Storm Water Retention

Sustainable Moves Committee | Storm Water Retention

Storm Water

To report improper discharges to storm drains on Kalamazoo Valley Community College property please call Facility Services at 488-4204 if you observe individuals discarding waste into storm water drains, retention basins, or the stretches of Portage Creek adjacent to campus. In addition, if you observe any chemical spills or leaking automotive fluids in parking lots, please report to this number immediately for material clean up.

Comments and suggestions regarding KVCCs Storm Water Management Plan can be submitted by email here.

Introduction to KVCC Storm Water Plan

Kalamazoo Valley Community College is committed to preserving our local waterways, primarily in the West fork of the Portage Creek, by our involvement in Best Watershed Management Practices. Learn more about KVCC's Storm Water Master Plan here. As you may or may not know, all rainwater from our parking lots, roofs and athletic fields, is diverted through curbside gutters and catch basins to underground piping that eventually ends up dumping into the Portage Creek located on the southeast border of our campus.

Since 2001, KVCC has invested in our environment and the conservation of our local waterways by constructing retention basins in various locations on the property. The goal of these basins it to contain all run-off from rain, snow melt, and turf watering in "ponds" that allow separation of the sediment contained in this water and gradual infiltration of the water BEFORE it has a chance to directly disperse into the river. These basins are located just east of the faculty parking lot, south of the Advanced Technology Center, and in the western corner of our most northwestern parking lot. Near our athletic fields, construction is nearly complete of our last basin. With each new structure completed, the drain pipes allowing outfall to the river have been capped off and that water does not end up directly in the river. As of winter 2013, only one outfall was still active and it is scheduled to be capped off late summer 2013. With this, KVCC will be effectively capturing all surface water on its grounds and reduce our impact on the waterways of the Portage Creek.

What is KVCC doing as a steward of the Portage Creek?

Following Cabinet Member Operating Policies (CMOP 2072 - Storm Water Management), Kalamazoo Valley Community College, as a good steward, will install and properly maintain best management practices for storm water management. The general guidelines, developed in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, are applicable to all construction projects on College property that disturb one acre or more, including projects less than one acre that are part of a larger common plan of development that would disturb one acre or more. The guidelines also apply to situations where development of an area smaller than one acre may contribute to significant water run-off.

Daily rounds of parking lots and green spaces removing trash and other waste before it has a chance to enter the drainage system

Routine inspections of our retention basins to monitor sediment accumulation and dry weather screening looking for illicit discharges to the system

Installing green roofs on our new addition to capture rainwater before it has a chance to drain into the system

Respond promptly to fluid spills for containment before contamination

Maintain "buffer zones" along the river

Erecting signage identifying outfalls and basins

Creating an outdoor classroom allowing for natural plantings in basin areas

Eliminating the use of fertilizers and pesticides on green space

Providing brochures explaining what happens to the rain water after a storm