| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.39 |
| Liaison | Margo Margo Nottoli |
| Submission Date | Aug. 24, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Warren Wilson College
OP-27: Rainwater Management
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Alison
Climo Director of Institutional Effectiveness Institutional Effectiveness |
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:
While the institution does not have any official policies on stormwater treatment, we do install stormwater management systems when new construction is done on campus. All developments in the past 14 years have been accompanied by some sort of stormwater management. Additionally, current stormwater treatment systems are maintained so that they are properly functioning.
The College does have a strategy to reduce stormwater runoff that has been developed as a student's final GIS project.
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 largest concern in terms of rainwater run off at Warren Wilson is ammonia running off the farm and into the Swannanoa River. To fix this concern Warren Wilson has built a trench which rainwater from the farm will peculate through. The trench is designed to convert ammonia into Nitrate and Nitrite, which are less harmful to the river ecosystem.
A brief description of any rainwater harvesting employed by the institution:
Both Ecodorm and Morse Science Building have rain water collection installed.
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 campus has one vegetated roof on a cob house used for composting. It is an approximately 265 SF living roof installed by Living Roofs Inc of Asheville, NC. Living Roofs employed GO (Green Opportunities) to assist them with the installation. We chose Sedums as our vegetation for the roof. The installation included waterproofing membrane, root barrier, drain mat, water retention fleece, 4" of lightweight growing medium, and the sedums.
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:
Warren Wilson has a total of 9 retention ponds, both wet and dry, intended to decrease the velocity of runoff water as well as allow for solids to settle out. Two of these retention ponds have engineered soil designed specifically to remove trace metals and other toxins from the runoff. As the runoff drains out of the retention ponds, it travels through a perforated pipe, which allows the water to leave the pond at a low velocity.
A brief description of any bioswales on campus (vegetated, compost or stone):
The institution has 4 vegetated swales designed to reduce water velocity and allows for sediment settling. These swales are earthen berm level spreaders.
A brief description of any other rainwater management technologies or strategies employed by the institution:
One of the dorms on campus harvests rainwater from its roof and stores it in a 10,000 gallon underground railroad car. This water is used for toilets in the dorm as well as watering the garden in front of the dorm. By using this water, as opposed to letting it wash away, many of the detrimental effects that runoff has are eliminated.
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.