Surface water refers to rainwater and other sources of water that flow within and through the campus environment, with the most prevalent source being rainfall. Integrated management refers to addressing water concerns early in the design process so as to be treated as a resource and form-giver, rather than a problem to be engineered around at the end of a project. It means combining large scale storm issues with site scale water harvesting strategies, and it means fully integrating water issues within the building and landscape designs so that harvested water may be used to sustain landscape in place of potable water. It means designing the campus environment to incorporate large volumes of water while also meeting a myriad of other functions characteristic of an urban campus environment.
Integrated surface water management is accomplished via ongoing collaboration between faculty, students, and staff as a part of the University's Surface Water Working Group (SWWG), a campus hub of activity related to promotion and implementation of water harvesting and other surface water issues.
The Surface Water Working Group (SWWG) was formed in 2004 and works to ensure that surface water on the UA campus is managed in a safe, efficient, comprehensive and environmentally sound way. Surface water includes but is not limited to storm water drainage, water harvesting and other surface water discharges.
Accomplishments of SWWG include: supported a new water harvesting course and provided field guidance and logistical support for student water harvesting projects; provides water harvesting and storm water mitigation leadership through design and construction project reviews; designed surface water Design and Specification Standards (DSS) for use in reviewing design and construction projects; addresses existing problems in a case-by-case basis; is working on a Surface Water Master Implementation Plan; supports ADEQ water quality regulation compliance via the Storm Water Master Plan.
Involved departments include: Facilities Management; Risk Management & Safety; Facilities Design & Construction; Campus & Facilities Planning; Soil, Water, and Environmental Science (Academic Rep.); Community Affairs; and PARASOL Student Environmental Club.
This graphic conveys key elements of collaboration which have allowed the SWWG to accomplish so many projects.
Long-range surface water planning is currently occurring at two scales. First is a campus-wide hydrology analysis and plan for mitigation of major storm flows, the Surface Water Master Implementation Plan. To the degree possible, large stormflows will be retained in the soil or in storage tanks - a focus on absorption rather than drainage.
The second planning activity is a more site-scale inventory of campus areas where landscapes can be adapted to harvest rain water, along with mapping of drains which may be directed to these catchment areas. This miro-analysis of campus hydrology patterns is being conducted by students paid from a grant provided through the UA Water Resources Research Center.
A primary tool the University has to bring about sustainable surface water projects are a set of Surface Water Design Guidelines prepared for inclusion in the University's Manual of Design and Specification Standards. These guidelines address how features such as retention basins and water harvesting are designed into projects.
Design Guidelines
The University has also prepared a number of site-specific plans detailing integrated surface water and open space concepts for future development, such as the Natural Sciences Open Space Corridor Plan shown below.
Natural Sciences Open Space Corridor Plan
In addition to the completed projects detailed in the sections below, water harvesting and storm flow mitigation has been recently implemented in Graduate Visual Arts Building, the Tennis Court complex, and the Cherry Avenue Garage Expansion. Further, projects currently in design or construction, such as the Mclleland-Park Building, the ICA Addition, the Student Recreation Center Expansion, the Law Expansion, and the Sixth Street Housing Project incorporate a variety of strategies that integrate stormwater mitigation needs with site-scale water harvesting.
ICA Expansion - Conceptual routing of roof runoff to landscape absorption areas.
© 2008 Arizona Board of Regents
