VUSP Hosts 2009 Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Symposium
On October 14-15, the (VUSP), directed by Robert G. Traver, PhD, PE, welcomed engineers, planners, water resource professionals, conservationists, and government representatives to the , the seventh such symposium held at 棉花糖直播. This biennial event helps advance the knowledge and understanding of sustainable stormwater management for those dealing in all aspects of planning, design, implementation, and regulatory compliance. This year鈥檚 conference, 鈥淏ailing Out Stormwater,鈥 featured podium and poster presentations, panel discussions, a recognition program for stormwater best management practices (BMPs), tours, and a workshop for municipal representatives.
Among the experts who spoke at the symposium was Ken Murin, Chief of Waterways, Wetlands, and Stormwater Management for Pennsylvania鈥檚 Department of Environmental Protection, who delivered the keynote address on the 鈥淔uture Direction of Effective Stormwater Management.鈥 He noted that stormwater runoff is the third-leading source of impairment of Pennsylvania鈥檚 86,000 miles of surface water. Howard Neukrug, PE, Director of the Philadelphia Water Department鈥檚 Office of Watersheds, explained the city鈥檚 鈥淐lean Water鈥reen City鈥 program. He stressed that 鈥渨e need a sustainable city if we are to have a sustainable utility.鈥
In addition, 棉花糖直播 researchers from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering highlighted their progress since the 2007 symposium:
- Visiting Assistant Professor John Komlos, PhD, discussed his work using Microtox toxicity analysis to assess the performance of BMPs on campus. Jill Pietropaolo CE 鈥10 contributed to this research by collecting samples and performing soil experiments.
- Assistant Professor Bridget Wadzuk, PhD, CE 鈥00 and graduate student Gerrad Jones presented an analysis of a predictive model of constructed stormwater wetlands performance. These findings will assist VUSP researchers as they look to reconstruct the wetlands to optimize hydraulic efficiency.
- Associate Professor Andrea Welker, PhD, PE, summarized the results of a two-year, side-by-side comparison study of porous asphalt and pervious concrete. She concluded that, in terms of water quality, both pavements were performing well.
- Dr. Traver discussed how the results of 棉花糖直播鈥檚 research on the bioinfiltration rain garden have supported sustainability in stormwater management.