When it rains, it pours, and for a city like Madison with more than four miles of lake shoreline, the question is where to put all the storm water. According to Rhonda James, Senior Landscape Architect for the University of Wisconsin's Facilities Planning and Management, storm water "is always an important issue; the more than average rainfall just brings it into the limelight."
"More than average" is an understatement in regard to the precipitation levels Dane County has received since June 2007. In the past month 22.6 inches of rain have fallen on Madison, leaving the city burdened by a surplus of 10.3 inches. With excess storm water affecting local communities, it is up to citizens and students to take necessary measures to properly preserve nature.
The city of Madison presents a unique situation when it comes to the rainfall runoff. Water that falls in the city runs off directly into Lake Mendota or Lake Monona, carrying toxins with it. In a nonurban area, this process would occur without such damaging effects, but "densely built environments, such as downtowns and the campus, present a challenge as there is not a lot of open space in which to create the areas to capture, clean and infiltrate all the water that falls on the rooftops and pavements" James said. Madison's urban density would normally cause trouble for those trying to preserve nature, but coupled with the intense rainfall of this past summer, extraordinary measures were necessitated.
Over the summer, for example, the UW campus made several alterations to Lot 34, the parking lot in front of Tripp Hall. Just yards from Lake Mendota, the lot was funneling rainwater runoff directly into the lake. The bank separating the lot from the lakeshore path was overgrown with shallow-rooted plants, encouraging runoff to continue eroding the path as it drains to the lake, carrying fertilizers and other pollutants with it.
The lot was repaved in July 2007, one-fourth of the surface being replaced with pervious asphalt which "allows the water to pass through the pavement into a layer of larger stones that holds the water until it seeps into the ground and returns to groundwater," James said.
This process redirects excess storm water back into the ground, granting time for the absorption of free radicals in the runoff. As an additional improvement, the overgrown forestry on the north end of the lot was torn out and replanted with native, deep-rooted plants to discourage further erosion. When asked about the results of such changes, James replied that they seemed to be "working quite well."
The changes to Lot 34 were vital adjustments in Madison's move to preserve nature's beauty, especially with the lot being in such close proximity to Lake Mendota. However, locations citywide are affecting local ecology, and it is important to make environment-friendly decisions elsewhere.
Rain gardens and green roofs offer inland areas options to contribute to the filtering and redirection of storm water. Rain gardens are turf-lined basins planted with specific soils and plants that absorb water and filter out pollutants. Green roofs operate under the same principles, only the garden is placed on a roof, not only absorbing rain that would normally run off the rooftop but maintaining roof temperature and effectually the building below. Both solutions are readily available to residents of Dane County and are already being utilized at several locations on campus.
Residents of Madison are fortunate to have such lush surroundings, but if taken for granted, the beauty of our environment will suffer along with its occupants. The actions taken this summer by the university's Facilities Planning and Management to improve the Lot 34 area is an example of responsible citizens making a positive effect on their community's ecology.
However, it doesn't require a landscape architecture degree to maintain nature; students and residents alike can help. Restricting use of fertilizers on lawns, planting deep-rooted native plants around neighborhoods and not littering are simple ways to participate in environmental preservation.
Students' money and time are frugally budgeted, often making it difficult to contribute to a local cause. Luckily, storm water runoff is a problem with simple solutions, many of which can involve students. A little effort from each of us will aid those who dedicate their lives to sustaining the environment and ensure the UW campus and surrounding areas have a healthy, bright and beautiful future.
Rachel Krystek ([email protected]) . is a sophomore majoring in journalism
