Location: Faribault, MN
Client: Rice County
Background
Shattuck-St. Mary’s School was identified as a potential site to build stormwater best management practices (BMPs) to target stormwater runoff and reduce pollutants that enter the Straight and Cannon rivers.
Rice County, the City of Faribault, and Shattuck-St. Mary’s School partnered to manage stormwater using targeted BMPs to produce measurable water quality benefits for the nearby rivers. Houston Engineering, Inc. (HEI) joined Rice County in producing a feasibility study to target, identify, and prioritize practices that will reduce sediment and pollutant loading into the Shattuck-St. Mary’s campus.
The Project
The HEI team began the analysis in January 2015 by performing desktop and field site assessments and developing hydraulic and hydrologic models. The hydraulic and hydrologic models were used to determine the amount of discharge entering the ravines and how large the BMPs needed to be to accommodate the modeled volumes.
These assessments and models allowed HEI to determine the amount of pollutants reaching the nearby ravines and how to effectively reduce those numbers. Because significant erosion had been identified on the campus ravines, HEI assessed five ravines to evaluate how their erosion affected the pollutant loads. It was determined that the ravines contributed a combined 365 tons of sediment and 365 pounds of phosphorus to the Straight River each year.
HEI recommended 22 potential BMPs that would reduce discharge to the ravines, help stabilize the ravines, and reduce pollutant loading. Shattuck-St. Mary’s chose 12 of these BMPs to evaluate further. The study also involved recommendations for existing BMPs for inspection or reconstruction to improve their functionality.
Client Benefits
Reduced sediment and pollutant loading into nearby rivers, which resulted in increased water quality.- Reduced erosion along ravines.
- Conceptual designs for 12 new BMPs that can be implemented to improve stormwater filtration and reduce peak discharge.
- Client is better positioned for future grant funding with the ability to demonstrate the exact quantities of pollutants.