SUSTAINING OUR WATERSHEDS

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SUSTAINING OUR WATERSHEDS
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE
Temple University Center for Sustainable
Communities (CSC) Villanova Urban Stormwater
Partnership (VUSP) Presented By Jeffrey
Featherstone, Ph.D.CSC Director Robert Traver,
Ph.D.VUSP Director
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PURPOSE

• Combine resources of two universities to form a
  larger, more powerful stormwater initiative
• Demonstrate the effectiveness of Stormwater Best
  Management Practices (BMPs)
• Foster improved stormwater management in
  Southeastern Pennsylvania

Villanova Bio-Infiltration Traffic Island
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CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE
Temple students collecting GPS data

• Established in 2000, the Center offers
  educational programs, conducts interdisciplinary
  research, and serves as a community resource to
  address issues of the environment and
  sustainability.
• Associated faculty come from various
  disciplines, including architecture, landscape
  architecture, horticulture, geology, geography,
  urban and suburban studies, planning, economics,
  and chemistry.

CSC GIS Studio
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VILLNOVA URBAN STORMWATER INITIATIVE
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• The mission of the VUSP is to advance the
  evolving comprehensive stormwater management
  field and to foster the development of public and
  private partnerships through
• Research on innovative BMPs,
• Directed Studies,
• Technology Transfer and Education

Villanova Infiltration Trench
Villanova Stormwater Wetlands
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FUNDING
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• William Penn Foundation 440,000
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
  Protection 212,000

Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
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INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• Engineers
• Geologists
• Planners
• Landscape Architects
• Ecologists
• Horticulturists
• GIS Specialists

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PROJECT OUTPUTS
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE
Pennypack Watershed

• Stormwater BMPs
• Regional BMP Survey
• Pennypack BMPs
• Villanova Wetland Restoration
• Standard Integrated Monitoring Plan
• Outreach Program
• Advisory Committee
• Web-based Support Center
• Symposia, Workshops, and Tours

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PROJECT OUTPUTS Stormwater BMPs
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• Regional BMP Survey - Good, Bad, Ugly
• Southeastern Pennsylvania
• BMP Retrofit Designs
• Collaboration with Philadelphia Water
  Departments BMP Award Program

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PROJECT OUTPUTS Stormwater BMPs cont.
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• Pennypack BMPs
• Wetlands and Ponds
• Infiltration Galleries
• Riparian Buffers
• Timeline
• Pre-construction Monitoring (Fall 2005)
• Planning, Design, and Construction (Fall
  2005, Spring 2006)
• Post-construction Integrated Monitoring
  (Summer 2006 2007)

Pennypack Watershed
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PROJECT OUTPUTS Stormwater BMPs cont.
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• Villanova Wetland Restoration
• Invasive species have displaced vegetation in
  wetland constructed in 1998
• Timeline
• Characterization Studies (Fall 2005)
• Restoration Design (Spring 2006)
• Replanting (Summer 2006)
• Integrated Monitoring (Summer 2007)

Wetland
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PROJECT OUTPUTS Stormwater BMPs cont.
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust

• Standard Integrated Monitoring Plan
• Ecological Monitoring
• Plant Species and Tissues
• Habitat
• Stormwater Monitoring
• Hydrology
• Water Quality

Water Quality Monitoring at Pennypack
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PROJECT OUTPUTS Outreach Program
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE
Township Meeting

• Outreach Advisory Committee
• Web-based Support Center
• Pennypack BMP Designs
• Villanova Wetland Restoration Design
• Standard Integrated Monitoring Plan
• Results of Regional BMP Survey
• BMP Retrofit Designs
• Symposia, Workshops, and Tours

EarthFest at Temple Ambler
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OUTCOMES
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• Short Term
• Formation of a Regional Interdisciplinary
  Research Organization
• Restoration of Stormwater Wetland of Villanova
• Construction of 5 BMPs at Pennypack Ecological
  Restoration Trust (PERT)
• Mid Term
• Secure Additional Funding, Conduct Long-Term
  Monitoring, and Expand Research Program
• Publish, Publish, and Publish!
• Long Term
• Increased Number of BMPs Implemented in
  Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Improved Construction and Restoration of BMPs
• Improved Water Quality and Stormwater Management

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CONTACT
TEMPLE-VILLANOVA SUSTAINABLE STORMWATER INITIATIVE

• Jeffrey.Featherstone_at_temple.edu
  www.csc.temple.edu
• Robert.Traver_at_villanova.edu
  www.villanova.edu/vusp