Water, water everywhere!

After hearing about and finally seeing the aftermath of the "Great Flood of 2010" in my home state of Rhode Island, I couldn't help but wonder about, well... (storm)water! It made me curious about what the town of Elon and Elon University does in regards to stormwater and how "green" they are when it comes to maintaining and conserving it.

Here is a little glimpse for you guys who didn't get to witness the Great Flood of 2010 (Warwick, RI):

This is our mall now.

A better view. Crazy, huh?

Since water was on my mind this whole weekend I was home, I researched the stormwater treatment in the town of Elon (on their town's website) and found some interesting facts.

Did you know? The Town of Elon is facing the problem of stormwater runoff as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Phase II Stormwater Program, commonly referred to as the Phase II Rule. The Stormwater Program is a comprehensive two-phased national program for addressing non-point sources of stormwater discharges which in turn affect the quality of our nation's waters. The program uses the NPDES permitting mechanism to require the implementation of controls designed to prevent harmful pollutants.


Did you also know? Polluted stormwater runoff is a leading cause of impairment to the nearly 40 percent of surveyed U.S. water bodies which do not meet water quality standards.

And... Over land or via storm sewer systems, polluted runoff is discharged, often untreated, directly into local water bodies. When left uncontrolled, this water pollution can result in the destruction of fish, wildlife, and aquatic life habitats; a loss in aesthetic value; and threats to public health due to contaminated food, drinking water supplies, and recreational waterways.

The Phase II Rule sets forth the following three primary requirements for the Town of Elon and adjacent urban areas: 
1. To develop, implement and enforce a stormwater management program designed to minimize the discharge of pollutants into receiving waters
2. To ensure that the program includes provisions to address six minimum measures to promote pollutant load reduction: Public education, Public participation and involvement, Illicit discharge detection and elimination, Construction site runoff control, Post-construction runoff control, Pollution prevention and good housekeeping.
3. To identify appropriate BMPs with measurable performance criteria


How has the Town of Elon implemented these rules?  The town of Elon done many things to control the stormwater and improve the quality of it to make it less harmful for us. Some of these solutions and improvements have been to perform outreach to the citizens of Elon on how to control stormwater runoff, enforce a sediment and erosion control program for construction activities, and implement a program with the goal of preventing or reducing pollutant runoff from municipal operation (as Claire has discussed).


VIDEO - here is a video link to give you a much more in-depth look on the Elon Water Quality

However, Elon can only do so much. We have to take it upon ourselves, not only as residents of Elon but as citizens of the world, to STOP polluting our waters with harmful bacteria that can easily spread through runoff stormwater and even to our bodies. As we discussed in class, water is an example of "tragedy of the commons" and has been abused and taken for granted exponentially.

Elon is making great attempts in conserving our water and making the act as green as possible. According to our Elon Sustainability website: "Numerous plumbing fixtures have been replaced with low flow models including toilets, showerheads and faucets... and campus dishwashers and washing machines were replaced with Energy Star rated units in 2005"

Now it is up to us to take advantage of these Green alternatives and maybe make up our owns!

I'll leave it on that note. Happy Tuesday!

Nia :)