Being mindful and proactive with respect to the way we consume, conserve and consider our water resources is a vital component of a sustainable campus and is of primary consideration and focus at Iowa State University. With five creeks flowing through campus and Lake LaVerne, everyone at ISU has an impact on our campus and community water quality through daily decisions related to how we use and protect our water resources.

Stormwater run-off (precipitation that falls to the ground and comes in contact with soils, greases, debris and other contaminants from areas such as roadways, parking lots and rooftops) is one of the leading causes of water quality challenges. Through its ability to carry debris and pollutants directly into water sources, it can impact and endanger the lives of humans, animals and plant life.

Managing stormwater run-off helps reduce and/or eliminate potential negative impacts. Mandated by Congress under the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program is a comprehensive, two-phased national program for addressing the non-agricultural sources of stormwater discharges that adversely 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 from being washed by stormwater runoff into local water bodies.

The City of Ames and Iowa State are leaders in stormwater management, as Ames was the first town of more than 50,000 people in Iowa to receive a permit for expanded stormwater initiatives. Policies related to stormwater management and irrigation practices, managed by Environmental Health and Safety, are currently in place, and are reviewed and revised on an ongoing basis following Best Management Practices (BMPs). Some of these practices include, but are not limited to, hydroseeding, the installation of green roofs, bioswales, as well as the use of permeable pavers, throughout campus. ISU students also play a role in the management of stormwater, having the opportunity to test and monitor water quality for internships and coursework.

Considerations for demanding water, as well as ensuring water quality, are also in place and implemented throughout the campus community. These considerations range from rainwater reuse for building operations to specialized custodial dilution systems, and from landscaping with local ecotype plants to utilizing applications specifically focused on determining need, timing and intensity of irrigation.

See the dropdowns below to see how our water practices are making an impact within each of the three facets of sustainability. 

  • Environmental Health and Safety walks campus waterways once a year to proactively identify and address any potential problems with pipes.
  • On average, Transportation Services conducts 30-100 car washes per day for its vehicles. To save money and reduce its water use, Transportation Services recently installed an automated car wash system with adjustable settings that better manages water efficiency.
  • The university owns a 500-gallon rainwater collector, nicknamed "the water bubble," which reduces costs related to the upkeep of campus' landscapes.
  • Technology that manages water consumption is used to save money by making use of a tool, housed at the university-owned Veenker Memorial Golf Course, which measures humidity and gives the best time (when necessary) to irrigate plants.
  • Iowa State utilizes local ecotype plants that are resilient to local weather conditions, thus reducing the need and cost of irrigation, as well as pest management.

"Best Management Practices' is the big term in stormwater, which is the minimum that you have to do. We always strive to do a little better—what we should do, not what we have to do. And usually that's the best route to take. It might cost a little more in the long run, but if you do it right the first time you don't have to do it two or three times. Doing the right thing is more cost-effective than doing the minimal." Steven Mayberry, Environmental Health and Safety Assistant Manager

  • Environmental Health and Safety employs the use of "compost socks", which are stacked in the ground during construction projects to prevent soil from floating away during rainfall. "Gutter buddies" act as miniature compost socks during construction projects.
  • Campus Services uses hydroseeding to plant seed, as well as to control erosion, which utilizes a slurry of seed and paper mulch, made from recycled newspaper, to stabilize soil, moisten seeds and soil, as well as to help seeds germinate.
  • Environmental Health and Safety aims to keep as much grass in place as possible during construction by minimizing the amount of soil tracked out by vehicles and motorized equipment through the best management practice of building driveways and sidewalks first to create a hard surface to drive on.
  • Landscaping Services uses bioswales, otherwise known as rain gardens, incorporating water-loving plants to capture run-off, filter toxins and prevent flooding. Campus bioswales are incorporated throughout campus and are most easily viewed at Troxel Hall and the Applied Science buildings.
  • At the end of a project, Iowa State goes above and beyond by putting in six inches of top soil, compared to the four inches required by law to ensure soil stabilization.
  • All soil hauled out of construction sites goes to the ISU Compost Facility, is amended and then brought back to campus to help water move more slowly through soil.
  • Environmental Health and Safety strictly adheres to Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans for all sites, which outline potential sources of pollution and practices to reduce pollutants.
  • Iowa State's Stormwater Management Team, composed of professionals from Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities Planning and Management, Department of Residence, as well as Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology-AGLS, won the 2016 CYtation Team Award for developing a solution to concrete cutting slurry, addressing a challenge noted as "the worst problem we face today," according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The team's solution is a super-absorbent powder that captures the concrete slurry and solidifies it for safe removal, effectively keeping it from entering the stormwater system and, therefore, campus waterways.
  • Custodial Services uses accurate chemical dilution systems to eliminate unnecessary waste by measuring out the exact amount of cleaning product needed for a given task. With this dilution system, Iowa State mixes in-house with on-site water, also reducing transportation costs of cleaning products.
  • Most of Iowa State's major buildings have water bottle-filling stations, moving steadily toward the goal of all central campus buildings offering at least one filling station. These stations encourage users to utilize reusable containers and rely less on bottled water, resulting, on average, each filling station preventing tens of thousands of plastic water bottles from entering the waste stream.
  • ISU Dining locations use a “pulping system” for dish washing that filters out food waste, preventing unwanted items from entering the waste water stream and beneficial items to be provided to the ISU Compost Facility.
  • Iowa State has three campus buildings that reuse rainwater to flush toilets: Biorenewables Research Laboratory, State Gym and Hach Hall.
  • Iowa State has more than 52,000 square feet of green roofs, covered with vegetation like sedum, native prairie plants, succulents and chives, including the roofs of Troxel Hall and the Memorial Union, on campus. Green roofs offer many benefits to buildings, including natural insulation, as well as stormwater filtering and absorption.

  • Iowa State University is a “city within a city”, which means ISU has a strict responsibility to not impact Ames' water quality. Because ISU is considered its own entity, it has its own stormwater plan and regulations it must follow, in addition to the parameters that the City of Ames has put in place for the community.
  • ISU students are actively engaged in monitoring, testing and reporting campus' water quality. Since 2012, students have tested Iowa State's water quality in their coursework to monitor the effectiveness of best management practices, collaborating with Environmental Health and Safety staff to test water and conduct “bio inventories." In addition, the Biology and Industrial Technology departments collaborate on water quality capstone projects by hiring students. Iowa State also has a learning community called Science of the Environment and Sustainable Systems about water health for undergraduates, which is taught by Environmental Health and Safety staff.
  • Environmental Health and Safety trains more than 1,000 people each year on campus about stormwater management and spill prevention.

When I began this job in 1991, all the streams were compromised and could barely sustain life. In response, we began a stormwater management program and now we have fish in our streams. Of all the different projects I've seen on campus, the stormwater initiative is one where I can say water quality is better now than it was 20 years ago. That's a notable impact.

Bill Diesslin, Director of Environmental Health and Safety Services