Today’s forecast: 62 degrees with an 85% chance of showers. Put on your raincoat and start singing…

Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day…

Look at all the puddles forming, and the water rushing down the street to the storm drain. Hmm, looks silty. And I wonder what types of pollution are in the water that we can’t see?

Stormwater runoff can carry a host of unwelcome and potentially harmful materials into surface waters, such as nutrients from pesticides and fertilizers, hazardous chemicals from household cleaning supplies, and even pet waste. Thus, managing stormwater is important for maintaining our surface water quality.

Damaged riparian zone and highly turbid water at Oberlin College. Image credit Noah Schwarz

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water has opened registration for their first annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a competition for college and university students to manage stormwater on their campuses using green infrastructure techniques–vegetation, soil and other natural methods.

What’s involved in the RainWorks Challenge? Well, first you need a team ...

Link to original article / Continue Reading...

Wildlife Promise ... National Wildlife Federation Blogs.