Week 2

As we continue to move forward on the project, I'm often amazed when I see the work that MUM students have already contributed. The seven sites that we are currently looking at are all areas researched and surveyed by students. Of all the "trouble sites" around campus, why these? How were these seven sites picked? 

MUM students from the Water Club and February's Water class performed a RASCAL study. They inventoried storm drains on campus and surrounding urban areas. The MUM Stormwater committee, with technical support from an independent consultant and a representative from NRCS, put together a preliminary plan to remedy the trouble sites they found around campus. This plan takes both future campus development and those areas with issues into consideration. 

Sites as far upstream as possible were targeted as areas of opportunity for this project. In a study performed by students during a course primarily targeting the Crow Creek project, students worked with topographic maps and rainfall data to subdivide the MUM campus into basins. A basin is a wide, flat area that intercepts rainfall. It was assumed that 10% of this rainfall is infiltrated while the remaining 90% was considered runoff. The basins give an idea of rainfall flow from  one basins to the next all the way down to the creek. Since the best areas to implement green infrastructure are areas that are flat and furthest upstream, the students used this criteria to prioritize the basins. They also calculated offsite and onsite runoff, and did a rough estimate of green infrastructure acreage needed within each basin to capture and infiltrate runoff.

The two images below of North Campus and South Campus are both created by students. The amount of detail and the information included is phenomenal. Both drawings show different elevations and how the basins are distinguished. Perhaps most importantly, they also show the direction of the flow of water. Now, as we meet to discuss which sites will be tackled first and what areas can benefit the most from the grant, we are able to see just how valuable these student contributions are. 

Site 3, as mentioned last week, is situated in a location that has a high elevation and therefore farther upstream than some of the other sites. It only makes sense that it would be chosen as one of our top priorities. The design that will eventually be implemented--perhaps one that makes use of a rain garden--will help filter and absorb excess water at the highest point before it even reaches the creek itself. The goal is to target sites like this in the other basins to have a system that is wholistic in its approach while maintaining efficiency and sustainability.

So what exactly is a rain garden? A rain garden is basically a shallow bowl dug out of the landscape to capture rain/runoff from driveways, rooftops, streets, yards, and--yes, even parking lots. This bowl is level throughout and temporarily holds or "ponds" the rainwater. The rain garden allows the water to efficiently infiltrate into the soil, ensuring that it never makes it to a storm drain. So not only are rain gardens a good choice for managing rainfall, but also for protecting the quality of our water. 

This week also presented the opportunity to learn more about documents commonly used in large projects. One of the most important documents included in a project like this is the Memorandum of Understanding.

An MOU is like one of the first steps in a formal contract. It outlines what each party agrees to "deliver" and is recognized in court should one party fail to meet his/her obligations. This is an incredibly important document for our project and is necessary in order for us to move forward. Additional clarification detailing what MUM's deliverables are should arrive in the coming days.