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Projects Updates for Water and Stormwater SWATeam

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  1. Stormwater grad student sought

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Reduce Nitrates from Agricultural Stormwater

    Hi sustainability friends,

    I have funding for a grad student to assist our stormwater efforts for the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Specifically, I’m looking for someone to find and curate stormwater outreach products and identify gaps. No tuition waiver but pay is $25/hr.

     

    Do you know of anyone that you’d recommend?

     

    Thanks,

    Eliana

  2. Thank you to all FY19 SWATeams

    Associated Project(s): 
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)

    Dear FY19 SWATeam members, As another academic year is about to begin, we want to first thank you for all of your help moving campus toward the goals outlined in the Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP). Each of the six SWATeams worked on multiple recommendations last year, and after careful evaluation by the iCAP Working Group (iWG), several recommendations are under consideration now at the appropriate campus units. Additionally, several prior SWATeam recommendations are continuing to show progress, such as the Solar Farm 2.0 project, which is likely to be approved by the Board of Trustees this fall.

    Now, the iWG is gearing up for the drafting of the 2020 iCAP. Last year, we have received a lot of feedbacks from the SWATeams and the student body about the 2015 iCAP, our successes, and our areas for growth. After extensive consideration, we have reorganized the SWATeams as announced in the iSEE newsletter earlier this month. Soon we will be updating the email lists, so please do not be concerned if you are removed from a SWATeam email list and are planning to stay on the new team; all returning members will be added to the new SWATeam email lists, as they are created.

    If you have any questions, please let us know and we’ll be happy to discuss this further. We thank you for your time, your enthusiasm, and your continuous efforts!

    Sincerely,

    Ximing Cai and Morgan White

    iCAP Working Group, co-chairs

  13. discussion items email

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam

    Hi Water and Stormwater SWATeam,

     

    I am incredibly sorry I can’t attend the first SWATeam meeting on Monday (I’ll be out of town that day).  I know you have several topics for your team to address this year, and I’m excited about the opportunities coming our way.  This email is to share a few agenda items that I would appreciate your help with, as time permits this fall.

    1. Eliana Brown, Brent Lewis, and I intend to request funding from the SSC, this fall, for a green infrastructure master plan for campus.  This would entail hiring a consultant to evaluate our existing green infrastructure and recommend locations for additional installations.  The recommendations would need to consider maintenance requirements, utility fee impacts, and the environmental benefits.  It would also include stakeholder engagement around campus for setting shared goals (such as the ability to use the GI installations as living labs).  We would appreciate your input and support during this process. 
    2. The iCAP goal for performing water audits has been discussed in your team, and I would like to help move this forward this year.  Is there a “lite version” of this concept that could be done with student volunteers?  Maybe your team could look at how other schools have reduced water consumption around campus.  If the audit is primarily related to research labs, then this should be brought into the discussions about an overarching Green Labs Program, which we have been discussing (via the ECBS SWATeam).  We hope to get a task force formed by spring semester to talk about how to incorporate sustainability more fully into the research labs around campus, without impeding the safety of our researchers.
    3. There are two recommendations from your team that were transmitted to the appropriate units last week.  The RainWorks F4 project recommendation was then forwarded from Lowa Milwambwe to the new Director of Parking, Marty Paulins.  Marty and I are planning a meeting about the SWATeams this coming week.  I wonder if your team would be willing to do the initial draft of the SSC application suggested by your SWATeam recommendation?  Please let me know on Monday, if you can help with this on Parking’s behalf.  The funding applications are due 9/24.
    4. Thank you for agreeing to talk with Art Binder about his suggestions.  If you believe a service like his should be pursued, please submit a formal recommendation.
    5. Do you have any suggestions for how to promote the results
    6. Finally, I am hoping to start getting regular (at least twice per year) Project Updates in the iCAP Portal for projects with the status “In Progress.”  Is it possible for your SWATeam to help with this effort?  I believe it would be a matter of looking at the iCAP Portal theme page (https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/themes/water), clicking expand all, and reviewing the information on each of the six “In Progress” projects.  If it doesn’t have a recent update, then someone on your team could reach out to the contact person and get an update to post. 

    Thank you so much for your help with all of this!  Having students, faculty, and staff working together to advance the iCAP has been a wonderful help, and I am eager to work with you this year.  Sorry again for being unable to attend on Monday.

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

     

    ===============================

    Ms. Morgan White

    Associate Director of F&S, Sustainability

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    148B Physical Plant Service Building, MC-800

    1501 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820

    217-333-2668 mbwhite@illinois.edu

    http://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu

  14. note about measuring quality of water in campus watershed

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Rainwater Management
    Reduce Nitrates from Agricultural Stormwater

    The SWATeam asked County Engineer, Jeff Blue, who owns the bridge running across the Embarras on Airport Road (1100N) just west of the intersection of Race Street (1350E), in the hopes of adding a monitoring station.  Mr. Blue replied, "That bridge is under the jurisdiction of Philo Township. I know he is doing some substantial work on the ditch on the north side of Airport Road this summer which leads to this bridge. I doubt if the township would object, but it would be best to wait until the work on the ditch is complete. Please let me know what type of monitoring device would be used and how it would be attached to the bridge. I should be your contact on this project, as we are the bridge inspectors on behalf on the township."

  15. SWATeam Appreciation Letter

    Associated Project(s): 
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    Energy Generation, Purchasing, & Distribution (eGen) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE)

    See attached the Appreciation Letter sent to all SWATeams earlier this month.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Water and Stormwater SWATeam Meeting 2/6/2018

    Associated Project(s): 
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Green Infrastructure
    Water Audit / Inventory

    Meeting topics included potential for the team to move forward with a water audit of campus buildings, ways that nitrogen runoff could be monitored, and incentives the Parking Department would have in following through with adding green infrastructure to parking projects.

    Attached Files: 

  18. IWG Meeting Minutes November 30, 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    PPA for National Petascale Computing Facility
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Incorporate Sustainability Principles into Campus Master Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Food Waste Reduction
    Green Lab Program
    Attached Files: 

  19. iWG meeting agenda November 30, 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Topical iCAP Teams
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Solar Farm 2.0
    Energy Conservation and Building Standards (ECBS) SWATeam
    PPA for National Petascale Computing Facility
    Biomass Boiler at the Energy Farm
    Incorporate Sustainability Principles into Campus Master Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Food Waste Reduction
    Green Lab Program

    see file

    Attached Files: 

  20. Water & ALUFS SWATeam Joint Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Agriculture, Land Use, Food, and Sequestration (ALUFS) SWATeam
    Water and Stormwater SWATeam
    Reduce Nitrates from Agricultural Stormwater
    Green Infrastructure
    Water Audit / Inventory

    Each team shared ideas of the semester and came together to propose a few joint recommendations. Suggested logistics for a water audit were mentioned, as well as nitrate runoff data from the 1990s that would be used as benchmark levels for runoff reduction. Different possible measuring techniques regarding future progress in nitrate reduction were mentioned. Ideas for greener parking lots were introduced, including replanting of trees on Lot E14.

    Attached Files: 

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