Stormwater Mitigation and Infiltration Project On The University of Mississippi Campus
As of early August, installation of the Stormwater Mitigation and Infiltration Project has begun. This project will be installed in the detention basin (surface storage basins that provide flow control through attenuation of stormwater runoff) between West Road and Chucky Mullins Drive, with the UM Law School being the closest building to the project. The project was originally proposed to the UM Green Fund by engineering student Benjamin Koltai, and involves a wide variety of partners between the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Planning, Facilities Management, Landscape Services, the UM Green Fund and the School of Engineering.
The project will utilize green infrastructure and ecological principles to better manage both the flow-rate and quality of stormwater runoff from impermeable surfaces in this area of campus. Phase 1 of this project is to install six dry wells that will allow for gradual percolation of excess stormwater into the ground. Phase 2 of this project is to plant a grove of bald cypress in the detention pond area. The cypress trees will offer additional water uptake as well as ecosystem benefits and pollutant filtration.
The Green Fund was established and 2013 and has since awarded more than $58,000 of funding to 22 projects. The UM Green Fund was created to support innovative sustainability projects on the Ole Miss campus, such as Benjamin Koltai’s stormwater project. Other past projects include the establishment of the UM Compost Program, the installation of hydration stations, and energy conservation projects in RC South and the J.D. Williams Library. All faculty, staff, and students are eligible to propose a project. To learn more about the Green Fund and how to propose a project, visit our UM Green Fund Page.
-Story by OOS Project Manager Kathryn Kidd