Green Infrastructure Performance

We have been getting flow and water quality monitoring of campus green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) going at PennState- University Park campus. We are monitoring several lined and unlined bioretention basins for inflow and outflow hydrology, as well as sampling soils across all sites to quantify accumulation of metals.

We also will be evaluating co-benefits provided by GSI, such as aesthetic benefit, and will be evaluating maintenance effort and costs associated with GSI, in hopes of optimizing environmental benefit and financial cost.

We have also expanded monitoring efforts to commonwealth campuses, including PSU Harrisburg, as well as to partner municipalities such as Lancaster. Specific efforts in Lancaster include field monitoring of the impacts of de-icing salts on metals and nutrient retention of stormwater bioretention basins, as well as broader evaluation of ecosystem service provision of multiple types of green infrastructure in Lancaster.

A key component of this effort to make Penn State a ‘living lab’ for stormwater research is to integrate this work into ongoing courses and develop new training and outreach opportunities.

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IM Building and bioretention basin on Penn State- University Park campus where inflow and outflows are being quantified.
As of summer 2021, our work in Lancaster expanded to examine salt impacts on stormwater bioretention performance, and to quantify a broader suite of ecosystem services provided by green stormwater infrastructure.
We also have active greenhouse experiments going with stormwater bioretention mesocosms, investigating links between internal water storage, vegetation, and deicing salts.
green PVC columns with outlet structures visible and plants
This video highlights some of this recent work on green stormwater infrastructure.
Status: Active (2019- present)
Collaborators: Hong Wu, Danny Brent, Margaret Hoffman, Shirley Clark
Students: Bishwodeep Adhikari, Alex Brown
Funding: Penn State Office of Physical Plant; Penn State Strategic Plan Initiative, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Penn State Biodiversity Seed Grant, Pennsylvania Sea Grant