Input still sought
for stormwater management plan
UVic is more than home to 18,000 students, 700 full-time faculty and over 1,500 staff. The campus is also the site of headwaters for four area drainage systems: Bowker Creek to the west; Finnerty Creek to the north; Sinclair drainage system to the northeast; and Hobbs Creek to the east.
UVic's 2003 campus plan identified the need to create an integrated stormwater management plan to make recommendations on reducing the quantity and improving the quality of stormwater leaving the Gordon Head campus.
The draft of the plan is now complete. It's the result of research and consultation with neighbouring municipalities, members of community associations, and UVic students, faculty and staff by RCL Consulting, a group of leading-edge engineers and specialists.
Members of the public viewed the plan at an open house at UVic on March 25 and public feedback will be accepted until April 19. The report determines that UVic has no urgent or serious stormwater-related problems requiring high-cost attention. Most remedial stormwater measures can be incorporated into new construction and ongoing building, road and parking lot renovations.
"The intent of the report is to guide UVic in making decisions about new building projects with the potential to decrease water run- off," says Jerry Robson, executive director of facilities management.
The study indicates that by reducing impervious surface areas and providing additional stormwater storage through in-ground and surface storage, UVic could reduce its offsite discharges by up to 16 per cent.
"UVic already has a great deal of natural land contributing to stormwater storage and retention," adds Sarah Webb, the university's sustainability co-ordinator. "The report has identified initiatives such as landscape modification, permeable pathways and parking areas to reduce runoff and improve water quality."
Copies of the draft integrated stormwater management plan are available on the facilities man-agement Web site at web.uvic.ca/fmgt.
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