learning from Successes
Boston University Parking Lot Storm Water Control Program
In 1996 Boston University launched a project that aimed to improve the quality of the Charles River – an important urban river system situated close to the University. The University chose to target their large campus parking area because it contained storm drains that took in contaminated stormwater runoff. The contaminated runoff was then being transported via the storm drains to the nearby river system, causing significant environmental damage.
Boston University needed innovative solutions to help clean up the river. They first implemented several best management practices (BMPs) to remove pollutants from the parking lot runoff before it drained into the Charles River. Their main goal was to remove silt, oil, grease and other pollutants from the runoff water and ultimately discharge cleaner water into the river.
The University then constructed several storm water control devices or ‘structural BMPs’ (including oil/water separators, water quality chambers, and grassy swales for the water to run though) and monitored their effectiveness. They found that the grassy swale systems were much better at removing pollutants than the other systems. A grassy swale is a wide, shallow channel that is heavily planted with shrubs and grasses. It is designed to attenuate runoff from nearby pavement surfaces, ensuring some pollutants settle out in the process and aren’t transported any further. Properly maintained grassy swale systems were able to remove 50% of the total suspended solids in the runoff. As a result of their efforts Boston University managed to improve the Charles River system.
For more information:
- US EPA – Best Management Practices for Colleges and Universities
- StormwaterPA – Stormwater Management: Structural BMPs
Project Headwaters: A Watershed Approach to Stormwater Management
The Pennypack Creek Watershed of Pennsylvania travels over twelve municipalities and includes a large population of around 300,000 people. In the last several decades, the watershed has undergone a significant amount of alteration due to heavy suburbanization. This has led to several environmental problems, such as increased flooding and ecological degradation. Currently, there is no coordinated stormwater management program in place.
In a battle to restore water quality and healthy streams in the watershed, an initiative entitled ‘Project Headwaters’ has been launched. Project Headwaters believes that preservation and restoration efforts should be maximized and concentrated in the upstream headwaters of the watershed, since upstream restoration efforts are believed to have the greatest affect on downstream waters. Project leaders believe that it is the headwaters that are most sensitive to disturbance and pollution. By concentrating efforts upstream, project leaders believe they have a better shot of making a difference downstream.
Project Headwaters is hoping to carry out 20 to 30 priority projects over the next five years. All projects are expected to implement a number of different BMPs throughout the headwaters region. An initial project, started in 2007, used the BMPs of riparian buffer restoration and reforestation in hopes of restoring the water quality and stream health of the region.
A riparian buffer is a special region of trees and shrubs bordering a stream. These riparian woodlands are very important because they provide many ecological and water quality benefits to stream waters and habitats. Restoration of a degraded buffer zone is a BMP that attempts to reintroduce the benefits that come with a healthy, functioning buffer zone. Some of the benefits that are expected from riparian buffer restoration in the Pennypack Creek Watershed are a stabilization of the streambank, a reduction in pollutants, better water quality, improved habitats for aquatic life, as well as increased filtration of stormwater pollutants.
More information: