Creating a Sustainable Future at Penn State

Transcription

1 Creating a Sustainable Future at Penn State Philadelphia Low Impact Development Symposium September 27, 2011 Larry Fennessey

2 The University has a holistic approach to stormwater and wastewater management, as well as potable source water protection The following presentation will focus on the University's water resource efforts of continual improvement for a sustainable strategy

3 The University holds dozens of water quality permits for each of its systems in 5 of the major state basins, including 11 small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permits CAMPUS LOCATIONS WITH PSU OWNED WATER SUPPLIES CAMPUS LOCATIONS CAMPUS LOCATIONS WITH MS4 PERMITS CAMPUS LOCATIONS WITH PSU OWNED SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED

4 At University Park, the University has about 460 acres of imperviousness in the main campus area

5 The University Park Campus stormwater management system is valued at over $100 M and includes over 73 miles of storm drains ranging in size from 6 to 72 in diameter

6 At University Park, the University has its own wastewater treatment plant that was first constructed in 1913

7 The wastewater treatment plant includes a land treatment area (606 acres), which has discharged no effluent to surface waters for the last three decades, instead recharging the treated effluent in the Big Hollow

8 At University Park, the University is its own potable water purveyor with two production well fields and supplies over one billion gallons annually to 50,000 customers

9 The University Park Campus is divided between the Big Hollow and Thompson Run/Slab Cabin watersheds, which are significantly different from a hydrologic perspective Big Hollow Spring Creek Slab Cabin Thompson Run Walnut Run

10 Data show that there has been no loss of baseflow or increase of annual peak runoff rates in the watershed over the last 60 years

11 The University uses these hydrologic characteristics for the control and treatment of the entire water resources system

12 Most of the University s developed land areas are within four major drainage basins, which are managed differently based on the local soils, geology, and stream classification Qp Vol WQ Qp Vol WQ Primarily Downstream Control Qp WQ

13 OPP has instituted an extensive surface water monitoring project with over 25 permanent gages, which collect continuous data at 5 to 15 minute intervals

14 The University has established a Water Resources Preservation land use classification for approximately 455 acres of its land at University Park

15 Several hundred million gallons annually of off-site surface runoff drain into the University s protected area of the Big Hollow where it s recharged From a stormwater management perspective, the University promotes foremost the use of conservation design practices that preserve and use natural critical hydrologic areas

16 The artificial injection of surface runoff into subsoil is not used or promoted by the University and recharge areas are kept away from infrastructure

17 The University owns six (6) regulatory dams located in three different counties and 24 stormwater management surface ponds

18 Almost all are gaged and the University modifies existing ponds using the gaged data Phase I modifications to the foods pond resulted in the 2-yr peak discharge being reduced by over an order of magnitude We design these facilities using our own computational methods and then check they also meet regulatory requirements

19 The University owns 30 subsurface detention facilities to reduce peak runoff rates and filter trash

20 The University replaced three of these systems in the last two years to improve their performance and 15 more are being gaged

21 The University also monitors temperature and water quality Long term findings indicate pollutants loads are very low Q/T Q/T T T Q/T T

22 The University has numerous facilities (structural and nonstructural) to protect surface water quality

23 The University has numerous bioswales and rain gardens throughout campus, some are lined and some are unlined

24 The University currently has seven (7) buildings with green roofs, with a total coverage of 2.2 acres

25 "It is likely that water quality in Spring Creek is better now than it has been since 1900 Dr. Robert Carline, PFBC TR# 1, 2011

26 Summary University data are available on line at:

27 Questions?