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Stormwater may seem like a mundane aspect of designing campus infrastructure, but it holds an essential key to transforming educational institutions into models of sustainability. Effective stormwater management turns a potential environmental challenge into multifaceted assets – lush rain gardens, serene retention ponds, vibrant bioswales – and, when seamlessly integrated into a campus landscape, can enhance the topography while safeguarding the environment.

Changing climate patterns and urbanization make stormwater management critical to creating sustainable campus environments, and colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to adopt and showcase such innovative practices. These institutions are often seen as leaders in sustainability, with the ability to influence public opinion and set trends for communities and cities to follow. By implementing advanced stormwater strategies, campuses can turn potential problems into powerful opportunities, setting a standard for environmental responsibility that resonates far beyond their borders. By harnessing natural processes and integrating green infrastructure, educational institutions can create multifunctional spaces that provide ecological, social and economic benefits. These practices help manage water resources and enhance the campus landscapes’ aesthetic and recreational value, making them more inviting and engaging for students, faculty and visitors.

By integrating green infrastructure and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, colleges and universities can implement effective stormwater management solutions that benefit both the environment and the campus community. As we explore the importance of stormwater management in campus planning, we'll delve into several inventive practices being implemented and highlight the significant benefits these strategies bring to educational institutions' broader sustainability goals. The advantages of well-designed stormwater systems are myriad, from regulatory compliance and flood prevention to enhancing biodiversity and creating educational opportunities.

Stormwater Management 101

Stormwater management is essential in the planning and design of campuses. When rain falls, the water either infiltrates the ground, is absorbed by vegetation or runs off impervious surfaces such as roofs, roads and sidewalks. In undeveloped natural landscapes, most rainfall is absorbed into the ground, replenishing groundwater supplies and supporting plant life. In developed areas with extensive impervious surfaces, however, rainwater can't infiltrate the ground as easily, leading to increased runoff rates and volumes. This can cause flooding, erosion and pollution as the runoff picks up contaminants like oils, chemicals and debris on its way to downstream rivers, lakes and other water bodies.

To mitigate these issues, stormwater management employs various strategies and technologies designed to capture, treat and manage runoff. These techniques include everything from rain gardens, bioswales and permeable pavements, which allow water to percolate into the soil, mimicking natural processes. Additionally, engineered systems such as detention basins, retention ponds and constructed wetlands store and treat stormwater, gradually releasing it into the environment or reusing it for irrigation and other non-potable purposes. By integrating these systems into landscape design, institutions can create multifunctional spaces that provide recreational opportunities, support wildlife habitats and foster a connection to the natural environment. This holistic approach addresses the immediate challenges of water management and contributes to broader sustainability goals by promoting green spaces and resilient urban ecosystems.

The Case for Stormwater Management in Campus Planning

By prioritizing stormwater management in campus planning, institutions can create resilient, sustainable environments that support their educational missions and serve as models of environmental stewardship. In working with colleges and universities, we emphasize a few key considerations to enforce the importance of effective stormwater management:

• First, regulatory requirements often drive the need for meticulous stormwater planning. Federal, state and local regulations frequently require the development of comprehensive stormwater management plans that address the quality and quantity of runoff. These regulations ensure that campuses take necessary measures to prevent pollution, manage flood risks and maintain the health of surrounding water bodies.

• Second, as climate conditions change, campuses must adapt their infrastructure to handle increased rainfall and more frequent extreme weather events to prevent damage to properties and infrastructure downstream. Incorporating resilient stormwater management practices is essential for long-term sustainability, and green infrastructure solutions help to slow, capture and infiltrate rainwater, reducing the burden on traditional storm sewer systems and mimicking natural hydrological processes.

Beyond their functional benefits, well-designed stormwater management systems can enhance campus aesthetics, creating beautiful and functional open spaces that attract students and visitors while serving as educational tools. Likewise, using native landscape materials and harvesting rainwater reduces irrigation needs and overall water demand. Newer technologies such as bioswales and bioretention cells enhance the landscape by creating natural habitats and aesthetically pleasing environments. These systems are designed to filter rainfall using plant materials and layers of engineered soils to clean runoff, reduce peak flow rates and provide valuable green space for campus communities. This has represented a shift towards more sustainable, nature-inspired solutions that benefit both the environment and those using the spaces. In addition, future technologies promise to revolutionize stormwater management with advances in materials, data analytics and predictive modeling to enable more efficient and adaptive systems.

