Virginia Commonwealth University Stormwater Management Plan

Abstract

Every year millions of gallons of polluted stormwater and untreated sanitary waste are discharged directly into the James River during combined sewer overflow events. This is a problem considering stormwater is one of the most significant sources of pollution to the nation’s surface waters. The purpose of the VCU Stormwater Management Plan (VCU SWMP) is to reduce the impact of stormwater pollution using green infrastructure and low impact development best management practices like rain gardens, green roofs, and infiltration trenches. These stormwater control strategies present opportunities for VCU to reduce runoff and to preserve and restore green spaces on an urban campus. Implementing the VCU SWMP recommendations will require a significant shift in the collective understanding of stormwater management. However, by incorporating these recommendations and reducing impervious surface area, VCU will decrease its annual stormwater fees, decrease the overall volume of stormwater runoff from campus, increase the City’s sewer system capacity, and decrease the total number of combined sewer overflow events that occur in Richmond each year.