Texas A&M University
OP-27: Rainwater Management

Engineering - The Texas A&M campus is approximately 5000 acres. On the east side of campus, stormwater issues were handled in the mid-90s through the use of retention ponds and vaults. At that time the University planned for projected increases in construction. Along with this, buildings built within the past eight years have included a stormwater collection system to allow the water to be used later for irrigation. Most current work for stormwater over the past several years has been on the west side of campus. This includes repair of creek banks and the addition of energy dissipaters. There is also a current requirement for structures built on this side of campus to design so as not to add to the velocity of water. This has been accomplished with the use of stormwater collection and detention ponds. Education - Texas A&M has partnered with the local city governments, county, and Texas Department of Transportation to bring a unified message about stormwater protection to the public. This has been accomplished through multiple media outlets (television, radio, newspapers, fliers, etc). The group also takes its message to local schools assisting with educating children about pollution and stormwater. Texas A&M also placed stormwater markers at each inlet to remind individuals that only stormwater is allowed down storm drains. Each marker provides the effected stream. The University also has a volunteer program in which staff and students spend a Saturday once per year cleaning a creek bank. This past year 127 volunteers removed 115 bags of trash from creek banks. Texas A&M also has an inspection program for all new construction. At least every 14 days the University inspects the sites for new construction. This takes place from ground breaking until the soil is stabilized. Service - Texas A&M has an annual Stream Clean event. We take this opportunity to continue education and to remove pollution and debris from streams affected by our stormwater. The service event is a cooperative effort between students, staff, industry partners, and professional organizations. Inspection - All outfalls are inspected twice per year. All construction sites are inspected by the University at least every 14 days. These inspections involve a complete site walk through. Construction companies are required to take corrective actions in a timely manner or risk having the site closed.

The management plan divides the campus with a goal of reducing the impact of stormwater on the local MS4s and reducing the impact on the water bodies that the water leaves through. Most new construction on major facilities take advantage of cisterns to reduce the effect of stormwater from the new development. On the east side of campus, a large detention area was created in the late 90's to accommodate growth and slow the rate at which stormwater enters the College Station MS4. Most of the stormwater on the west side of campus flows to White Creek. On that portion of campus, each new construction has to individually accommodate the increase flow of stormwater. This is generally done with some combination of cisterns, detention, and swales. There is also a planned green space in this area. The space is to serve a few functions. It will provide a park on the riparian area of the creek, provide a route to traverse the creek, repair the creek from stormwater damage, and slow the flow of water through the creek with a system of energy dissipater to reduce stormwater effects downstream.

New building construction that is managed by the University has a rainwater and condensation collection system. This water is used to supply irrigation around the building.

The University currently has one roof-top garden. Irrigation for the garden is in part accomplished through the use of a cistern that collects water from rain and condensate. The green roof is an experimental testing site to determine which plants are most suited for the tough conditions in College Station, TX. See more: http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2012/12/10/green-roof-project/

The Agriculture and Life Sciences Complex architect, Kirksey Architecture of Houston, is ranked number one in the category “Largest Houston Area Green Architects” by the Houston Business Journal. The new Agriculture and Life Sciences buildings are built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard. A two-story canopy runs parallel to the Agriculture and Life Sciences Building, creating shade, and forming an impressive structure and the largest of the building’s green features. The pillars of the canopy are actually four 9,000–gallon water cisterns. Roof runoff and rainwater will drain into a 40,000–gallon underground tank, and will be used for irrigating landscaping around the complex.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is part of the Texas A&M University System. Our mission is to improve the lives of people, businesses, and communities across Texas and beyond through high quality, relevant education. Perhaps the most critical part of every Texan’s life is available and affordable access to a clean and ample supply of water. Water is life. Holistic Garden, Texas A&M Last Updated by AgriLife on Jan 25, 2012 Location Holistic Garden Horticulture Street Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 Capacity: 1,200 gallons Catchment Area: 256 square feet Demand: Garden Irrigation This rainwater system collects rainfall off a shed in the Horticulture Department's Holistic Garden, which is adjacent to the Horticulture Building. The metal roof structure, with 256 square feet of catchment area, directs water from both sides to first flush diverters before going into the tank. The green, poly tank is 1,200 gallons and set on a wooden platform that is supported by bricks. The water is then pumped to irrigate vegetables and other plants via drip lines in the garden. Horticulture Garden, Texas A&M Last Updated by AgriLife on Jan 25, 2012 Horticulture Garden Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 Capacity: 3000 gallons Catchment area: 900 square feet Demand: Research This system collects rainfall off half of an office building next to the horticulture gardens. The water is fed directly into the storage, which is a 3000 gallon black, poly tank. The water is pumped and mixed with municipal water to test the effectiveness of mixing on irrigation. The water is being used on current research. See more: http://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu/raingardens/

The institution has numerous detention ponds. There is one large pond on the front (east side) of campus. The area gives the appearance of a large grass field. There is a wet detention pond in the center of campus. These two ponds service much of the water leaving the University and entering into the College Station MS4. On the west side of campus, there are several small retention ponds associated with construction in the past ten years. Each of these ponds are dry with a grass bed.

The Agriculture and Life Sciences Complex architect, Kirksey Architecture of Houston, is ranked number one in the category “Largest Houston Area Green Architects” by the Houston Business Journal. The new Agriculture and Life Sciences buildings are built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard. Located at the back of the complex, a gently sloping landscape element called a bioswale will help clean silt and pollutants from surface runoff water before it flows to a storm sewer. We have an earthen swale that runs north on the west side of Finfeather Road. It ends with a concrete runner pad.