Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2013DC152B

Stormwater Quality Management with Green Infrastructure: Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue

Institute: District of Columbia
Year Established: 2013 Start Date: 2013-03-01 End Date: 2014-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $15,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $146,780

Principal Investigators: Charles Glass

Project Summary: The Howard University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering is monitoring stormwater as it enters and leaves various stormwater treatment devices along Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, in NE Washington D.C. for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). The Howard University team is led by Dr. Charles Glass and consists of graduate and undergraduate students receiving training in Environmental Engineering. Dr. Glass is responsible for all facets of the project including day to day project management and quality assurance (QA). The Masters students perform all of the sampling and analysis of the stormwater in the laboratory. This project is designed to examine the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) to retain stormwater pollutants from runoff over impervious surfaces. The federal government and local government agencies have funded, and/or partnered with other organizations funded, the construction of many bioretention cells, sand filters, and other BMPs for the prevention of stormwater contaminated runoff in Washington D.C. in an effort to prevent the further degradation of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, as well as Rock Creek. There is a need to further understand how these BMPs are performing, which are the most effective, and if design improvements are possible for future BMP installations. The funding for this project began in October 2011 and is expected to extend through September 2013. The added support from DCWRRI the project could be extended through February 2014 and support the graduate student through the completion of their degree. This project is designed to address the needs of DDOT to evaluate the impact of stormwater pollution from runoff from pervious surfaces and the effectiveness of LID devices to mitigate those impacts. Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), the government is tasked to utilize best management practices (BMPs) to substantially minimize pollution transport from stormwater runoff. The purpose of this grant is to assist DDOT in developing an institutional framework and action plan to restore urban watersheds through the use of GHI principals and LID while revitalizing an urban arterial. The Howard University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will monitor three water quality BMP structures constructed by DDOT as a part of the overall Project. The locations for these structures have been identified by DDOT and sampling began in the summer of 2012. The sampling and monitoring of approved BMPs is performed in accordance to the 40 CFR 122.26 (d)(2)(iii).