Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2012NH168B

James Hall Vegetated Roof Nutrient Removal Efficiency and Hydrologic Response

Institute: New Hampshire
Year Established: 2012 Start Date: 2012-03-01 End Date: 2014-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $14,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $35,034

Principal Investigators: Robert Roseen, Thomas Ballestero

Project Summary: We propose to examine the comparison between water quality and hydrologic performance of a EPDM rubber flat and vegetated roof. Currently, vegetated roofs are not widely used within New England as a common stormwater Best Management Practice (BMP). However, the incorporation of vegetated roofs into a region’s stormwater management plan may be an efficient method of managing flooding issues and reducing nutrient loading to already impacted surfaces waters. This information will be extrapolated to a build-out analysis for the City of Portsmouth to examine potential benefits. The information gathered will be unique for its location in a semi-humid temperate location in coastal New Hampshire. Understanding BMP effectiveness in this climate is especially important with the current need to better understand how non-point source pollution is affecting the Great Bay. The intent of this research is to explore the role that vegetated roofs can play in the mitigation of nutrient loading within a cold climate.