Abstract

Landscape Design and GIS in Campus Stormwater Planning
Track: Water Resources
Authors: Joanne Logan, Tracy Moir-McClean

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, like many U.S. college campuses, now falls under Phase 2
Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) regulations. As part of the UTK Master Plan, many future changes will be implemented that affect building footprints, open spaces, parking lots, roads, and ultimately runoff. In the process of redesigning campus, students in landscape architecture and environmental GIS have partnered in a project to study potential impacts on runoff of stormwater design features such as rain gardens, grassy swales, pocket parks, cisterns, and pervious parking surfaces. As a first step, the drainage basin near the Neyland Memorial Football Stadium has been studied with pre- and post-planning scenarios. Stormwater from this basin drains directly into the impaired Second Creek. Prelimary data show that improvements in adjacent stormwater features can greatly reduce and filter runoff from this basin, as well as provide irrigation water to the athletic field.