Water Quality Restoration and Reduction of Stormwater Runoff via BMP installation inGreens Mill Run Watershed: PTRF Subcontract Grant uri icon

abstract

  • This proposal seeks to implement five bioretention cells (BRCs), or rain gardens, on ECU?s campus. Candidate locations have been identified and the design phase (including sizing) of these stormwater control measures has begun. Twenty sites initially were considered for BRC installations, but were reduced to nine due to preference of campus facilities, construction feasibility, presence of subterranean electrical utilities, shallow water table, and clay dominated soil profiles. The nine remaining locations that are currently being considered would receive and treat stormwater runoff from contributing areas dominated by impervious surfaces (e.g. parking lots, roof tops). Installing BRCs should reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loadings and stormwater volumes contributed to Green Mill Run (GMR) and the Tar River. Preliminary modeling estimates that installing BRCs on the ECU campus will reduce stormwater volumes, sediment, and nutrient loadings from impervious areas on ECU?s main campus to GMR and the Tar-Pamlico River. To evaluate the total reductions, each BRC will be monitored over the course of 12 months. Inflows and outflows rates will be measured using a combination of water level sensors and flow measurement structures. Faculty will oversee and manage sample collection and data downloading, but will be completed by properly trained graduate and/or undergraduate students. Water quality samples will be preserved as necessary and delivered to the ECU Central Environmental Lab (CEL). Water quality samples will be analyzed for at least three events occurring within four three-month time frames, to ensure evaluate seasonal variation.

date/time interval

  • January 2014 - December 2017