While space constraints and existing utilities can pose significant challenges in designing stormwater systems, early integration of stormwater goals into the design process allows for coordinated solutions that address these challenges and emphasize the importance of collaboration between landscape architects and engineers. Engineers assess system capacities and provide sizing for stormwater features, confirming they can handle expected runoff volumes, while landscape architects play a crucial role in integrating these elements into the overall site design, integrating stormwater management systems that are both functional and visually appealing. Though these systems aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, by working collaboratively across disciplines and considering stormwater management from the earliest planning and design stages, campuses can create an approach that blends functionality with aesthetics, resulting in more cohesive and effective solutions.

Real-World Successes in Stormwater Management

Examining real-world applications of stormwater management practices provides valuable insights into their effectiveness and potential benefits. Below, we look at several case studies that illustrate how early involvement in the design process and innovative stormwater management solutions have been successfully implemented, demonstrating both environmental and economic advantages.

Des Moines University

Set across 88 acres of the West Des Moines Innovation Corridor, the new Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences campus is a premier destination for students, faculty and staff. »Æ¹ÏÉçÇø's design for the campus takes direction from the site's natural beauty and diverse physical characteristics, building on the concept of "the edge of advancement" to create an innovative, iconic campus that reflects DMU's values, respects the land, connects to the community and offers an inclusive, intuitive environment. The new campus opened in 2023, the year that also marked DMU's 125th anniversary.

To manage stormwater effectively, »Æ¹ÏÉçÇø worked with DMU to integrate bioswales into the new campus design, to convey water from the campus to ponds and wetlands. This innovative approach reduced the need for extensive storm pipes and the import of earth-fill material, saving approximately $1.5 million, or 6% of total site costs. Additionally, much of the campus is being restored to native prairie and savanna landscapes, which helps manage rainwater naturally and reduces the impact on developed areas during significant rain events.

This approach provided economic benefits and enhanced the campus's environmental sustainability by creating natural habitats and improving the aesthetic value of the landscape. Collectively, these approaches are expected to reduce stormwater runoff volumes by about 8 million gallons each year, while reducing expected pollutant levels in runoff by the following amounts:

• Total suspended solids (TSS): 94%

• Total phosphorus (TP): 78%

• Total nitrogen (TN): 40%

A key element of DMU’s stormwater management success was early engagement in the project, well before it had entered its design development and construction phases. Because stormwater solutions were discussed and incorporated at the start of design, we avoided retroactively updating site elements, ultimately allowing the project to move forward more quickly and efficiently.

Western Technical College

In partnership with »Æ¹ÏÉçÇø and the City of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Western Technical College has made significant campus improvements over the last two decades. One notable project involved replacing an under-utilized and outdated pedestrian corridor with a courtyard that integrates functional and beautiful pathways for students, faculty, staff and community members, connecting them to their campus destinations.

The courtyard connects people to nature by embracing an indigenous ecotype of the region, the tamarack bog, part of the Driftless Area biome of southwest Wisconsin. The new outdoor area and walkway combine a unique blend of native plants, indigenous materials and open spaces to create a "campus sponge" and a living laboratory that teaches students about their local natural environment. The design includes stormwater management best practices, such as bioretention cells, stormwater planters, permeable pavements and a rainwater harvesting system. These practices remove more than 640 pounds of sediment annually, resulting in a 25% reduction in runoff rates for the 10-year storm and more than 1.6 million gallons of water infiltrated annually.

By meeting water quality and quantity requirements, these improvements not only create inviting spaces for students but also conserve significant water, saving millions of gallons from being discharged into the city storm system. Using endemic materials that integrate hints of the surrounding landscape and considering sustainability as the predominant factor in the design, this project creates spaces that allow users to engage with and benefit from the landscape.

Examining successful case studies like those at Des Moines University and Western Technical College illustrate how integrating green infrastructure and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration can lead to significant economic, environmental and educational benefits. These examples underscore the importance of early and comprehensive planning in creating resilient and sustainable campus environments and demonstrate how, by embracing innovative stormwater solutions and prioritizing sustainability, colleges and universities across the country can inspire future generations to value and protect our natural resources.

Parting Thoughts

As campuses evolve to meet the demands of modern education and sustainability, the significance of stormwater management will only grow. This raises critical questions: How can we balance the need for development with the imperative to protect our environment? What lessons can be learned from pioneering institutions to help others follow suit? And how can we engage students and faculty in the ongoing quest for innovative and effective stormwater solutions? These considerations will guide us toward a future where every drop of rainwater contributes to a healthier, more sustainable world.