Beneath the University
of Iowa campus run more than 20 miles of drainage
tunnels and pipes. These storm water drains—or
storm sewers, as they’re commonly known—carry
runoff from rainfall and snowmelt, as well as sediment
from construction sites, pesticides and nutrients
from lawns, oil and grease from car leaks, and trash
such as cigarettes, paper wrappers, and plastic bottles.
And it all goes straight into the Iowa River.
“In water management, there’s sanitation
and there’s storm water,” says David
McClain, water utilities engineer in Facilities Management
who works at the University’s water plant. “Water
we use in our houses and buildings goes through a
sanitation system. But anything that goes down the
storm sewer in our streets goes straight into our
waterways, completely untreated. And it’s there
in a matter of minutes.”
Under a new UI storm water management program, McClain
hopes to increase sensitivity to how the choices
we make in our daily living ultimately affect our
waterways. He and Michael Valde, UI environmental
compliance manager, are leading an initiative that
includes marking UI storm drains with “No Dumping” tags,
coordinating stream cleanup campaigns, inspecting
storm drain outlets for unwanted and illicit or illegal
runoffs, developing UI policies to meet federal and
state environmental regulations, and providing public
education and involvement.
There are many practical ways each of us can help
prevent storm water pollution, McClain says. Among
other things, we can wash our cars at a carwash or
on the lawn and not in the driveway; redirect roof
drains to gardens or other vegetated areas; properly
dispose of all hazardous waste; minimize use of fertilizers;
and clean up after our pets.
Since May 2004, The University of Iowa has been
managing its storm sewer system under permit from
the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
program, which outlines Environmental Protection
Agency regulations on storm water management.
To learn more about storm water management, visit
www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater.
by Gary Kuhlmann
|
