Comprehensive Review of Stormwater Management Practices Across Public Universities in the Mid-Atlantic Region
Image credit: AGU WaterSciConAbstract
Stormwater runoff and subsequent impacts, like urban flooding and water pollution, directly affect watershed hydrology and are exacerbated by rapid urbanization, climate change, and aging infrastructure. The effectiveness of stormwater management practices has been primarily studied on public land owned by municipalities or other local, state, or federal government entities subject to stormwater regulations. Public universities are subject to the same environmental regulations as municipalities, but there are fewer studies that evaluate stormwater management approaches and overall hydrologic impact of large university campuses. To address this, we conducted semi-structured interviews with university personnel and reviewed publicly available reports and stormwater management plans from 9 member institutions of the Universities Council on Water Resources (UCOWR) in the mid-Atlantic region. Here, we present data from this comprehensive review and highlight the logistical and technical challenges associated with understanding the variation in organizational structure and bridging hydrology and policy across universities. This research will lay the groundwork for additional investigations of stormwater management practices on university campuses with a focus on regional-scale impacts.
Rachel Zobel
PhD Candidate
