exceed the total caliper inches and number of trees removed during construction. If space to plant a matching quantity of caliper inches and similar number of trees does not exist on the project site, then larger caliper trees may be used or replacement trees may be planted on alternate sites on campus as determined by the University Architect.
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:
From Chapter 9 in City of Houston’s regulations:
Drainage criteria administered by the City of Houston and complemented by Harris County and the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) for newly designed areas provides protection from Structural Flooding from a 100-year storm event. This is accomplished through application of various drainage enhancements, such as storm sewers, roadside ditches, open channels, detention and overland (sheet) run-off. The combined system is intended to prevent Structural Flooding from extreme events up to a 100-year storm.
Website URL where information about the institution’s green infrastructure and LID practices is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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