| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 67.34 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Andrews |
| Submission Date | July 29, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of New Hampshire
OP-27: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Paul
Chamberlin Associate Vice President for Facilities Facilities |
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 New Hampshire has developed a Storm Water Management Plan that encompasses six components:
* Public Education and Outreach
* Public Participation / Involvement
* Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
* Construction Site Runoff Control
* Post-Construction Runoff Control
* Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping
UNH and the New Hampshire Seacoast Storm Water Coalition have written Guidelines and Standard Operation Procedures for Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping.
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 University of New Hampshire (UNH) has developed a Storm Water Management Plan, Storm Water Management Pamphlet and a Storm Water Sewer System Map to help prevent potential contamination of stormwater runoff. (Storm water runoff is defined as rain, snow melt, or other sources of precipitation that does not infiltrate into the soil and runs off the land. Storm water management practices are used to delay, capture, store, treat, or infiltrate stormwater runoff.)
The current EPA MS4 stormwater permit for NH (issued 2003) is scheduled to be replaced with a new 5 year permit. The draft of the proposed new permit can be viewed at: www.epa.gov/NE/npdes/stormwater/MS4_2008_NH.html.
The UNH Storm Water Management Program comprises six elements (called Minimum Control Measures or MCMs. Minimum Control Measures are listed in the reports section of the archives under New Hampshire-University of New Hampshire) that, when implemented in concert over the next five years, are expected to result in significant reductions of non-point pollutants discharged into Great Bay. These six elements include:
Public Education and Outreach
Public Participation / Involvement
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination
Construction Site Runoff Control
Post-Construction Runoff Control
Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping
UNH and the New Hampshire Seacoast Storm Water Coalition have written Guidelines and Standard Operation Procedures for Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination, Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping. This document can be found on the State of New Hampshire's Department of Environmental Services website at des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/stormwater/categories/publications.htm and on the UNH website at www.unh.edu/facilities/images/stormwater/NH_IDDE_SOP.pdf.
A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
Rainwater is used on the rooftop gardens at Holloway Commons and James Hall.
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:
The completed 2009 renovation of James Hall, designed and constructed in pursuit of LEED Silver Certification, included the implementation of a "green" roof. The rooftop plantings will help to clean and conserve water.
A brief description of any porous (i.e. permeable) paving employed by the institution:
The Stormwater Center at the University of New Hampshire has utilized a portion of the West Edge parking lot to study porous asphalt in order to provide technology demonstrations and workshops. The pervious concrete parking facility installed in 2007 adjacent to Williamson Hall was the first of its kind in New England. The project is overseen by researchers at the UNH Stormwater Research Center, who are studying its effectiveness as a stormwater management tool. In addition, the UNHSC was instrumental in implementing the first porous asphalt road in the state of New Hampshire (more here: http://www.unh.edu/news/cj_nr/2009/dec/bp07storm.cfm).
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:
A retention pond system can be observed on the periphery of the West Edge parking lot, the largest parking lot on the UNH campus. The retention pond is utilized by the Stormwater Center to study its effectiveness in removing pollutants from stormwater runoff.
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:
James Hall features a gray water system that captures rainwater from the building’s roof and gutters for use in toilets and urinals, thus decreasing the amount of precipitation that would otherwise reach surrounding impervious surfaces.
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.